Third Merkel cabinet


The third Merkel cabinet was the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany during the 18th legislative session of the Bundestag. Installed after the 2013 federal election, it left office on 14 March 2018. It was preceded by the second Merkel cabinet and succeeded by the fourth Merkel cabinet. Led by Chancellor Angela Merkel, it was supported by a coalition of the Christian Democratic Union, the Christian Social Union of Bavaria, and the Social Democrats.
The CDU received five ministries in addition to the positions of Chancellor, as well as Chancellery Chief of Staff and Minister for Special Affairs. The SPD controlled six ministries and the CSU three. Although the CSU received a disproportionate share of ministries relative to its weight in the Bundestag, the six most powerful ministries were divided equally between the CDU and the SPD: the CDU controls the ministries for finance, internal affairs, and defense, while the SPD controls the ministries for foreign affairs, economics and energy, and justice and consumer protection.
The term of office of the third Merkel cabinet officially ended with the constitution of the 19th Bundestag on Tuesday, 24 October 2017. Merkel and her cabinet ministers received their discharge papers from the Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on the same day. In accordance with Article 69 of the German constitution and at the request of the President of Germany, the cabinet remained in office as the caretaker government until a new government is formed.

Composition

The current federal cabinet is composed of the following ministers and their parliamentary state secretaries :
Protocol orderOfficeImageIncumbentPartyIn officeParliamentary state secretaries
ChancellorAngela MerkelCDU22 November 2005 – presentMinister of State:
Helge Braun
Monika Grütters
Aydan Özoğuz
State Secretary:
Klaus-Dieter Fritsche
1Vice-Chancellor
Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs		Sigmar GabrielSPD17 December 2013 – 14 March 2018
27 January 2017 – 14 March 2018
17 December 2013 – 27 January 2017 as Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy		Minister of State:
Maria Böhmer
Michael Roth
Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter SteinmeierSPD17 December 2013 – 27 January 2017Minister of State:
Maria Böhmer
Michael Roth
2Federal Minister of the InteriorThomas de MaizièreCDU17 December 2013 – 14 March 2018
3Federal Minister of Justice and Consumer ProtectionHeiko MaasSPD17 December 2013 – 14 March 2018
4Federal Minister of FinancePeter AltmaierCDU24 October 2017 – 14 March 2018
Federal Minister of Finance Wolfgang SchäubleCDU28 October 2009 – 24 October 2017
5Federal Minister of Economics and EnergyBrigitte ZypriesSPD27 January 2017 – 14 March 2018
6Federal Minister of Labour and Social AffairsKatarina BarleySPD28 September 2017 – 14 March 2018
Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Andrea NahlesSPD17 December 2013 – 28 September 2017
7Federal Minister of Food and AgricultureChristian SchmidtCSU17 February 2014 – 14 March 2018
Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture Hans-Peter FriedrichCSU17 December 2013 – 17 February 2014
8Federal Minister of DefenceUrsula von der LeyenCDU17 December 2013 – 17 July 2019
9Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and YouthKatarina BarleySPD2 June 2017 – 14 March 2018
Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth Manuela SchwesigSPD17 December 2013 – 2 June 2017
10Federal Minister of HealthHermann GröheCDU17 December 2013 – 14 March 2018Ingrid Fischbach
Annette Widmann-Mauz
11Federal Minister of Transport and Digital InfrastructureChristian SchmidtCSU24 October 2017 – 14 March 2018 Enak Ferlemann
Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure Alexander DobrindtCSU17 December 2013 – 24 October 2017Enak Ferlemann
12Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear SafetyBarbara HendricksSPD17 December 2013 – 14 March 2018Florian Pronold
Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter
13Federal Minister of Education and ResearchJohanna WankaCDU14 February 2013 – 14 March 2018
14Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and DevelopmentGerd MüllerCSU17 December 2013 – presentThomas Silberhorn
15Federal Minister for Special Tasks
Head of the Chancellery		Peter AltmaierCDU17 December 2013 – 14 March 2018

Caretaker government following the 2017 election

After the German federal election held on Sunday, 24 September 2017, SPD leader Martin Schulz declared that the SPD had decided to be a part of the opposition during the next legislation period. However, after coalition talks between the Union, FDP and the Greens failed, SPD politicians reconsidered, leading to coalition negotiations between the CDU/CSU and the SPD. On 8 February 2018, the negotiations resulted in a provisional agreement to form a grand coalition, which was approved by the party members of the SPD and led to the formation of the new government on 14 March 2018.