After Germany's Social Democrats finally gave in to the lure of another government coalition, Chancellor Angela Merkel can now start appointing her Cabinet. And she is already facing discontent from her own party.
Image: Reuters/H. Hanschke
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At 10 a.m. on Monday morning, Chancellor Angela Merkel emerged for barely more than a minute to mark the end of months of political maneuvering and welcome the Social Democratic Party (SPD)back into the warm embrace of another centrist government.
"After six months, the people have the right to a solid government," she said, employing her gift for understatement.
Despite two years of upheaval following the refugee crisis, which resulted in the resurgence of far-right populism in the shape of the Alternative for Germany (AfD),Germany's notorious aversion to change was reflected in the clear vote in favor of a new grand coalition by the SPD members.
But Merkel had to pay a price to stay in the top job for four more years: she gave up the Finance Ministry - ruled with resolve by party colleague Wolfgang Schäuble since 2009 - to the Social Democrats. And on Monday it was revealed that her allies in Bavaria, the Christian Social Union (CSU), would get key roles in the new government - much to the annoyance of some in her own Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
The rise of the Bavarians: CSU leader Horst Seehofer will be the new Interior MinisterImage: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Balk
Chipping away at the CDU
Merkel might be aware that her allies needed some propping up - like the SPD, and indeed her own party, the CSU scored its worst-ever result last September. The CSU, which only fields candidates in its home state, took 38.8 percent of the Bavarian vote, and is now worried about losing its traditional absolute majority in the October state election.
As was previously known, CSU leader Horst Seehofer will take on the role of interior minister - a ministry that has been enhanced with the extra remits of construction andthe untranslatable "Heimat." On top of that, the DPA reported that the party's general secretary, Andreas Scheuer, will be Germany's new transport minister.
Meanwhile, other Bavarian figures assumed important positions in the federal government: Gerd Müller is to remain development minister, and Dorothee Bär is to become the new state minister for "digital affairs" - a new role in the chancellor's office that overlaps with the Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, also in CSU hands. The appointments are expected to be confirmed on March 14, when Merkel herself is due to be voted in by Bundestag members.
The fact that four major CSU politicians were accommodated in the new federal government underlined that the CSU, often considered the conservative wing of the CDU/CSU alliance, won concessions from Merkel in the long coalition negotiations that began the year - something which wasn't lost on members of her own party.
As a sop to them, Merkel has also been forced to hand a government role to a right-wing critic inside her own party - the young and ambitious Jens Spahn, a former pharmaceutical lobbyistwho is - fittingly - lined up for the Health Ministry, and has even been mooted as a potential future CDU leader.
The Cabinet comes together
The SPD, meanwhile, has said it will take a few more days before it names its ministers. Olaf Scholz, currently the mayor of Hamburg, looks set to be appointed finance minister and vice chancellor, while designated party leader Andrea Nahles will lead the Social Democrats' parliamentary party.
The biggest question mark remains over who, if anyone, will replace Sigmar Gabriel as foreign minister. The post was briefly the object of an unseemly spat between two SPD dinosaurs Gabriel and failed chancellor candidate Martin Schulz.
Now Gabriel's grumbling appears to have cost him favor in his party, and the job is expected to go either to current Justice Minister Heiko Maas or current Family Minister Katarina Barley.
Merkel's new cabinet - runners and riders (likely but yet to be confirmed):
Chancellor: Angela Merkel (CDU) - incumbent
Chief of Staff: Helge Braun (CDU) - replacing Peter Altmaier (CDU)
Finance Minister: Olaf Scholz (SPD) - replacing Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU)
Interior Minister: Horst Seehofer (CSU) - replacing Thomas de Maiziere (CDU)
Foreign Minister: Heiko Maas or Katarina Barley - replacing Sigmar Gabriel (all SPD)
Defense Minister: Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) - incumbent
Economy and Energy Minister: Peter Altmaier (CDU) - replacing Brigitte Zypries (SPD)
Justice Minister: Heiko Maas (SPD), incumbent - or Eva Högl (SPD)
Labor and Social Affairs Minister: Either Andrea Nahles, Katarina Barley, or Hubertus Heil (all SPD)
Environment Minister: Barbara Hendricks (SPD) - incumbent
Family Minister: Katarina Barley (SPD), incumbent - or Christina Kampmann (SPD)
Health Minister: Jens Spahn (CDU) - replacing Hermann Gröhe (CDU)
Education and Research Minister: Anja Karliczek (CDU) - replacing Johanna Wanka (CDU)
Development Minister: Gerd Müller (CSU) - incumbent
Transport and Digital Infrastructure Minister: Andreas Scheuer (CSU) - replacing Christian Schmidt (CSU)
Food and Agriculture Minister: Julia Klöckner (CDU) - replacing Christian Schmidt (CSU)
Ministers under Merkel: Germany's new government
The conservative CDU and CSU formed a "grand coalition" government with the center-left SPD in March 2018. DW takes a look at who's who in Chancellor Angela Merkel's fourth Cabinet.
