Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership
Germany Parties

Also see Germany Ministers

1898-1918 Co-Leader of the Social Democrats Rosa Luxemburg

1924-26 Chairperson of the Communist Party Ruth Fischer
Her real name was Elfriede Eisler. She founded the Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) in 1918. In 1921-24 she was chair of the Communist Party of the Berlin. Member of the German Reichrats. She escaped to France in 1933 and immigrated to USA in 1941. She died in France in 1961. She lived (1895-1961)

1924-28 Vice-Chairperson of the Zentrum Party Helene Wessel
1949-51 Chairperson of the Deutschen Zentrumspartei and Parliamentary Leader of the Group 
Member of the Landtag of Preußen 1928-33, Member of the Landtag of Nordrhein-Westfalen 1946-47,  Member of the Zonenbeirats der British Occupation Zone 1947/48, Member of the Bundestag 1949-52, co-founder of Gesamtdeutschen Volkspartei (GVP) in 1951. 1957-1969 again member of the Bundestag, this time for the Social Democrats. She lived (1898-1969)

Ca. 1955-60 Deputy Faction Chairperson of Deutsche Partei (German Party) Margot Kalinke

1957-61 Honorary President of Freie Demokratische Partei, FDP (Free Free Democrats) Maria-Elisabeth Lüdders
Former vice-President of the Bundestag and minister in a State-government

1964-68 Deputy Factions Chairperson of Christliche Demokratisch Union, CDU/CSU (Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union) Aenne Brauksiepe
1967-69 Vice Chairperson of the Party
Minister in the Government

1969-72 Parliamentary Secretary General of Socialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, SDP (Social Democrats) Annemarie Renger
Later she was President and Vice-President of the Bundestag. She lived (1919-2008).

1972-76 Vice Chairperson of FDP Dr.Dr. Hildegard Hamm-Brücher
Various ministerial posts and Presidential candidate in 1992

1977-82 Vice Chairperson of FDP Liselotte Funcke
Minister in a local government

1980, 1980-81 and 1981-82 Co-Spokesperson of Die Grünen (Greens) Petra Kelly
She was killed by husband in 1992

1981-82 and 1982-83 Co-Spokesperson of Die Grünen Manon Maren-Grisebach

1982-84 Secretary General of FDP Dr. Irmgard Schwaetzer
1984-87 Treasurer
1988-94 Vice Chairperson
A number of Ministerial posts, she was candidate for the Party leadership and  number of other posts but finally resigned from any leadership positions

1983-84 Co-Spokesperson of Die Grünen Rebekka Schmidt

1983-87 Deputy Faction Chairperson of CDU/CSU Dr. Helga Wex

1984-87 and 1987-89  Co-Spokesperson of Die Grünen Jutta Ditfurth

1984-87 Deputy Faction Chairperson of SPD Herta Däubler-Gmelin
1988-97 Vice Chairperson of the Party
1993-97 Deputy Faction Chairperson
Minister of Justice 1998-2002. She was the first female Vice Chairperson of the party

1984-87 Vice Chairperson of CDU Dr. Hanna-Renate Laurien
Deputy Premier and President of the Parliament of Berlin

1987-89 Co-Spokesperson of Die Grünen Regina Michalik
Around 2000 Spokesperson of Bündnis 90/Grüne in Berlin

1987-91 Vice Chairperson of CDU Prof. Dr.Rita Süssmuth
She was President of the Bundestag

1987-90 Parliamentary Secretary General of FDP Ursula Seiler-Albring
She later was Vice-minister of Foreign Affairs

1987-? Parliamentary Secretary General of SPD Brititte Traupe

1987-94 Parliamentary Secretary General of SPD Gudrun Weyel

1988-93 Spokesperson of SPD Cornelia Sonntag-Wolgast
Deputy Minister since 1998

1988-99 Deputy Faction Chairperson of SPD Ingrid Matthäus-Maier

1989-90  Co-Spokesperson of Die Grünen Ruth Hanmerbacher

1989-90 Co-Spokesperson of Die Grünen Verena Krieger

1989-? Deputy Faction Chairperson of CDU/CSU Erika Reinhardt

1989-91 Secretary General of FDP Cornelia Schmalz-Jacobsen
1995-98 Vice Chairperson of the Party

1989- Chairperseon of die Grauen Trude Unruh
MP 1985-90. (b. 1925-).

1990-98 Deputy Chairperson of CDU Angela Merkel
1993-2000 Chairperson of CDU in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
1998-2000 Federal Secretary General of CDU
2000- Federal Chairperson of CDU
2002-05 Chairperson of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Faction
She was Deputy Spokesperson of the Government of the DDR in 1990 and Federal Minister 1991-98.
In 2005 was became Federal Chancellor in a CDU-SPD grand coalition. (b. 1954-).

