Cabinet Merkel

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The Merkel cabinet

The cabinet of Angela Merkel is the current government of Germany since November 22, 2005, during the 16th legislature of the Bundestag. Led by the Christian-democrat Angela Merkel (the first female chancellor in German history), it is supported by a grand coalition of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU), and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). It followed the Cabinet Schröder II.

1 Composition
2 Formation of the Grand Coalition
- 2.1 Parliamentary support
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Composition

The current federal cabinet (as of November 21, 2007), consists of the following Ministers:

Office	Incumbent	Since	Party
Chancellor	Dr. Angela Merkel	2005	CDU
Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs	Olaf Scholz	2007	SPD
Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety	Sigmar Gabriel	2005	SPD
Federal Minister of Economics and Technology	Michael Glos	2005	CSU
Federal Minister of Defence	Dr. Franz Josef Jung	2005	CDU
Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth	Dr. Ursula von der Leyen	2005	CDU
Federal Minister for Special Tasks and Head of the Chancellery	Dr. Thomas de Maizière	2005	CDU
Federal Minister of the Interior	Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble	2005	CDU
Federal Minister of Education and Research	Dr. Annette Schavan	2005	CDU
Federal Minister of Health	Ulla Schmidt	2001	SPD
Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection	Horst Seehofer	2005	CSU
Federal Minister of Finance	Peer Steinbrück	2005	SPD
Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs and Vice-Chancellor	Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier	2005	SPD
Federal Minister of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs	Wolfgang Tiefensee	2005	SPD
Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development	Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul	1998	SPD
Federal Minister of Justice	Brigitte Zypries	2002	SPD

[edit] Formation of the Grand Coalition

Neither the coalitions of the CDU/CSU and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) nor the SPD and Alliance '90/The Greens had the vote of a majority of members of the Bundestag following the 2005 federal election, so they decided to form the second grand coalition in the history of the federal republic.

The two groups, the CDU/CSU and SPD, received nearly the same vote in the election (35.2% and 34.2%), so they decided that they would receive the same number of posts in the cabinet, eight (with six for the CDU and two for the CSU). On October 13, the SPD announced their future ministers, and on October 17, the CDU/CSU announced theirs.

Edmund Stoiber (CSU) was to become the Federal Minister of Economics and Technology, but refused the post on November 1, followed by a conflict with Angela Merkel over the abilities of the minister to succeed him.

The coalition agreement (Koalitionsvertrag), titled Together for Germany. With courage and humanity, was signed and accepted by the congress of the CDU, CSU, and SPD on November 12, 13, and 14. Angela Merkel was elected Chancellor of Germany on November 17, and the cabinet was officially in power from that date.