The Social Democratic Party (SPD) announced its Cabinet ministers on Monday for Germany’s new conservative-left coalition government, appointing six women and three men to key ministerial positions.
SPD co-leader Lars Klingbeil will serve as vice chancellor and finance minister in the new government led by conservative Friedrich Merz, according to the party’s announcement before Monday’s coalition signing ceremony.
Boris Pistorius, Germany’s most popular politician who enjoys a 60 percent approval rating in recent polls, will retain his position as defence minister – a role he has held since 2023. His reappointment follows broad acclaim for his leadership in modernising and restructuring the armed forces.
German opposition leader Friedrich Merz declared victory after his Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) won nearly 29 percent of the vote in Sunday’s federal election, securing a clear lead over other parties.
The German parliament’s (Bundestag) former president Barbel Bas will serve as labour and social affairs minister, while Reem Alabali-Radovan, who previously served as integration minister, will become the economic cooperation and development minister. Stefanie Hubig, an experienced jurist, will become Germany’s new justice minister, while Carsten Schneider, the government’s former commissioner for eastern German affairs, will take on the role of environment and climate protection minister.
Despite a weak showing in February’s snap elections, the centre-left Social Democrats have secured key positions in the incoming coalition government. Conservative leader Friedrich Merz’s CDU/CSU alliance finalised a coalition agreement with the SPD last month, and the parties’ governing bodies and members officially approved the deal last week.
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After Monday’s signing ceremony, parliament will convene on Tuesday to elect Merz as Germany’s new chancellor, replacing Social Democrat Olaf Scholz.
The Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) won 28.5 percent in February’s snap elections –falling short of an outright majority. Though the Social Democrats hit their lowest-ever result at 16.4 percent, they emerged as a crucial coalition partner. Together, the parties will hold 328 seats in parliament, comfortably exceeding the 316-seat threshold needed for a governing majority.
