next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

Leaders of Germany's junior governing party are meeting to consider the way forward after its leader quit abruptly, raising new questions about the future of Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition government.

The center-left Social Democrats are in disarray after Andrea Nahles, who took over only last year, on Sunday announced her departure as both the party's leader and head of its parliamentary group following dire results in May's European Parliament election and a simultaneous state vote.

The party was considering Monday how to proceed, and appeared likely to appoint an interim leader while it debates a longer-term solution.

The center-right Merkel has vowed to continue with her "grand coalition" of what traditionally have been Germany's biggest parties, which the Social Democrats joined reluctantly last year.