1990-91 Co-Spokesperson of Die Grünen Renate Damus

1990-91  Co-Spokesperson of Grünen Heide Rühle
1994-98 Political Parliamentary Secretary General of Bündnis '90/Grünen (Union of '90/Greens)

1990-2005 Parliamentary Secretary General of Partei der Demokratischen Sozialismus, PDS, (Party of Democratic Socialism) Dr. Barbara Höll
2005- Deputy Chairperson of the Parliamentary Fraction of Die Linke
From 2005 also Spokesperson of Finance, Economy and Industry

1991-93 Co-Spokesperson of Die Grünen Christine Weiske

1991-98 Deputy Faction Chairperson of CDU/CSU Maria Michalk

1991-2000 Parliamentary Secretary General of CDU/CSU Brigitte Baumeister

1991-94 Deputy Faction Chairperson of FDP Uta Würfel

1991-98 Parliamentary Secretary General of FDP Ina Abbowitz

1991-94 Parliamentary Secretary General of PDS Andrea Lederer

1992-2002 Parliamentary Secretary General of PDS Dr. Ruth Fuchs

1993-94 Co-Spokesperson of Bündnis '90/Die Grünen Marianne Birthler
Minister in Brandenburg and Federal Commissioner for the Archives of the State Security of the former DDR. 

1993- Vice Chairperson of SPD Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul
From 1998 Minister of Development Aid

1993- Vice Chairperson of Christliche Soziale Union, CSU (Christian Social Union) Barbara Stamm
Deputy Parliamentary Chair in the Landtag 1986-87, Bavarian State Secretary of Labour, Social Affairs, Family, Women and Health 1987-94, Commissioner of Women's Affairs 1993-2001, Minister of Labour, Social Affairs, Family, Women and Health 1994-2001, Vice-Premier 1998-2001 and Vice-President of the Bavarian Landtag from 2003. (b. 1944-)

1993-94 Parliamentary Secretary General of  SPD Gerlinde Hämmerle

1993-94 Vice Chairperson of PDS Kerstin Kaiser

1993-2000 Vice Chairperson of PDS Dr. Sylvia Yvonne Kaufmann

1993-95 Spokesperson of SPD Dagmar Wiebusch

1994-98 Spokesperson of the Faction of the Bündnis '90/Die Grünen
1998-2002 Co-Chairperson of the Faction Kerstin Müller
She was chairperson of the State Party of the Greens in Nordrhein-westfälischen 1990-94. (b. 1963-)

1994-96 Spokesperson of Bündnis '90/Die Grünen Krista Sager
2002-05 Co-Parliamentary Leader (Faction Chairperson)
Leader of the Party in Hamburg and since 1997 Deputy Mayor and Head of the Departments of Science, Research and Equality.

1994-2003 Vice Chairperson of CSU Monika Hohlmeier
Minister in the Government of Bavaria (b. 1962-)

1994-2000 Deputy Faction Chairperson of CDU/CSU Hannelore Rönsch
Former Minister

1994-95 Vice Chairperson of FDP NN

1994-98 Parliamentary Secretary General of SPD Karin Fuchs

1994-98 Deputy Chairperson of the Parliamentary Group of PDS Dr. Christa Luft
1998-2002 Deputy Faction Chairperson
She was Deputy Minister-President and Minister of Economics in DDR

1994-98 Deputy Chairperson of the Parliamentary Group of PDS Dr. Heide Knake-Werner
1998-2002 Deputy Faction Chairperson
From 2002 Senator in the Government of Berlin. 

1995-97 Vice Chairperson of PDS Angela Marquardt
(b. 1972-)

1995-98 Parliamentary Secretary General of PDS Dagmar Enkelmann
2003- Vice-Chairperson of PDS

2005- Parliamentary Secretary General of Die Linke
Member of the Presidium of the Volkskammer of DDR in 1990, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Fraction of PDS in the Landtag of Brandenburg from 1999 before joining the new Left Party consisting of the PDS and former SPD-members.

1996-2000 Co-Spokesperson of Bündnis '90/Die Grünen Gunda Röstel

1997-2001 Vice Chairperson of SPD Renate Schmidt
Until 2000 Chairperson of SPD in Bavaria and former Vice-President of the Bundestag and since 2002 Minister of Family, Seniors, Youth and Women.

