German Chancellor Angela Merkel has no intention of calling a confidence vote, her spokesman said, after her party ousted a close ally as head of its parliamentary group.

Mrs Merkel’s conservative Union bloc voted out Volker Kauder as head of its parliamentary group, a key post for securing the passage of government legislation.

It was the latest wobble for Mrs Merkel’s fourth-term administration following two coalition crises since it took office in March.

Volker Kauder
Volker Kauder (Markus Schreiber/AP)

The surprise defeat for Mr Kauder, who had held the job since Mrs Merkel became chancellor in 2005, was a blow to her authority in conservative ranks.

Opposition figures called on her to hold a confidence vote in parliament.

Asked whether she plans to do so, Merkel spokesman Steffen Seibert said the answer is “a clear no”.