16 years Chancellor Angela Merkel: Your cabinets at a glance - an ex-minister wants to inherit her

2021-05-20T12:40:33.019Z

Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel has appointed 50 ministers since she became Chancellor in 2005. Some then made a career, others tried their luck far away from politics.

Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel has appointed 50 ministers since she became Chancellor in 2005.

Some then made a career, others tried their luck far away from politics.

Berlin - Angela Merkel has been Federal Chancellor since 2005.

The CDU politician succeeded Gerhard Schröder (SPD) as the first woman to take office.

During her long term in office, Merkel was able to rely on 50 more or less well-known members of the government who together made up her four cabinets.

An overview:

Ilse Aigner (CSU)

The CSU politician Ilse Aigner was represented in two cabinets under Angela Merkel.

In autumn 2008 she inherited her predecessor Horst Seehofer (CSU) as Minister of Agriculture and continued the ministerial post until September 30, 2013.

Subsequently, the Upper Bavarian stayed true to politics.

She has been the President of the Bavarian State Parliament since 2018.

Peter Altmaier (CDU)

Peter Altmaier can look back on a long political career as a CDU member.

Born in Saarland, he joined the Union Party in 1976 and made a career.

After high offices of state secretary, the next step followed in 2012: he got his seat at the cabinet table as Federal Environment Minister, and since 2018 he has headed the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.

Daniel Bahr (FDP)

Daniel Bahr served as Minister of Health from 2011 to 2013.

The FDP politician previously led his party in North Rhine-Westphalia before moving to the federal level.

After the Liberals failed to pass the five percent hurdle in the 2013 federal elections, Bahr's political career also ended.

He then switched to business.

Katarina Barley (SPD)

Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Federal Minister of Justice and Vice-President of the European Parliament: SPD politician Katarina Barley held high offices at federal and European level in her career.

For an interview with the Kremlin TV broadcaster

RT Deutsch

, Barley came under fire in 2019.

Helge Braun (CDU)

Helge Braun has been Federal Minister for Special Tasks and Head of the Federal Chancellery since 2018.

Before that, he gained experience as Minister of State for the reduction of bureaucracy, better regulation and the coordination of federal-state relations at the federal level.

In the Corona crisis, Braun worked closely with Jens Spahn's Ministry of Health.

Rainer Brüderle (FDP)

Rainer Brüderle headed the Ministry of Economic Affairs in the last Black and Yellow government before his party colleague Philipp Rösler replaced the native of Berlin.

Before his time in Chancellor Merkel's cabinet, Brüderle was to be found in the governments of Rhineland-Palatinate.

In 2013, journalist Laura Himmelreich raised allegations of sexism against him.

The FDP politician rejected the allegations.

Alexander Dobrindt (CSU)

CSU politician Alexander Dobrindt has headed the CSU state group in the Bundestag since 2017.

Before that, the Bavarian-born Federal Minister for Transport and Digital Infrastructure.

Andreas Scheuer's predecessor hit the headlines in 2018 because of the use of the expression "anti-deportation industry".

The expression became the bad word of the year.

"Such a statement by an important politician of a ruling party shows how the political discourse has shifted linguistically and in terms of the matter to the right and thus the rules of sayability in our democracy have changed in a questionable way," said jury member Nina Janich, justifying the decision.

Hans-Peter Friedrich (CSU)

CSU politician Hans-Peter Friedrich has been a member of the German Bundestag since 1998.

The doctor of law advanced to the office of Federal Minister of the Interior in 2011 before he was sworn in as Minister of Food and Agriculture in 2013.

In the following year Friedrich resigned from his office.

The public prosecutor's office investigated the suspicion of betraying data secrets, the ex-interior minister vehemently denied culpable behavior.

The CSU politician has been Vice President of the Bundestag since 2017.

Sigmar Gabriel (SPD)

Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) can look back on an eventful career in politics: Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, Foreign and Economic Minister, SPD Chairman.

Gabriel had been politically active since 1977 before retiring from active politics in 2019.

Since then, the native of Goslar has been involved as a consultant and publicist.

Franziska Giffey (SPD)

Is Franziska Giffey stumbling over the doctorate controversy?

As the

Business Insider

reported, the doctorate from the Free University of Berlin is to be revoked - because of allegations of plagiarism.

Before that, the Federal Minister for Family Affairs had a steep career.

Giffey worked her way up from the Berlin district councilor and secured her place at the cabinet table.

Michael Glos (CSU)

First, Michael Glos completed an apprenticeship as a miller and took over the family business before he joined the CSU in 1970.

He rose step by step within the party and became a member of the German Bundestag in 1976.

