Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership
Germany Local Leaders

Also see Germany Ministers

Minister-Presidents and Chiefs of Government

1947-48 Acting Chief Mayor Louise Schroeder, Berlin
Deputy Mayor 1946-47 and 1948-51. Oberbürgermeisterin. Member of the Constituent Assembly 1919, of the Reichstag 1919-1933, of the Stadtverordnetenversammlung and Abgeordnetenhauses of Berlin 1945-52 and of of the Federal Assembly and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe 1949-57

1993-2005 Heide Simonis, Schleswig-Holstein
She was Minister of Finance 1988-93 and Assisting Minister-Präsidentin in 1993 and 2003-04 3. Vice-President of the Bundesrat. In 2005 she formed a new coalition but a member of her own Social Democrats did not vote for her in Parliament. It also meant that she did not become the first female President of the Bundesrat and Deputy Head of State in November 2005, when the post belonged to the state, according to the rotating principle. (b. 1944-).

[1999 Acting Heidi Alm-Merch, Niedersachsen (November-December)]
According to some newspaper-reports the Minister-President resigned with immediate effect in November, but her tenure as acting is not confirmed]

2008 Designate Minister President Andrea Ypsilanti, Hessen
Chairperson of the State SPD 2003-09 and Parliamentary Leader 2008-09. Following the elections in January 2008, she was planning to be elected Premier as leader of a SPD-Green minority government "tolerated" by the Left Party, but a member of her party announced that she would not support this solution, so she withdrew as a candidate for the post. Instead the CDU-premier continued as head of a minority government without support in parliament. Another attempt to be elected Premier failed in November because of opposition from her own party and she left the post of Premier-Candidate to a man, who lost the January-2009 elections with a wide margin.

2009 Acting Minister President  Birgit Diezel, Thüringen (01.01.09-20.04.09) and (03.09.09-08.09.09)
Secretary of State of Finance 1999-2002, Minister of Finance 2002-09, Vice-Premier 2004-09 and Acting Premier when the incumbent was seriously hurt in a skiing accident and again after his resignation following his defeat in the local elections. Also Depty Chairperson of the CDU in Thüringen and Acting Chairperson from 2009 and President of the Landtag since 2009. (b. 1958-).

2009-14 Minister President Christine Liebknecht, Thüringen
Evangelican-Lutheran Pastor Weimar 1984-90, Minister of Justice until 1999, President of the Landtag 1999-2004, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Goup of CDU 2004-08 and Minister of Social Affairs, Family and Health 2008-09. When the former CDU-Premier announced his resignation, she was chosen as her party's Candidate for Premier and leader of the coalition negotiations with SPD, in 2014 her party remained the largest party, but a coalition was formed without it. (b. 1958-).

2010- Minister President Hannelore Kraft, Nordrhein-Westfalen
Member of the Landtag of NRW since 2000, Minister of Federal- and European Affairs 2001-05 and Minister of Science and Research in 2005, Parliamentary Leader of the Social Democrats 2005-20, State Chairperson of the party from 2007 and from 2009 Federal Vice-Chairperson. (b. 1961-).

2011- Minister President Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Saarland
Minister of Interior, Family, Women and SPort 2000-07, Minister of Education, Family, Women and Culture 2007.09 and Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs, Prevention and Sport 2009-11, Chairperson of the CDU of Saarland from 2011. From 2013 the SPD-Deputy Minister-President is Anke Rehlinger. (b. 1962-)

2013- Minister President Malu Dreyer, Rheinland-Pfalz
Minister of Labour, Social Affairs, Family and Health 2002-13. Married to the Lord Mayor of Trier, Klaus Jensen, and mother of 3 children. She suffers from Multiple sclerosis. The chair of CDU and opposition leader in the state is Julia Klöckner. (b. 1961-)

Deputy Minister-Presidents and Deputy Chiefs of Government

1945-47 Jenny Matern, Sachsen
The state was part of the later East Germany, and she was also Minister of Welfare and later Secretary of State in the East German government. She lived (1904-1960).