Image: picture alliance/SvenSimon/E. Kremser
Chancellor: Angela Merkel (CDU)
Christian Democrat (CDU) Angela Merkel is Germany's chancellor. She is in her fourth term as leader of the German government and in her third at the head of a "grand coalition" between the CDU, its conservative Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), and the Social Democrats (SPD). Merkel says she will not run for chancellor at the next general election in 2021.
Image: Reuters/F. Bensch
Minister of the Interior, Heimat and Construction: Horst Seehofer (CSU)
Seehofer was Bavaria's state premier until he took over the interior portfolio in Merkel's Cabinet. This will be the first time that the vaguely patriotic "Heimat" concept (roughly "homeland") is included in the interior minister's domain. Bavaria, however, has had a state Heimat Ministry for five years. Seehofer remains head of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) in Bavaria.
Image: Reuters/M. Rehle
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Heiko Maas (SPD)
Former Justice Minister Heiko Maas succeeded his Social Democrat colleague, Sigmar Gabriel, as foreign minister in March. Maas was in charge of the Justice Ministry when the government passed a controversial internet law to combat hate speech online.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/M. Kappeler
Finance Minister: Olaf Scholz (SPD)
Scholz served as mayor of Hamburg before moving to Berlin to take the reins at the Finance Ministry. The Finance Ministry's capture was a significant win for the SPD. Scholz will also serve as vice-chancellor. He had been in Merkel's Cabinet once before, as minister of labor and social affairs from 2007 to 2009.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Sabrowsky
Minister of Defense: Ursula von der Leyen (CDU)
Von der Leyen has been defense minister since 2013 and kept her job in the new government. This comes despite numerous scandals within the Bundeswehr, Germany's military, that broke since she took over the Defense Ministry. Her relationship with the troops suffered, but Merkel trusts her.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Lübke
Economic and Energy Affairs Minister: Peter Altmaier (CDU)
Altmaier was Merkel's chief of staff at the Chancellery before his nomination to take over the Economy Ministry. The last time a CDU politician was in the post was half a century before. Altmaier is regarded as extremely loyal to the chancellor.
Image: Getty Images/M. Tantussi
Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection: Katarina Barley (SPD)
Katarina Barley took over as justice minister after serving as both minister of family affairs and labor in the previous government. The 49-year-old is a lawyer by training and holds both British and German citizenship.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/K. Nietfeld
Minister of Labor and Social Affairs: Hubertus Heil (SPD)
Hubertus Heil succeeded Andrea Nahles, who stepped down to take over as head of the SPD. A member of the Bundestag since 1998, Heil has twice served as the party's secretary general.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. von Jutrczenka
Minister for the Environment: Svenja Schulze (SPD)
Svenja Schulze replaced party colleague Barbara Hendricks, Germany's former minister for the environment, nature conservation and nuclear safety, in March. Schulze previously served as minister for innovation, science and research in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R.Vennenbernd
Minister for Health: Jens Spahn (CDU)
Jens Spahn, 37, is representative of a new political generation within the CDU and seen as a future contender for party leadership. In the last government, he served as the parliamentary state secretary in the Finance Ministry. Prior to that, he helped lead the CDU's health policy in the Bundestag.
Image: Getty Images
Minister of Education and Research: Anja Karliczek (CDU)
Anja Karliczek, a former hotel manager who is relatively unknown, was nominated by Merkel to take over the Education Ministry. She had a lot of money to spend: The ministry's budget was increased by €11 billion ($13.6 billion) to pay for school and university improvements shortly before her appointment.
Image: imago/M. Popow
Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth: Franziska Giffey (SPD)
Franziska Giffey's elevation from the mayor of Berlin's Neukölln district to cabinet minister was perhaps one of the most eye-catching appointments. Giffey bypassed the Bundestag altogether to ascend into government. But the SPD leadership believed her experience in charge of what has often been described as Berlin's "troubled" district made her the most suitable candidate for the role.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Gambarini
Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development: Gerd Müller (CSU)
Gerd Müller, 62, retained his post as development minister, which he has held since December 2013. He won the job over fellow CSU member Dorothee Bär, who was also in the running. Bär became the state minister for digital affairs in the chancellery, a newly created job.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K. Nietfeld
Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure: Andreas Scheuer (CSU)
Scheuer, considered a close ally of CSU party head Seehofer, took over the Transport Ministry from party colleague Alexander Dobrindt. He is experienced in the field: From 2009 to 2013, he was parliamentary state secretary in the Transport Ministry. Prior to his latest appointment, he was the CSU's secretary general.
Image: Reuters/F. Bensch
Minister for Food and Agriculture: Julia Klöckner (CDU)
Klöckner previously worked as parliamentary state secretary in the Agriculture Ministry from 2009 to 2011. Between her ministerial stints in Berlin, she was deputy chair of the CDU and headed the CDU in the western German state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
Image: imago/Future Image/J.xKrickx
Chief of Staff at the Chancellery: Helge Braun (CDU)
Helge Braun took over from CDU colleague Peter Altmaier as Chancellery head in March. He had previously served in deputy positions in the Chancellery and Education Ministry.