From 1993 to 2005 Glos was head of the CSU regional group, then Federal Minister of Economics for four years until 2009.

Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (CSU)

Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg was once considered to be the Union's great bearer of hope, and later the deep fall followed.

Since 2002 he sat for the CSU in the German Bundestag, then in 2008 he became general secretary of his party.

In 2009 he was sworn in as Federal Minister of Economics and Technology, and two years later he switched to the Ministry of Defense.

Zu Guttenberg had to resign in 2011 because he was involved in a plagiarism affair surrounding his doctoral thesis at the University of Bayreuth.

At first, zu Guttenberg dismissed the allegations as "abstruse", in February 2011 he was stripped of his doctorate from the University of Bayreuth.

Hermann Gröhe (CDU)

Hermann Größe held his first major post in 1989, when he was chairman of the Junge Union for five years.

He became a member of the German Bundestag in 1994 and remains so to this day.

From the end of 2013 to March 2018, Gröhe acted as Federal Minister of Health.

Hubertus Heil (SPD)

After entering the Bundestag in 1998, Hubertus Heil also made a career in his party.

From 2005 to 2009 he was Secretary General of the SPD and filled this position again in 2017.

Heil has been Federal Minister for Labor and Social Affairs since 2018.

Barbara Hendricks (SPD)

In her home state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Barbara Hendricks initially worked for many years on the political level.

The move to Berlin followed at the end of the 1990s.

In 2013, Hendricks became Environment Minister and remained so until 2018. After the federal election in 2021, Hendricks will resign from her mandate.

Franz Josef Jung (CDU)

Initially, Franz-Josef Jung was a member of the state parliament in Hesse from 1983.

In 2005 the CDU politician moved to Berlin and entered the Bundestag via the state list.

In the same year he was appointed Federal Minister of Defense.

After the federal election in 2009, Jung took over the office of Federal Minister of Labor.

He had to surrender this after just 33 days, and the Kunduz affair involving a fatally unsuccessful air attack in Afghanistan with the involvement of the Bundeswehr caught up with him.

It was the shortest term of office of a federal minister to date.

Anja Karliczek (CDU)

For the CDU, Anja Karliczek was initially involved in local politics in North Rhine-Westphalia.

In 2013 she won the direct mandate for the Bundestag in the constituency of Steinfurt III.

As Federal Minister for Education and Research, Karliczek has been a member of the Merkel IV cabinet since 2018.

Julia Klöckner (CDU)

CDU politician Julia Klöckner comes from a Rhineland-Palatinate winemaking family.

The former wine queen joined the Junge Union at the end of the 1990s, and later made it to the regional executive committee of the Christian Democrats in her home state.

From 2002 to 2011 Klöckner was a member of the German Bundestag, then went back to Rhineland-Palatinate.

There she ran in the state elections in 2011 and 2016 as the CDU top candidate, but missed the election victory in each case.

Klöckner has been Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture since 2018.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU)

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who was born in Saarland, rose to become CDU party leader.

She held this office from December 2018 and was considered a potential successor to Chancellor Angela Merkel.

In 2019, she was appointed Minister of Defense.

The support for "AKK" in their own party dwindled over time, however, in 2021 Armin Laschet took over the CDU chairmanship and was also chosen as the Union's candidate for chancellor.

Christine Lambrecht (SPD)

The lawyer Christine Lambrecht has been Federal Minister of Justice since 2019.

Before that, the SPD politician was deputy parliamentary group leader of her party in the German Bundestag.

She also worked as a Parliamentary State Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger (FDP)

Another lawyer who appeared as Federal Minister of Justice is Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger (FDP).

She filled this office twice: from 1992 to 1996 under Chancellor Helmut Kohl and from 2009 to 2013 under Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger has been a member of the Bavarian Constitutional Court since 2019.

Ursula von der Leyen (CDU)

As the daughter of the former Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, Ernst Albrecht (CDU), Ursula von der Leyen came into contact with politics at an early age.

The Christian Democrat became Family Minister in 2005, then moved to the Ministry of Labor in 2009 before becoming the first woman to head the Ministry of Defense in 2013.

In 2019 she took over the post of EU Commission President in Brussels.

Heiko Maas (SPD)

Heiko Maas started his career in Saarland.

There he ran as the top SPD candidate in the state elections in 2004, 2009 and 2012.

In all three cases, however, the Social Democrats were only the second strongest force behind the CDU.

Maas then switched to federal politics, becoming Federal Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection in 2013.

He has been Foreign Minister since 2018.

