Angela Merkel became Chancellor of Germany for the fourth time
"Russkaya Germaniya" presents the new cabinet of ministers of the Federal Republic of Germany version 4.0
Peter Altmaier
59 years old, Christian Democratic Union, Minister of Economics. One of Angela Merkel's closest confidants, a native of Saarland, Altmaier will take on the economic concerns of the government, becoming the first CDU Minister of Economics since 1966.
Helge Braun
45 years old, Christian Democratic Union, Head of the Chancellery: since the end of 2013, a native of Hesse served as State Secretary to the Federal Chancellor, responsible for relations between the federation and the states, reducing bureaucracy, and improving law enforcement. Now little known to the general public, Braun will become closer to the chancellor than any other politician.
Ursula von der Leyen
59 years old, Christian Democratic Union, Minister of Defense: daughter of former Prime Minister of Lower Saxony Ernst Albrecht, a long-time ally of Merkel, she will retain her post as head of the Ministry of Defense despite extensive criticism regarding technical problems of the Bundeswehr and the alleged unpreparedness of the German army to handle serious tasks.
Jens Spahn
37 years old, Christian Democratic Union, Minister of Health: Merkel appointed her main intra-party critic to a government post, simultaneously solving several tasks—rejuvenating the party and the cabinet, and appeasing those who pose the greatest danger to the chancellor within the CDU; the Westphalian Spahn will be more moderate in criticizing the authorities while in power.
Anja Karliczek
46 years old, Christian Democratic Union, Minister of Education and Research: the main surprise in the new cabinet from the CDU, a native of Westphalia entered active politics in the late 2000s from the hotel business. A member of the Bundestag since 2013, Karliczek recently dealt with financial policy and served as secretary of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group.
Julia Klöckner
45 years old, Christian Democratic Union, Minister of Agriculture: chairwoman of the CDU faction in the Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate, a native of that state, who worked for two years as Parliamentary State Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, will help Angela Merkel fulfill one of her election promises—equal distribution of posts between men and women (3/3). Including the chancellor, the female quota among ministers from the Christian Democratic Union reaches 57 percent.
Horst Seehofer
68 years old, Christian Social Union, Minister of the Interior: a Bavarian who vacated the post of Prime Minister of the Free State, he will remain head of the CSU and become the oldest member of the cabinet. The new head of the Ministry of the Interior and concurrently "Minister of the Homeland" plans to intensify the fight against crime and increase the number of deportations of immigrants who have committed offenses or have not been granted asylum.
Andreas Scheuer
43 years old, Christian Social Union, Minister of Transport: the former Secretary General of the CSU takes over the Ministry of Transport from Alexander Dobrindt—a party colleague who spent years in power introducing a toll for using autobahns, which has not yet materialized. Scheuer will have to either collect it properly or permanently bury the controversial project.
Gerd Müller
62 years old, Christian Social Union, Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development: a Swabian who seemed to have no place in the new cabinet managed to defend his position and retain his ministerial portfolio for the next legislative period.
Olaf Scholz
59 years old, SPD, Minister of Finance: the former mayor of Hamburg and interim head of the Social Democratic Party will handle the finances of the Federal Republic, inheriting the portfolio from Wolfgang Schäuble—a CDU minister under whom the German budget became deficit-free for the first time in a long period. In the new cabinet, Olaf Scholz will also serve as Vice Chancellor.
Heiko Maas
51 years old, SPD, Minister of Foreign Affairs: the former head of the Ministry of Justice changes his field of activity—the native of Saarland will represent Germany on the international stage instead of Sigmar Gabriel, who achieved some success in this post. Maas has no international experience, but his appointment is understandable: the SPD leadership relies on teamwork rather than bright individuals—and Maas appears much more manageable than Gabriel.
Katarina Barley
49 years old, SPD, Minister of Justice: a native of Cologne, a lawyer by profession, she previously served as Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, and now, following Heiko Maas, she will take over the legal concerns of the government.
Hubertus Heil
46 years old, SPD, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs: the former Secretary General of the SPD entered politics at the age of 16, becoming a member of the Social Democratic Party in his native Hildesheim, Lower Saxony in 1988.
Franziska Giffey
39 years old, SPD, Minister for Family Affairs: the former mayor of Berlin's Neukölln district is the only member of the new cabinet whose biography, alongside Chancellor Merkel, includes details related to the GDR. Giffey was born in Frankfurt an der Oder; she was 11 when the Berlin Wall fell. Voice problems forced the future politician to abandon a career as a teacher.
Svenja Schulze
49 years old, SPD, Minister for the Environment: the general secretary of the North Rhine-Westphalia state branch of the Social Democratic Party is to take responsibility for Germany's environment. Schulze will succeed Barbara Hendricks, who fell victim to cabinet reshuffles within the SPD.