CDU/CSU and SPD are presenting their Cabinet

Berlin (dpa) – The members of the Federal Cabinet of the coalition government of CDU, CSU and SPD were announced one day before the new Federal Chancellor is to be elected in the Bundestag. Around noon today, the four leaders of the three parties set the seal on the fifth "black-red" alliance in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany by signing the coalition agreement. Prior to this, the SPD, too, had presented its ministers, which the CDU/CSU had already done last week.  

These are the SPD ministers: Lars Klingbeil is to become Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Finance, making him the most influential member of the Cabinet, second only to Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The only member of the previous government to keep his post is Defence Minister Boris Pistorius. The former President of the Bundestag Bärbel Bas is to become Minister of Labour, the former Integration Officer Reem Alabali-Radovan will become the leader of the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and Verena Hubertz the leader of the Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building.  The former Commissioner for East Germany Carsten Schneider will be the new Minister for the Environment, and the former Minister of Education of Rhineland-Palatinate Stefanie Hubig will become Minister of Justice.  

Friedrich Merz is to be elected as Federal Chancellor on Tuesday. Once the new government has stepped into office, Merz is going to visit France and Poland as Germany's most important neighbours on his first working day as Federal Chancellor.