Thomas de Maizière (CDU)

Thomas de Maizière (CDU), who was born in Bonn, was initially politically active in the east of the republic after reunification.

First as State Secretary in the Ministry of Culture of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, then as head of the Saxon State Chancellery.

In Saxony, de Maizière was finance, justice and interior minister between 2001 and 2005.

Then the cousin of the last GDR Prime Minister Lothar de Maizière accepted the call from Berlin and became Minister of the Chancellery.

After that, de Maizière was Federal Minister of the Interior twice (2009 to 2011 and 2013 to 2018) and, in the meantime, Minister of Defense from 2011 to 2013.

Gerd Müller (CSU)

Gerd Müller has been a member of the German Bundestag since 1994.

The CSU politician has also held the post of Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development since 2013.

However, after the federal election in 2021, Müller is giving up his ministerial office.

According to his own statement, he wants to "initiate a generation change".

Franz Müntefering (SPD)

SPD veteran Franz Müntefering was allowed to take up ministerial office at federal level for the first time in 1998.

Chancellor Gerhard Schröder made him Minister of Transport.

In the grand coalition of Prime Minister Angela Merkel after the federal election in 2005, Müntefering became Federal Minister for Labor and Social Affairs and Vice Chancellor.

Andrea Nahles (SPD)

The former Juso boss Andrea Nahles was Federal Minister for Labor and Social Affairs from 2013 to 2017.

From 2018 to 2019 she was the first woman to hold the party chairmanship of the SPD.

In the meantime, Nahles has withdrawn from politics and has been President of the Federal Agency for Post and Telecommunications since June 2020.

Dirk Niebel (FDP)

The former FDP general secretary Dirk Niebel was briefly a member of the CDU in his youth before changing party affiliation a few years later.

Under Chancellor Angela Merkel, he was Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development from 2009 to 2013.

Niebel ended his political career and is currently working in an advisory capacity at Rheinmetall.

Ronald Pofalla (CDU)

Within the CDU / CSU parliamentary group, Ronald Pofalla made it to the position of deputy chairman.

From 2009 he was head of the Federal Chancellery for four years.

In 2014 he gave up his mandate in the Bundestag and switched to Deutsche Bahn.

Peter Ramsauer (CSU)

Peter Ramsauer has been a member of the German Bundestag since 1990.

The CSU politician was appointed Federal Minister for Transport, Building and Urban Development in the Merkel II cabinet in October 2009.

Four years later he had to vacate his ministerial post for party colleague Alexander Dobrindt.

Philipp Rösler (FDP)

Philipp Rösler grew up politically in Lower Saxony.

Then the FDP politician moved to Berlin.

From 2009 he was Federal Minister of Health for two years, and then Minister of Economics for two years.

In addition, Rösler was elected FDP chairman in 2011, but resigned from this office in 2013.

He now works in the private sector.

Norbert Röttgen (CDU)

Norbert Röttgen (CDU) made it into the federal parliament for the first time in 1994.

In the black-yellow coalition after the federal election in 2009, Röttgen was Environment Minister for three years and was the CDU's top candidate in the state elections in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2012.

Röttgen later went back to Berlin.

In 2021 he applied unsuccessfully for the party chairmanship and was defeated by Armin Laschet.

Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU) - the record member

The current President of the Bundestag, Wolfgang Schäuble, can look back on a long career in politics.

The CDU politician has been a member of the Bundestag since 1972, and with more than 48 years as a mandate holder, he is the record member in German history.

Nobody in this country ever sat in a parliament longer than the Freiburg native.

Schäuble was also Head of the Chancellery (1984 to 1989) and Minister of the Interior (1989 to 1991) under Helmut Kohl and again Minister of the Interior (2005 to 2009) and Minister of Finance (2009 to 2017) under Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Annette Schavan (CDU)

CDU politician Annette Schavan is a close confidante of Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Schavan appointed them to her cabinet as Minister of Education in 2005.

In 2013, Schavan caught up with her own doctoral thesis, and allegations of plagiarism forced the Christian Democrat to resign.

She was later stripped of her doctorate from Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf.

Andreas Scheuer (CSU)

In 2018, Andreas Scheuer became Federal Minister of Transport.

However, the term of office of the CSU politician is marked by numerous shortcomings.

The car toll planned by Scheuer in Germany failed due to the veto of the European Court of Justice.

The new road traffic regulations also had to be repealed due to a formal error.

Olaf Scholz (SPD)

For the first time, Olaf Scholz held the office of Federal Minister from 2007 to 2009.

The Social Democrat was Minister of Labor at the time.

He then moved to Hamburg, where he was elected the city's first mayor in the state elections.

