CSU rushes to reaffirm alliance with Merkel after Twitter hoax
BERLIN (Reuters) - Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU) party moved swiftly on Friday to deny it planned to dissolve its decades-old alliance with Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats, after a report to that effect appeared on a hoax Twitter account.
Hans Michelbach, deputy head of the CSU faction in the federal parliament, said the report was "rubbish", stressing the CSU wanted to maintain its alliance with the CDU and preserve the coalition.
Earlier, a Twitter account claiming to be that of the Hessischer Rundfunk state broadcaster had said CSU Interior Minster Horst Seehofer had announced the end of the alliance in an internal message.
Minutes later, the broadcaster confirmed the account was fake.
(Reporting by Thomas Escritt)