The next German Chancellor Olaf Scholz presented the Social Democrat (SPD) politicians who he is nominating as his Cabinet ministers on Monday morning, APA reports citing DW.
Inviting each designated minister to speak alongside him in SPD party headquarters in Berlin, Scholz threw in a small surprise by announcing that popular physician Karl Lauterbach would take over the potentially difficult Health Ministry.
Lauterbach, who has become a fixture in political talk shows during the COVID-19 pandemic, thanked the support he had received from the general public over the last few days, when speculation over who would get the post circulated wildly.
At the event, Scholz also emphasized that it was important to him that four of the seven ministers the SPD was proposing were women.
The SPD will hold a number of key Cabinet positions. Designated Chancellor Olaf Scholz has named Nancy Faeser as Germany's first female interior minister. Former Interior Minister Christine Lambrecht will lead the Defense Ministry. Klara Geywitz from Potsdam will take over the new Ministry for Housing — she had unsuccessfully applied for party chair with Scholz two years ago. Svenja Schulze, who served as environment minister in the government under Angela Merkel, will take over the Development Ministry. Hubertus Heil will remain Labor Affairs minister.
The new cabinet will see an equal number of male and female ministers come in — one of Olaf Scholz's key promises.
On Saturday, a SPD party conference approved the new coalition agreement which will see them govern together with the Greens and Free Democrats (FDP).
The accord received overwhelming support, with 598 delegates voting for it, seven voting against the plan and three abstentions. That corresponds to a 98.8% approval rate.
The new government will be sworn in on Wednesday.
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