New government
The new German government can start work. Following their appointment by Federal President Joachim Gauck, the new Cabinet ministers have been sworn in in the German Bundestag. Today they will hold their first Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chancellor Angela Merkel.
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The new Cabinet
Photo: Bundesregierung/Bergmann
The Federal President presented all fourteen ministers with their letters of appointment at Schloss Bellevue. They were sworn in by Norbert Lammert, Bundestag President.
Before this, Chancellor Angela Merkel received her letter of appointment from the Federal President and was sworn in. This morning a resounding majority of the members of the German Bundestag voted for her re-election as Chancellor
The grand coalition will consist of six ministers from the ranks of the CDU, three CSU ministers and six ministers representing the SPD.
The new ministers are as follows:
Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) is the new Federal Minister of Economics and Energy. He is also Vice-Chancellor. As Federal Environment Minister he belonged to the Cabinet from 2005 to 2009. He has been SPD Party Chair since 2009.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) will head the Federal Foreign Office. The job is not new to him. The qualified lawyer with a doctoral degree in law was Federal Foreign Minister under the last grand coalition from 2005 to 2009. He went on to head the SPD parliamentary group in the German Bundestag.
Thomas de Maizière (CDU) will be in charge of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. Before coming to the national political stage the qualified lawyer with a doctoral degree in law headed several ministries in the state of Saxony. He has been part of the German government since 2005, holding various posts.
Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU) will remain as Federal Minister of Finance, a post he has held since 2009. He was Federal Minister of Special Tasks and Head of the Federal Chancellery from 1984 to 1989. From 1989 to 1991 and again from 2005 to 2009 he was Federal Minister of the Interior.
Andrea Nahles (SPD) is the new Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs. She has been Secretary General of the SPD for the last four years.
Hermann Gröhe (CDU) will head the Federal Ministry of Health. The fully qualified lawyer was Minister of State at the Federal Chancellery from 2008 to 2009, and from 2009 to 2013 he has served as Secretary General of the CDU.
Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) moves from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs to the Federal Ministry of Defence; she is the first women to hold this post. From 2009 to 2013 she headed the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. Before that she was Federal Minister for Family Affairs for four years.
Heiko Maas (SPD) is the new head of the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection. From 2012 to 2013 he was Deputy Premier of the Saarland.
Manuela Schwesig (SPD) takes over at the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs. A graduate in financial management, she was Minister of Social Affairs from 2008 to 2011 and from 2011 to 2013 Minister of Labour in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Barbara Hendricks (SPD) will be leading the Federal Ministry for the Environment and Building. She holds a doctoral degree in history and has been a member of the German Bundestag since 1994. From 1998 to 2007 she was Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Finance.
Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) will be in charge of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. He was Secretary General of the CSU for the last four years.
Johanna Wanka (CDU) will remain as Federal Minister of Education and Research. The professor of mathematics has held this post since February. Before entering national politics she was Minister of Science in the state of Brandenburg and more recently in the state of Lower Saxony.
Hans-Peter Friedrich (CSU) is the new Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture. The qualified lawyer with a doctoral degree in law has been a member of the German Bundestag since 1998. Before the elections he was Federal Minister of the Interior.
Gerd Müller (CSU) is to be the new Federal Minister for Development. Since 2005 he has been Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.
Peter Altmaier (CDU) is Head of the Federal Chancellery. The fully qualified lawyer was previously Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. He has been a member of the German Bundestag since 1994.
At 17:00 the new Cabinet will meet at the Federal Chancellery for the first time; the Cabinet meeting will be chaired by Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Berlin, 17.12.13: The first item on the agenda of the Bundestag was the re-election of Chancellor Angela Merkel...
... followed by the appointment and swearing in of the Cabinet ministers.
The future Cabinet ministers and the Chancellor are invited to Schloss Bellevue.
The ministers await their official appointment by Federal President Joachim Gauck.
He presents every minister with their letter of appointment. Here: the new Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Manuela Schwesig.
At a short reception afterwards there is time to talk to Chancellor Angela Merkel ...
... and Federal President Joachim Gauck.
Then all eyes turn once more to the German Bundestag.
The new ministers, including Hermann Gröhe the new Federal Minister of Health, are sworn in by Bundestag President Norbert Lammert.
Now that the ministers have been officially appointed and sworn in, the Cabinet can start work.