Fourth Merkel cabinet

The fourth Merkel cabinet (German: Kabinett Merkel IV) is the 24th and current Government of Federal Republic of Germany, sworn in on 14 March 2018 after Angela Merkel was proposed as Chancellor by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and elected by the Bundestag on the first ballot.[1]

Fourth Merkel cabinet

24th Cabinet of Germany
2018–present
Signing of the coalition agreement for the 19th Bundestag on 12 March 2018
Date formed14 March 2018
People and organisations
Head of stateFrank-Walter Steinmeier
Head of governmentAngela Merkel
Member partyChristian Democratic Union
Social Democratic Party
Christian Social Union in Bavaria
Status in legislatureGrand coalition
Opposition partyAlternative for Germany
Free Democratic Party
The Left
The Greens
Opposition leaderAlice Weidel
Alexander Gauland
History
Election(s)2017 federal election
Legislature term(s)19th Bundestag
PredecessorMerkel III

The government is supported by a coalition of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD),[2] as was its immediate predecessor. Olaf Scholz (SPD) replaced Sigmar Gabriel as Vice-Chancellor of Germany and CSU Leader Horst Seehofer became Federal Minister of the Interior, Building and Community.

Composition

The cabinet consists of Chancellor Angela Merkel and fifteen federal ministers. Fourteen ministers head a department; one member of the cabinet, the Head of the Chancellery, is Federal Minister for Special Affairs without a portfolio. The CDU has seven positions, the SPD has six and the CSU has three, as follows:

Protocol order[3] Office Image Incumbent Party In office Parliamentary State Secretaries[lower-alpha 1]
Particular field of responsibilities (where applicable)
1
Chancellor of Germany
Angela Merkel CDU 22 November 2005 – present Annette Widmann-Mauz (StMin)
Migrants, Refugees and Integration
Monika Grütters (StMin)
Culture and Media
Hendrik Hoppenstedt (StMin)
Cooperation between federation and states
Dorothee Bär (StMin)
Digitalization
2
Vice-Chancellor of Germany

Federal Minister of Finance
Olaf Scholz SPD 14 March 2018 – present Bettina Hagedorn
Christine Lambrecht (2018–2019)
Sarah Ryglewski (since 2019)
3
Federal Minister of the Interior, Building and Community
Horst Seehofer CSU 14 March 2018 – present Günter Krings
Stephan Mayer
Marco Wanderwitz
4
Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs
Heiko Maas SPD 14 March 2018 – present Niels Annen (StMin)
Michelle Müntefering (StMin)
Culture
Michael Roth (StMin)
European affairs
5
Federal Minister of Economics and Energy
Peter Altmaier CDU 14 March 2018 – present Thomas Bareiß
Christian Hirte
East German affairs
Oliver Wittke (2018–2019)
Elisabeth Winkelmeier-Becker (since 2019)
6
Federal Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection
Katarina Barley SPD 14 March 2018 – 27 June 2019 Rita Hagl-Kehl
Christian Lange
Christine Lambrecht 27 June 2019 – present
7
Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs
Hubertus Heil SPD 14 March 2018 – present Anette Kramme
Kerstin Griese
8
Federal Minister of Defence
Ursula von der Leyen CDU 17 December 2013 – 17 July 2019 Thomas Silberhorn
Peter Tauber
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer 17 July 2019 – present
9
Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture
Julia Klöckner CDU 14 March 2018 – present Hans-Joachim Fuchtel
Michael Stübgen (2018–2019)
Uwe Feiler (since 2019)
10
Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth
Franziska Giffey SPD 14 March 2018 – present Caren Marks
Stefan Zierke
11
Federal Minister of Health
Jens Spahn CDU 14 March 2018 – present Thomas Gebhart
Sabine Weiss
12
Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure
Andreas Scheuer CSU 14 March 2018 – present Steffen Bilger
Enak Ferlemann
13
Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety
Svenja Schulze SPD 14 March 2018 – present Florian Pronold
Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter
14
Federal Minister of Education and Research
Anja Karliczek CDU 14 March 2018 – present Michael Meister
Thomas Rachel
15
Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development
Gerd Müller CSU 17 December 2013 – present Norbert Barthle
Maria Flachsbarth
16 Federal Minister for Special Affairs

Head of the Chancellery
Helge Braun CDU 14 March 2018 – present
  1. Parliamentary State Secretaries in the Chancellery and Foreign Office are awarded the honorary title Staatsminister (StMin, transl.Minister of State) in order to underline the importance of their field of responsibilities. This title does not, however, confer upon them any additional powers.

2018 government crisis

In June 2018, a government crisis erupted within the cabinet between Interior Minister and CSU Chairman Horst Seehofer and Chancellor Angela Merkel, after Seehofer had elaborated a masterplan on asylum policies, containing the rejection of asylum seekers already registered in other EU countries.[4] Seehofer threatened to resign over the crisis on 1 July, but an agreement was made between the CDU/CSU sister parties on 2 July.[5]

References

  1. "Bundestag wählt die Kanzlerin am 14. März" [Bundestag elects the Chancellor on 14 March] (in German). Deutscher Bundestag. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  2. based on Artikel 60 III of the Basic Law: Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany  via Wikisource. (full text)
  3. German Chancellery (15 March 2018). "Liste der Bundesministerinnen und Bundesminister" [List of Federal Ministers]. Protokoll Inland der Bundesregierung (in German). German Federal Ministry of the Interior. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  4. German government crisis: What are Merkel's options?, Reuters, 2 July 2018
  5. Chancellor Angela Merkel and Horst Seehofer agree on a migration compromise, Deutsche Welle, 2 July 2018
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