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
She was Deputy Mayor 1946-47 and 1948-50. Oberbürgermeisterin.

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 ment 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-Merck, 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
The Chairperson of the Hessen-SPD, 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 will probably continue as head of a minority government without support in parliament.

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
1948-50 ditto
Acting Reigning Chief Mayor 1947-48

1967-75 Ammemarie Mevissen, Bremen

1978-87 Dr. Helga Elstner, Hamburg

1985-90 Dr. Brunhilde Peter, Saarland

1986-93 Dr. Mathilde Berghofer-Weichner, Bayern

1986-89 Dr. Hanna-Renate Laurien, Berlin

1988-90 Marianne Tideck, Schleswig-Holstein

1989-90 Ingrid Stahmar, Berlin

1990-92 Eva Rühmkorf, Schleswig-Holstein

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

1993 Heide Simonis, Schleswig-Holstein
Minister-Präsidentin later the same year

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, from 2001 1. Vice-President of the Landtag. (b. 1944-).

1998-2000 Heide Alm-Merk, Niedersachsen
She was 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
She was Deputy Reigning Mayor, Senator of Finance and Mayor of Berlin.

1999-2000 Christa Thoben, Berlin
She was 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- Karin Wolff, Hessen
Minister of Education and Culture from 1999, Vice-Chairperson of CDU in Hessen from 2002.

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

2004- Birgit Diezel, Thüringen
Minister of Finance since 2002 and before that Secretary of State of Finance from 1999. She is the only female member of the CDU-government.

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

2006- 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- Christa Stewens, Bayern
She is Minister of Labour, Social Affairs, Family and Women's Affairs since 2001. (b. 1945-).

Presidents of the Landtag

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
She was Evangelican-Lutheran Pastor Weimar 1984-90 and Minister of Justice until 1999. The two Vice-Presidents of the Landtag were also women.

2000-04 Dr. Dorothee Staelfeldt, Hamburg
From 2004 only the President of the Bürgerschaft was male. The three vice-Presidents and three secretaries were all female.

2002- Sylvia Bretschneider, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
She was Deputy Parliamentary Leader of SPD 1998-2002.

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

2004- 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 are Dr. Birgit Klaubert and Birgit Pelke.

2005- Regnia van Dinther, Nordhrein-Westphalen
Former Deputy Chairperson of the Landtag Group of CDU.
 

Last update 13.03.08