Fourth Merkel cabinet

Fourth Cabinet of Angela Merkel Merkel IV
24th cabinet of the Federal Republic of Germany
2018–2021
300x200px Signing of the coalition agreement for the 19th Bundestag on 12 March 2018
Date formed	14 March 2018
People and organisations
Head of government	Angela Merkel, Chancellor
Deputy head of government	Olaf Scholz
Head of state	Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President
Member parties	Christian Democratic Union Social Democratic Party Christian Social Union in Bavaria
Status in legislature	Grand coalition
Opposition parties	Alternative for Germany Free Democratic Party The Left The Greens
Opposition leaders	Alice Weidel (AfD) & Alexander Gauland (AfD)
History
Election(s)	2017 federal election
Legislature term(s)	19th Bundestag
Predecessor	Merkel III

Template:Angela Merkel series The Fourth Merkel cabinet (German: Kabinett Merkel IV) is the 24th and current Government of Federal Republic of Germany, sworn in on 14 March 2018 after Angela Merkel was proposed as Chancellor by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and elected by the Bundestag on the first ballot.

The government is supported by a coalition of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD), as was its immediate predecessor. Olaf Scholz (SPD) replaced Sigmar Gabriel as Vice-Chancellor of Germany and CSU Leader Horst Seehofer became Federal Minister of the Interior, Building and Community.

Composition

The cabinet consists of Chancellor Angela Merkel and fifteen (fourteen since 20 May 2021) federal ministers. Fourteen ministers head a department (since 20 May 2021, one minister heads two departments); one member of the cabinet, the Head of the Chancellery, is Federal Minister for Special Affairs without a portfolio. The CDU has seven positions, the SPD has six and the CSU has three, as follows:

Protocol order	Office	Image	Incumbent	Party		In office	Parliamentary State Secretaries Particular field of responsibilities (where applicable)
1	Chancellor of Germany	100px	Angela Merkel	CDU		22 November 2005 – present	Annette Widmann-Mauz (StMin) Migrants, Refugees and Integration Monika Grütters (StMin) Culture and Media Hendrik Hoppenstedt (StMin) Cooperation between federation and states Dorothee Bär (StMin) Digitalization
2	Vice Chancellor of Germany Federal Minister of Finance	100px	Olaf Scholz	SPD		14 March 2018 – present	Bettina Hagedorn Christine Lambrecht (2018–2019) Sarah Ryglewski (since 2019)
3	120px Federal Minister of the Interior, Building and Community		Horst Seehofer	CSU		14 March 2018 – present	Günter Krings Stephan Mayer Marco Wanderwitz
4	Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs	100px	Heiko Maas	SPD		14 March 2018 – present	Niels Annen (StMin) Michelle Müntefering (StMin) Culture Michael Roth (StMin) European affairs
5	Federal Minister of Economics and Energy	100px	Peter Altmaier	CDU		14 March 2018 – present	Thomas Bareiß Christian Hirte East German affairs Oliver Wittke (2018–2019) Elisabeth Winkelmeier-Becker (since 2019)
6	Federal Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection	100px	Katarina Barley	SPD		14 March 2018 – 27 June 2019	Rita Hagl-Kehl Christian Lange
		100px	Christine Lambrecht			27 June 2019 – present
7	Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs	100px	Hubertus Heil	SPD		14 March 2018 – present	Anette Kramme Kerstin Griese
8	Federal Minister of Defence	100px	Ursula von der Leyen	CDU		17 December 2013 – 17 July 2019	Thomas Silberhorn Peter Tauber
		100px	Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer			17 July 2019 – present
9	120px Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture	100px	Julia Klöckner	CDU		14 March 2018 – present	Hans-Joachim Fuchtel Michael Stübgen (2018–2019) Uwe Feiler (since 2019)
10	Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth	100px	Franziska Giffey	SPD		14 March 2018 – 20 March 2021	Caren Marks Stefan Zierke
		100px	Christine Lambrecht			20 March 2021 – present
11	120px Federal Minister of Health	100px	Jens Spahn	CDU		14 March 2018 – present	Thomas Gebhart Sabine Weiss
12	120px Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure	100px	Andreas Scheuer	CSU		14 March 2018 – present	Steffen Bilger Enak Ferlemann
13	Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety	100px	Svenja Schulze	SPD		14 March 2018 – present	Florian Pronold Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter
14	Federal Minister of Education and Research	100px	Anja Karliczek	CDU		14 March 2018 – present	Michael Meister Thomas Rachel
15	Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development	100px	Gerd Müller	CSU		17 December 2013 – present	Norbert Barthle Maria Flachsbarth
16	Federal Minister for Special Affairs 120px Head of the Chancellery	100px	Helge Braun	CDU		14 March 2018 – present

2018 government crisis

Main article: 2018 German government crisis

In June 2018, a government crisis erupted within the cabinet between Interior Minister and CSU Chairman Horst Seehofer and Chancellor Angela Merkel, after Seehofer had elaborated a masterplan on asylum policies, containing the rejection of asylum seekers already registered in other EU countries. Seehofer threatened to resign over the crisis on 1 July, but an agreement was made between the CDU/CSU sister parties on 2 July.

External links

• Cabinet of Germany (English)
• Federal Ministries of Germany (English)