Third Merkel cabinet

This article is part of a series about Angela Merkel
MdB for Vorpommern-Rügen – Vorpommern-Greifswald I Christian Democratic Union of Germany Merkel-Raute Revolution of 1989 Democratic Awakening 1990 East German election German reunification Kohl government Minister for Women and Youth Minister for the Environment Leader of the Christian Democratic Union CDU donations scandal 2005 election First ministry and term First Merkel cabinet EU Council presidency 33rd G8 summit Treaty of Lisbon Berlin Declaration Financial crisis Stimulus plan 2009 election Second ministry and term Second Merkel cabinet 2010 presidential election Health care reform Energiewende European debt crisis European Banking Supervision Bundeswehr reform NSA surveillance 2013 election Third ministry and term Third Merkel cabinet Crimean conflict Normandy format 41st G7 summit European migrant crisis Willkommenskultur 2017 G20 Hamburg summit 2017 election Fourth ministry and term Fourth Merkel cabinet CDU leadership election COVID-19 pandemic 2021 floods Family Foreign policy Public image Awards and honours
v t e

The Third Merkel cabinet (

The CDU received five ministries in addition to the positions of Chancellor, as well as Chancellery Chief of Staff and Minister for Special Affairs. The SPD controlled six ministries and the CSU three. Although the CSU received a disproportionate share of ministries relative to its weight in the Bundestag, the six most powerful ministries were divided equally between the CDU and the SPD: the CDU controlled the ministries for finance, internal affairs and defense, while the SPD controlled the ministries for foreign affairs, economics and energy, as well as justice and consumer protection.[4]

The term of office of the third Merkel cabinet officially ended with the constitution of the 19th Bundestag on Tuesday, 24 October 2017. Merkel and her cabinet ministers received their discharge papers from the Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on the same day. In accordance with Article 69 of the German Constitution and at the request of the President of Germany, the cabinet remained in office as the caretaker government until a new government is formed.^[5]

Composition

Caretaker government following the 2017 election

After the German federal election held on Sunday, 24 September 2017, SPD leader Martin Schulz declared that the SPD had decided to be a part of the opposition during the next legislation period.^[8] However, after coalition talks between the Union (CDU/CSU), FDP and the Greens failed, SPD politicians reconsidered, leading to coalition negotiations between the CDU/CSU and the SPD. On 8 February 2018, the negotiations resulted in a provisional agreement to form a grand coalition,^[9] which was approved by the party members of the SPD and led to the formation of the new government on 14 March 2018.

References