1946-47 Louise Schroeder, Berlin
1948-51 ditto
Acting Reigning Chief Mayor 1947-48

1967-75 Annemarie Mevissen, Bremen
Member of the Assembly 1951-75, Senator of Youth from 1951 and later also of Welfare and Sport until 1975, Mayor and Deputy of the Mayor of President of the Senate 1967-75. She lived (1914-2006)

1978-87 Dr. Helga Elstner, Hamburg
Senator of Health 1976-87 and President of the Bürgerschaft 1987-91. (b. 1924-).

1985-90 Dr. Brunhilde Peter, Saarland
Also Minister of Social Affairs, Labour and Health until 1990 and Minister of Labour and Women's Affairs 1990-91. (b. 1925-).

1986-89 Dr. Hanna-Renate Laurien, Berlin
Minister of Culture and Euducation in Rheinland-Pfalz 1976-81, Senator of Education 1981-89 and President of the Assembly 1991-95. She lived (1928-2010).

1988-93 Dr. Mathilde Berghofer-Weichner, Bayern
Member of the Landtag 1970-94, first female member of the government as State Secretary of Culture 1974-86 and Minister of Justice 1986-93. She lived (1931-2008).

1988-90 Marianne Tidick, Schleswig-Holstein
Minister of Federal Affairs 1988-90, of Education 1990-93 and of Science 1993-96. (b. 1942-)

1989-90 Ingrid Stahmar, Berlin

1990-92 Eva Rühmkorf, Schleswig-Holstein
Statsecretary (Staatsrätin) in Hamburg 1983-88, Minister of Education 1988-90 and of Federal Affairs 1990-92. (b. 1935-)

1991-98 Dr. Christa Bergmann, Berlin
President of the City Council of East Berlin 1989.

1993 Heide Simonis, Schleswig-Holstein
Minister of Finance 1988-93 and Minister-Präsidentin later the same year. (b. 1943-).

1994-98 Heidrun Heidecke, Sachsen-Anhalt
Minister of Environment

1995-99 Christine Krajewski, Saarland
Also Minister of Finance

1997-2001 Krista Sager, Hamburg

1996-2002 Dr. Gerlinde Kuppe, Sachsen-Anhalt
Minister of Labour, Social Affairs, Health 1994-2003 and 1994-98 also Minister for Women.

1998-2001 Barbara Stamm, Bayern
Deputy Parliamentary Leader of CSU 1986-87, Secretary of State  1987-94 and Minister of Labour, Social Affairs, Family, Women and Health 1994-2001, 1. Vice-President of the Landtag 2003-08 and its President from 2008. (b. 1944-).

1998-2000 Heide Alm-Merk, Niedersachsen
Minister of Justice 1990-98, Minister of European Affairs 1996-98, Minister of Social Affairs 1998 and Minister of Federal Affairs and Representative in the Bundesrat 1998-2000.

1998-99 Annette Fugmann-Heesing, Berlin
Deputy Reigning Mayor, Senator of Finance and Mayor of Berlin.

1999-2000 Christa Thoben, Berlin
Deputy Reigning Mayor, Senator of Finance and Mayor of Berlin.

1999-2003 Ruth Wagner, Hessen
Also Minister of Science and Culture. Vice-President of the Landtag 1987-91 and again from 2003.

2000-2005 Annemarie Lütkes, Schleswig-Holstein
Also Minister of Justice etc., Leader of the Green Party and 2003-04 Secretary of the Bundesrat. From 2005 Chairperson of the Landtag-group of Bündnis 90/Grüne.

2002-06 Karin Schubert, Berlin
Deputy Reigning Mayor, Senator of Justice and Mayor of Berlin 2002-06. Minister of Justice of Sachsen-Anhalt 1994-2002.

