title: Former Finance Minister Schaeuble elected to head German parliament
text: BERLIN (Reuters) - Former German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble was elected president of Germany s Bundestag or lower house of parliament, on Tuesday at its first session after Sept. 24 elections. Schaeuble, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel s conservatives, agreed last month to step aside as finance minister, clearing the way for another party to take the job as part of tricky negotiations to forge a new coalition government. Schaeuble, 75, is known for his hardline insistence on a balanced budget and his leadership during the euro zone crisis, but he faces new challenges in leading the Bundestag, which will include a far-right party - the Alternative for Germany (AfD) - for the first time in decades. 