Brussels, 16/12/2013 (Agence Europe) - Germany has a new government. Three months after the elections on 22 September, Angela Merkel has announced that her new “grand coalition” will include Conservative ministers (CDU-CSU) and Social Democrats. Merkel is expected to be re-elected on Tuesday 17 December by MPs at the Bundestag for a third mandate of four years as Chancellor of Germany. The Chancellor will be officially re-elected on Tuesday at the Bundestag.
Merkel will keep her finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble. Merkel explained what government posts her party the CDU would obtain and asserted that Wolfgang Schäuble is associated with the stability of the euro and the policy accompanying it, as well as everything else that is important in Europe.
The head of the SPD, Sigmar Gabriel, will inherit the honorary title of Vice Chancellor and announced that he would become head of a large ministry for the economy and energy. The Social Democrats also obtained the appointment of Frank-Walter Steinmeier as head of the foreign office, a post that he occupied during Merkel's first mandate (2005-2009) when a “grand coalition” already existed.
Andreas Nahles will take charge of the Department of Employment and is expected to put the social principle contained in the coalition's contract into practice: introducing a minimum wage across the board at €8.50 an hour. Improving small pensions and introducing a rent control mechanism are also part of the new government's programme.
Ursula von der Leyen (CDU), the former minister for employment and potential successor to Merkel, will become the first woman to occupy the post of minister defence in Germany. At a more symbolic level, the SPD has chosen Ms Aydan Özoguz as Secretary of State to the Chancellery in charge of immigration, refugees and integration. She will become the first woman of Turkish origin to be part of a German government.
Eight ministers of the CDU-CSU. Wolfgang Schäuble continues at the Treasury. Ursula von der Leyen, the former minister for employment, becomes the first woman to occupy the post of minister for defence. The former defence minister, Thomas de Maizière, has moved to the Home Office, a post he has already previously occupied and which he appreciates and knows well. Hermann Gröhe, the former general secretary of the CDU, will head the Department of Health, Joanna Wanka remains minister for education. Peter Altmaier has been replaced by a Social Democrat at the Department of the Environment and he now becomes minister in charge of the Chancellery. Finally, the Bavarian sister party of the CDU, the CSU, obtains two portfolios: its secretary general, Alexander Dobrindt, takes charge of the Department of Transport and Digital Infrastructure and Hans-Peter Friedrich, the outgoing minister for home affairs is appointed minister for agriculture.
Six ministers of the SPD. The leader of the SPD and main rival of Merkel, Sigmar Gabriel, will be minister for the economy and energy and Vice Chancellor. The other Social Democrat ministers include the minister for foreign affairs, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, employment minister, Andrea Nahles, minister for justice, Heiko Maas, minister for the family, Manuela Schwesig and environment minister, Barbara Hendricks. Andrea Nahles will be in charge of implementing the main SPD demands of introducing a minimum wage across the board in Germany, which is expected to be around €8.50 an hour. This measure is included in the coalition government's programme. Small pensions will be improved and a rent control mechanism is also included in the new government's programme. (LC/transl.fl)