2003-08 Karin Wolff, Hessen
Minister of Education and Culture 1999-2008, Vice-Chairperson of CDU in Hessen from 2002-08. (b. 1959-).

2004-08 Birgit Schnieber-Jastram, Hamburg
Second Mayor, Deputy Chief of the Government and Senator of Social Affairs and Family 2001-08. Only three of nine member of the government are women, and only Schnieber-Jastram, was a member of the CDU, in spite of the fact that the party has an absolute majority in the local parliament from 2004

2004-09 Birgit Diezel, Thüringen
Minister of Finance since 2002 and before that Secretary of State of Finance from 1999. Until 2008 she was the only female member of the CDU-government. Acting Minister President January-April and September 2009, Vice-Chairperson of the Local CDU and Acting Chair from 2009 and President of the Parliament 2009-14.

2005-09 Ute Erdsiek-Rave, Schleswig-Holstein
President of the Landtag 1992-96, Minister of Education, Science, Research and Culture 1998-2005 and Minister of Education and Women's Affairs 2005-09 in a Grand-Coalition of SPD (two female ministers) and CDU (no women in the government). (b. 1947-).

2006-11 Ingeborg Junge-Reyer, Berlin
Deputy Mayor of Berlin-Kreuzberg 1999, Secretary of State of Labour, Social Affairs and Women in Berlin 1999-2002, Secretary of State of Urban Development 2002-04, Senator of Urban Development since 2003 and Deputy Chief of Government and Mayor of Berlin. (b. 1946-).

2007- Karoline Linnert, Bremen
Chairperson of the Assembly Faction of the Green Party 2000-07, before becoming Deputy Chief of the Government, Mayor and Senator for Finance. Her official title is Bürgermeisterin und Senatorin für Finanzen und Stellvertreterin des Präsidenten des Senats der Freien Hansestadt Bremen.

2007-08 Christa Stewens, Bayern
Minister of Labour, Social Affairs, Family and Women's Affairs 2001-08 and Chairperson of the CSU Faction in the Bavarian Landtag in 2013. (b. 1945-).

2008-11 Christa Goetsch, Hamburg
Second Mayor, Deputy Chief of the Government and Senator of Education. Chairperson of the Green Faction in the City Assembly 2002-08. (b. 1952-).

2009 Johanna Wanka, Brandenburg
Minister of Education, Science, Research and Culture in Brandenburg 2000-09 and Minister of Science and Culture in Niedersachsen from 2010. State Chairperson of CDU from 2008-10, Parliamentary Leader 2009-10 and candidate for the post of Minister-President in 2009. New CDU State Chairperson and Parliamentary Leader is Saskia Ludwig. (b. 1951-).2010- Sylvia Löhrmann, Nordrhein-Westfalen
Member of the Landtag since 1995 and Parliamentary Leader 2000-10 and Minister of Education from 2010 in the government of Hannelore Kraft which has got 5 female and 6 male members. (b. 1957-).

2011-15 Dr. Dorothee Staelfeldt, Hamburg
Second Mayor and Senator of Science and Research. She was President of the City Council 2000-04 and 2011, Vice-President of SPD in Hamburg 2004-07 and candidate for the position of Mayor candidate during internal SPD elections in 2007 which was cancelled because of irregularities. Became Senator of Urban Development in 2015. (1953-).

2011- Eveline Lemke, Rheinland-Pfalz
Leader of the Green Party. Also Minister of Economy, Climate Protection, Energy and Territorial Planning.

2011- Sylvia Löhrmann, Nordrhein-Westfalen
Leader of the Green Party. Also Minister of Schools and Further Education

2012-  Anke Spoorendonk, Schleswig-Holstein
Parliamentary Leader of the of the party of the Danish minority, Südschleswigsche Wählerverband (SSW) 1996-2012 and from 2012 also Minister of Justice, Culture and Europe. (b. 1947-).

