Merz presents new cabinet: East Germany should receive 100% commitment!

Merz presents new cabinet: East Germany should receive 100% commitment!

Ostdeutschland, Deutschland - On May 6, 2025, Friedrich Merz is expected to be elected as the new Federal Chancellor in Germany. At a small party congress of the CDU, Merz already presented his future ministers. Experienced politicians and career changers from the free economy will be represented in his cabinet, but this also raises concerns about possible lobbyism. Philipp Amthor, who will act as the future State Secretary in the Ministry of Digitization and State Modernization, defended the ministerial selection and described it as "top cast".

The new ministries are occupied by personalities who come from both politics and business. Among the best-known names, Karin Prien, as Minister of Education and Family,, Thorsten Frei as head of the Chancellery and Johann WadePhul as the new Foreign Minister, follows Annalena Baerbock (Greens). Critics express concerns about the low representation of the East in the cabinet, which according to Amthor is not justified. Only Katherina Reiche from Brandenburg is named as a minister from the east.

composition of the cabinet

The ministerial posts are occupied as follows:

• Friedrich Merz - Chancellor
• Lars Klingbeil - Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister
• Johann WadePhul - Foreign Minister
• Thorsten Frei - head of the Chancellery
• Karin Prien - Minister of Education
• Katherina Reiche - Minister of Economy
• Patrick Schnieder - Minister of Transport
• Nina Warken - Minister of Health
• Karsten Wildberger - Digitization Minister
• Alexander Dobrindt - Interior Minister (CSU)
• Dorothee Bär - Minister of Research (CSU)
• Alois Rainer - Minister of Agriculture (CSU)

The new cabinet is also supported by other parliamentary state secretaries, including Philipp Amthor and Thomas Jarzombek. While the CDU and CSU occupy a total of 10 of the 17 ministerial posts, the nomination of the SPD remains to be seen until an upcoming membership decision.

criticism and challenges

Amthor addressed the internal unrest within the CDU, which was reinforced by the poor result of the Bundestag party election and the cancellation of desired candidates such as David McAllister and Ines Claus. Despite these challenges, Amthor put the importance of a committed policy for East Germany in the foreground and called for a 100 percent commitment from all ministers.

The new cabinet could start its work on May 6th, provided the coalition agreement is approved. First explanations and public appearances by the ministers are on the agenda. Both the CDU and the SPD will carefully pursue the outcome of the coalition talks in order to ensure a smooth transition to the new reign.

like op-online remains to be seen how Merz will master the challenges of the upcoming term. Also the ZDF emphasizes that the SPD will decide on Wednesday about its nominations, which will be crucial for the coalition dynamics. Further information on the individual ministerial posts can be found on Tagesschau .