New German government takes shape as SPD names ministers

Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) on Friday named two seasoned politicians to key posts in a new government, with Hamburg Mayor Olaf Scholz set to become finance minister in Europe’s largest economy and the justice minister becoming foreign minister.

The SPD’s designated leader Andrea Nahles and Scholz announced the party’s six ministry appointments at a news conference. Justice Minister Heiko Maas will replace Sigmar Gabriel as foreign minister, Nahles said.

The SPD said on Sunday that two-thirds of its members had voted in favor of a repeat of the "grand coalition" with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives that has governed Germany since 2013. The new government will be sworn in on March 14.

Nahles said Scholz, a 59-year old lawyer who backs closer European integration, would also be vice chancellor.

Andrea Nahles (SPD) presents German designated ministers Hubertus Heil (Labor Minister), Fraziska Giffey (Family Minister), Heiko Mass (Foreign Minister), Katarina Barley (Justice Minister), Svenja Schulze (Environment Minister) and Olaf Scholz (Finance Minister)‍ for the new government during a news conference at the party headquarters in Berlin, Germany, March 9, 2018.

Merkel’s conservatives are upset that she agreed to give the SPD the key finance post to secure the coalition deal after eight years under budget hawk Wolfgang Schaeuble, who was known for his insistence on austerity for indebted euro zone states.

The SPD generally favors more spending than the conservatives but the parties have agreed to stick to the goal of a balanced budget with no new debt.

On Tuesday a senior conservative warned the SPD they would jeopardize the hard-fought coalition pact if they went overboard with spending plans for Europe.

The new foreign minister: Heiko Mass

Maas, 51, is best known for introducing ambitious laws in his previous job that forced social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter to remove hate speech from their sites.

He is an outspoken critic of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), racist crime and anti-Semitism.

Hubertus Heil will take over as labor minister. The 45-year-old has been a member of the Bundestag lower house for almost 20 years and organized two national election campaigns for the SPD as its general secretary.

The post puts him at the helm of the ministry with the biggest budget – some 135 billion euros. It is key for the SPD, which won labor reforms in the coalition talks such as enabling workers to switch to shortened hours for limited periods.

A brief look at other ministers

Katarina Barley, a 49-year-old who took over as family minister last year, will head the justice ministry. Born to a British father and German mother, she studied law and once worked at the Federal Constitutional Court.

Franziska Giffey, a 39-year-old from the former Communist East will become family minister. Until now she has been mayor of the Berlin district of Neukoelln, home to many immigrants and high unemployment.

Svenja Schulze, a 49-year-old who worked as research and science minister in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia until the SPD lost the regional election there in 2017, was chosen as environment minister.

(REUTERS)