2013- Ilse Aigner, Bayern
Member of the Assembly of Bavaria 1994-98 and Member of the Federal Assembly from 1998, Secretary of the Assembly 1998-2002, Vice-Chairperson of the CSU Group 2002-05 and Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection  2008-13. (b. 1964-).

2013- Anke Rehlinger, Saaland
SPD Member of the Assembly of Saarland. Also Minister of Economy, Industry, Energy and Trafic. She was Minister of Environment and Justice 2012-13 and candidate for the post of Minister-President in 2017. The Minister-President of Saarland is the CDU-politician Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (b. 1978-)

2014- Heike Taubert, Thüringen
Also Minister of Finance. She was Minister of Social Affairs 2009-14.

2014-16 Dilek Kolat, Berlin
Senator of Labour, Women and Integration 2011-16 and of Health etc. from 2016.

2015- Katharina Fegebank, Hamburg
Second Mayor and Senator of Science, Research and Equality. Leader of the Bündnis 90/Die Grünen in Hamburg from 2008. (b. 1977-)

2016- Ramona Pop, Berlin
Also Mayor and Senator for Economy, Energy and Businesses. Leader of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen Berlin
.

Presidents of the Landtag

1987 and 1991-93 Elisabeth Kiausch, Hamburg
Member of the Bürgerschaft 1970-2004 (And in her latest term, she was President-By-Age), Senator for Finance from 1987 and later for Administration and the City Archives, Parliamentary Leader of the Social Democrats 1996-97. (b. 1933-)

1987-91 Helga Elstner, Hamburg

1988-92 Lianne-Maren Paulina-Mürl, Schleswig-Holstein

1991-95 Ingeborg Friebe, Nordrhein-Westfalen

1991-95 Hanna-Renate Laurien, Berlin

1991-93 Elisabeth Kiausch, Hamburg

1992-96 Ute Erdsiek-Rave, Schleswig-Holstein

1993-2000 Ute Pave, Hamburg

1999-2004 Christine Liebknecht, Thüringen
Evangelican-Lutheran Pastor Weimar 1984-90 and Minister of Justice until 1999. The two Vice-Presidents of the Landtag were also women. Chairperson of the Parliamentary Goup of CDU 2004-08 and Minister of Social Affairs, Family and Health 2008-09. When the incumbent Premier announced his resignation, she was chosen as her party's Candidate for Premier and leader of the coalition negotiations and then Premier from 2009. (b. 1958-).

2000-04 and 2011 Dr. Dorothee Staelfeldt, Hamburg
Vice-President of SPD in Hamburg 2004-07 and candidate for the position of Mayor candidate during internal SPD elections in 2007 which was cancelled because of iregularities. From 2004 only the President of the Bürgerschaft was male. The 3 vice-Presidents and 3 secretaries were all female. Second Mayor and Senator of Science and Resarch (1953-).

2002- Sylvia Bretschneider, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
She was Deputy Parliamentary Leader of SPD 1998-2002. From 2011 all three Vice-Presidents of the Landtag were women.

2003-08 President by Age Barbara Rütting, Bayern
An actress she has been member of the Landtag for Die Grünen since 2003. (b. 1927-).

2004-09 Prof. Dr. Barbara Schipanski, Thüringen
CDU-Candidate for the post of Federal President in 1999, Minister of Science and Technology, Art and Culture. 1999-2004. Her two Deputies in the presidium of the legislature were Dr. Birgit Klaubert and Birgit Pelke.

2005-10 Regnia van Dinther, Nordhrein-Westphalen
Former Deputy Chairperson of the Landtag Group of CDU. Was not reelected in 2010.

2008- Barbara Stamm, Bayern
Member of the City Council of Würzburg 1972-87, Member of the Landtag since 1976, Deputy Parliamentary Leader of CSU 1986-87, Secretary of State  1987-94 and Minister of Labour, Social Affairs, Family, Women and Health 1994-2001 and Deputy Minister President 1998-2001, Deputy Chairperson of CSU since 1993, 1. Vice-President of the Landtag 2003-08 and its President from 2008. (b. 1944-).