After seven years as the political head of the Hanseatic city, Scholz returned to Berlin.

He has been Federal Minister of Finance and Vice Chancellor since 2018.

Christian Schmidt (CSU)

CSU politician Christian Schmidt worked as Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture from February 2014 to March 2018, and from October 2017 to March 2018 as acting Minister of Transport.

Schmidt caused a stir when he voted for approval of the controversial weed killer glyphosate in an EU vote in 2017.

The then Environment Minister Hendricks had told her ministerial colleague in a personal conversation that she was rejecting the glyphosate approval - nevertheless Schmidt voted in favor.

Ulla Schmidt (SPD)

The trained teacher Ulla Schmidt held the post of Minister of Health from 2001 to 2009.

The SPD politician can thus refer to the longest term in office in the ministry to date.

Schmidt was also Vice President of the Bundestag from 2013 to 2017.

Kristina Schröder (CDU)

At the age of 25, Kristina Schröder won her first mandate in the Bundestag.

She then sat in parliament for the CDU for 15 years.

From 2009 to 2013 she was Federal Minister for Families, Seniors, Women and Youth.

Svenja Schulze (SPD)

Svenja Schulze from the SPD has been Federal Environment Minister since 2018.

Before that, the Düsseldorf native worked as the North Rhine-Westphalian Minister for Innovation, Science and Research from 2010 to 2017.

Manuela Schwesig (SPD)

As Minister of Health in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Manuela Schwesig held her first major public office in 2008.

Five years later, the SPD politician moved to Berlin and became Federal Minister for Family Affairs.

In 2017 it went back to Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where Schwesig succeeded Erwin Sellering as minister president.

Horst Seehofer (CSU)

Horst Seehofer was Minister of Health for six years from 1992 under Chancellor Helmut Kohl.

In 2005, the CSU politician became Minister of Agriculture in Merkel's first cabinet.

In 2008 he went back to Bavaria, where Seehofer was Prime Minister for ten years.

He has been Federal Minister of the Interior since 2018.

Jens Spahn (CDU)

CDU politician Jens Spahn has held the office of Federal Minister of Health since 2018.

With the corona pandemic, the Christian Democrat has to master an extremely demanding time in this role.

Since 2021 Spahn has also been deputy party chairman of the CDU.

Peer Steinbrück (SPD)

After his time as Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia (2002-2005), Peer Steinbrück became Minister of Finance in the Merkel I cabinet.

During this time, the SPD politician experienced the economic crisis that resulted from the bankruptcy of the US bank Lehman Brothers.

In 2013 he ran as a candidate for Chancellor of the Social Democrats in the federal election, but had to admit defeat to Angela Merkel and the CDU.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD)

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has already held several ministerial posts.

From 1999 to 2005 he was head of the Chancellery under then Federal Chancellor Gerhard.

Chancellor Angela Merkel made him Foreign Minister twice in a grand coalition: 2005 to 2009 and 2013 to 2017.

Wolfgang Tiefensee (SPD)

Wolfgang Tiefensee is currently Economics and Science Minister of Thuringia, but the SPD politician has already held the office of Federal Minister.

From 2005 to 2009 he was Minister of Transport.

Johanna Wanka (CDU)

CDU politician Johanna Wanka was Federal Minister for Education and Research from February 2013 to October 2017.

Due to the months of government formation after the 2017 federal election, Wanka held the ministerial office until mid-March 2018.

Guido Westerwelle (FDP)

The former FDP chairman Guido Westerwelle was Federal Foreign Minister of the black-yellow coalition under Chancellor Angela Merkel from 2009 to 2013.

From 2009 to 2011 Westerwelle also acted as Vice Chancellor.

In 2016 he died of cancer.

Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul (SPD)

After Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul joined the SPD in 1965, she made history in 1974: She was the first woman to be elected chairwoman of the Jusos.

With Gerhard Schröder's election victory in 1998, the Social Democrats brought the Kohl era to an end.

Wieczorek-Zeul became the development minister of the first red-green coalition at federal level.

She kept the post under Angela Merkel and can refer to a total of eleven years of service - the longest term in this department to date.

Brigitte Zypries (SPD)

Unter SPD-Kanzler Gerhard Schröder erlebte Brigitte Zypries ihre erste Amtszeit als Bundesministerin. Die Sozialdemokratin wurde 2002 Justizministerin. Auch nach dem Sieg von Angela Merkel bei der Bundestagswahl 2005 verblieb Zypries in diesem Amt und blieb bis 2009 Bundesjustizministerin. Von 2017 bis 2018 war sie zudem Wirtschaftsministerin.

Source: merkur

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