German parties unveil line-up of new coalition cabinet
English.news.cn

BERLIN, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and their coalition partner, the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), unveiled their picks for the new cabinet on Sunday, which will be sworn into office with Merkel serving the post of chancellor in a third term.

Merkel confirmed widely circulated media reports that she named Ursula von der Leyen to be the country's first female defence minister, while incumbent Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere will head the Interior Ministry.

CDU veteran Wolfgang Schaeuble, who joined hands with the chancellor in Germany's efforts to fight the eurozone debt crisis, will remain as finance minister.

Merkel's other cabinet picks for her CDU party include Hermann Groehe who will serve as Health Minister, Johanna <deleted> who will stay as Education Minister, and Peter Altmaier as her chief of staff.

Earlier on Sunday, CDU's Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), also announced its cabinet members of a grand coalition under Chancellor Merkel.

Negotiators of earlier coalition talks had said the CDU and the SPD will get six ministerial posts each, and the CSU will take three.

The three CSU posts of agriculture, transport as well as economic cooperation and development will be taken by Hans-Peter Friedrich, Alexander Dobrindt, Gerd Mueller respectively.

Earlier in the day, the center-left SPD party also briefed media about its cabinet members.

The SPD will take the six posts of economy and energy, foreign affairs, labor, environment, justice and families, party leader Sigmar Gabriel said at a press conference in Berlin.

Gabriel will be the minister of a new Economy and Energy Ministry and take responsibility for Germany's ambitious plan of energy transformation from nuclear power to green energy.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier is back at the foreign ministry. He served in that post from 2005-2009 under Merkel.

The SDP will also take the labor, environment, justice, families portfolios, said Gabriel. Andrea Nahles, Barbara Hendricks, Heiko Maas and Manuela Schwesig will take responsibilities for the posts respectively.

Full story: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-12/16/c_125862476.htm

-- XINHUA 2013-12-16

No need to vote, they sleeping all in the same bed...

Quite a lot of surprises in that line-up, really.

Let's see how our mother-of-eight handles that totally screwed Ministry of Defense. And how long.

And I seem to remember that Dobrindt character saying something abysmally stupid with regard to the Internet he's now in charge of not long ago, need to google this.

BTW we now have a State Secretary solely responsible for the secret services, thanks to good Mr. Snowden, when before that was just some sidekick of the Ministry of Interior portfolio.

(Did you note that minister now handles... farming? Yup. The punishment fit the crime .)

Gabriel will be the minister of a new Economy and Energy Ministry and take responsibility for Germany's ambitious plan of energy transformation from nuclear power to green energy..

We fought for that more than 30 years ago.-

The so-called Grosse Koalition used to be quite different - amazing how badly the SPD has slipped . . . let alone the FDP