2009-14 Birgit Diezel, Thüringen
Secretary of State of Finance 1999-2002, Minister of Finance 2002-09, Vice-Premier 2004-09 and Acting Premier twice in 2009. Also Depty Chairperson of the CDU in Thüringen and Acting Chairperson in 2009. (b. 1958-).

2011- Carola Veit, Hamburg
Member of the Bürgerschaft since 2004. (b. 1973-)

2012- Carina Gödecke, Nordrhein-Westphalen
Parliamentary Secretary General of SPD 2000-10, 1. Vice-President of the Landtag 2010-12. (b. 1958-)

2014- Britta Stark, Brandenburg
SPD Member of the Landtag from 1990. (b. 1963-)

2016- Muhterem Aras, Baden-Württemberg
Green member of the Landtag from 2011. (b. 1966-)

 

District President
Appointed by the State Minister-Presidents as Heads of the District Administrations

1946-64 Regierungspräsidentin Thea Nolte-Bänisch, Hannover, Niedersachsen
Used the name Theanolte Bähnisch from the time of her marriage. She was civil servant from 1922, Vize-Regierungspräsidentin 1946, State Secretary and Envoy in Bonn 1959-64. She lived (1899-1973).

1990-98 Regierungspräsidentin Dr. Ragnhilt Berve, Arnsberg, Nordhrein-Westphalen

1991-93 Regierungspräsidentin Ilse Stiewitt, Kassel, Hessen
Minister of Women, Labour and Social Affairs in Hessen 1993-95.

1994-2005 Regierungspräsidentin Gerlinde Hämmerle, Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg
Parliamentary Secretary General of SPD 1991-94. (b. 1940-).

1995-2001 Regierungspräsidentin Christa Vennegerts, Detmold, Baden-Württemberg
Joint Spokesperson of the Parliamentary Group of Bündnis 90/Grüne in the Federal Assemby 1988-89

1999-2003 Oda Scheibelhuber, Kassel, Hessen
Former Mayor of Fulda, Secretary of State of Interior and Sport in Hessen from 2003. (b. 1951-)

Until 2003 Regierungspräsidentin Birgit Honè, Lüneburg, Niedersachsen

2003-05 Regierungspräsidentin Renate Drewke, Arnsberg, Nordhrein-Westphalen

2005- Regierungspräsidentin Marianne Thomann-Stahl, Detmold, Nordrhein-Westfalen
Parliamentary Secretary General of FDP in the Assembly of Nordrhein-Westfalen 2000-05.

2008- Regierungspräsidentin Brigitta Brunner, Oberpfalz, Bayern

Candidates for the post of Ministerpräsidentin

1990 Rita Süßmuth, Niedersachsen
She would have been designated to take over mid-term from the incumbent Premier. She was Federal CDU MP, Minister and Parliament President.

1990 Anke Fuchs, Sachsen
Federal SPD MP and Minister.

1994 and 1998 Renate Schmidt, Bayern
Chairperson of the State SPD, Federal MP and Minister.

2001 and 2010 Ute Vogt, Baden-Württemberg
Chairperson of the State SPD.

2008 Andrea Ypsilanti, Hessen
Chairperson of the State SPD.

2009 Johanna Wanka, Brandenburg
Minister of Education, Science, Research and Culture in Brandenburg 2000-09 and Minister of Science and Culture in Niedersachsen from 2010. State Chairperson of CDU 2008-10 and Parliamentary Leader 2009-10. New CDU State Chairperson and Parliamentary Leader is Saskia Ludwig. (b. 1951-).

2011 Julia Klöckner, Rheinland-Pfalz
MP for CDU from 2002, Party Vice-Chairperson from 2006 and in 2009 she was named Candidate for Minister-President and the same year she was named Parliamentary State Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection in the Federal Government. (b. 1972-).

Last update 10.12.16