Roland Koch (R), Prime Minister of the German state of Hesse and chairman of the Christian Democratic party CDU in Hesse, sits behind deputy Prime Minister Ruth Wagner, coalition partner the Free Democratic Party (FDP) during a parliament session in Wiesbaden, February 17. Koch announced that he will not resign as Prime Minister and Wagner said the FDP will not quit the coalition although the opposition Social Democrats (SPD) in Hesse's state parliament will force Koch to resign becaus the SPD accused the CDU of founding the campaign with money from illegal accounts allegedly organized by former German interior minister and Koch's predecessor as Hesse's CDU leader Manfred Kanther.

KP