Germany Has New Minister

Germany has a new economy and energy minister: Brigitte Zypries, the first woman to hold the post.

She replaces Sigmar Gabriel who had held the post since December 2013 and who on January 27 became Germany’s new foreign minister replacing Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Zypries had been a junior minister to Gabriel since 2013 in the economy and energy ministry (BMWi). She was also the government’s aerospace coordinator – a role she will retain. She is a lawyer and was previously justice minister from 2002 to 2009.

Germany's new economy and energy minister Brigitte Zypries (Photo credit: German government /BMWi / Suzanne Eriksson)

Steinmeier is stepping down in order to focus on his candidacy to become Germany’s next president on February 12 2017, with backing from his own centre-left SPD and Chancellor Angela Merkel’s centre-right CDU-CSU union. Zypries and Gabriel are SPD ministers in the Merkel-led government.

In Germany, the chancellor leads the government, while the president has a more ceremonial role. The federal election, in which Merkel will seek to hold on to power, will be held on September 24.

Mark Smedley