1997-2001 Vice Chairperson of FDP Cornelia Pieper
1998-2001 Deputy Faction Chairperson in the Bundestag
2001-2005 Secretary General
2005- Vice-Chairperson
She has been Chairperson of FDP in Sachsen-Anhalt since 1995

1998- Deputy Chairperson of CDU Dr. Annette Schavan
Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport in Baden-Württemberg 1995-2005. In 2004 she was mentioned as a possible Presidential Candidate, but instead she was candidate for the post of Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg in the internal CDU-elections but lost to the male candidate. (b. 1955-).

1998-2000 Deputy Faction Chairperson of SPD Ulla Schmidt (Aachen)

1998-2002 Deputy Faction Chairperson of SPD Sabine Kaspereit

1998-2002 Deputy Faction Chairperson of SPD Iris Gleicke
Parliamentary State Secretary in the Government from 2002.

1998-2002 Parliamentary Secretary General of SPD Ilse Janz

1998-2002 Parliamentary Secretary General of SPD Susanne Kastner
From 2002 Vice-President of the Bundestag

1998-2002 Parliamentary Secretary General of SPD Dr. Angelica Schwall-Düren
2002- Deputy Faction Chairperson of SPD

1998-2000 Spokesperson of  Bündnis '90/Die Grünen Antje Radcke
She was Chairperson of GAL Hamburg 1996-98 and 2000-01.

1998-2002 Parliamentary Secretary General of Bündnis '90/Die Grünen Kristin Heyne

1998-2002 Parliamentary Secretary General of Bündnis '90/Die Grünen Dagmar Göring-Eckardt
2002-05 Co-Faction Chairperson
Jointly with Krista Sager, who was Co-Spokesperson of the party 1994-96. Vice-President of the Bundestag from 2005.

1998-2002 Parliamentary Secretary General of Bündnis '90/Die Grünen Steffi Lemke
There was no male PSG's of the party

2000- Leader of SSW Anke Spoorendonk
As Parliamentary Leader of
Der Südschleswigsche Wählerverband, SSW, in the Assembly of Schleswig-Holstein she is the leader of the party of the Danish minority in Northern Germany.

2000-01 Co-Chairperson of Bündnis '90/Die Grünen Renate Künast
2005- Parliamentary Leader
Party Leader in Berlin 1989, Minister of Consumer's Protection and Agriculture 2001-05.

2000-05 Deputy Faction Chairperson of CDU/CSU Dr. Maria Böhmer
From 2005 Minister of State of Integration in the Office of the Chancellor

2000-02 Parliamentary Secretary General of CDU/CSU Birgit Schnieber-Jashram
She has been State Vice-Chairperson of CDU in Hamburg since 1992.

2000-03 Chairperson of PDS Gabi Zimmer

2000- Deputy Faction Chairperson of SPD Gudrun Schaich-Walch

2000-02 Deputy Chairperson of the Parliamentary Fraction of PDS Petra Pau
2000-02 Deputy Party Chairperson of PDS
2005- Deputy Chairperson of the Parliamentary Fraction of Die Linke
From 2005 also Spokesperson of Internal Affairs. (b. 1963-).

2001-02 and 2004- Co-Chairperson of Bündnis '90/Die Grünen Claudia Roth

2001- Parliamentary Secretary General of CDU/CSU-Fraktion Ilse Elisabeth Falk

2002-04 Co-Chairperson of Bündnis '90/Die Grüne Angelika Beer

2002-05 Parliamentary Secretary General of Bündnis '90/Die Grüne Steffi Lemke

2002-05 Parliamentary Secretary General of Bündnis '90/Die Grünen Ekin Deligöz
(b. 1971-)

2002- Parliamentary Secretary of Bündnis '90/Die Grünen Irmingard Schewe-Gerigk

2002- Vice-Chairperson of the Faction of FDP Birgit Homburger

2002- Vice-Chairperson of the Faction of SPD
Nicolette Kressl

2002-05 Vice-Chairperson of the Faction of CDU/CSU Gerda Hasselfeldt
Former Minister and from 2005 1. Vicepresident of the Bundestag


2002- Parliamentary Secretary General of SPD Nina Hauer

2003-07 Vice-Chairperson of SPD Ute Vogt
Chairperson of SPD in
Baden-Württemberg
from 1995 and Candidate for the post of Premier in 2001 and 2006 and Chairperson of the Assembly Faction 2006-08 and Parliamentary Secretary of State of the Federal Ministry of Interior 2002-06. (b. 1964-).

2003- Vice-Chairperson of CSU
Dr. Beate Merk
Minister of Justice from 2003.

2003- Vice-Chairperson of PDS Katja Kipping
Member of the Landtag of Sachsen since 1999. (b. 1978-).

Ca. 2003- Party Chairperson of SSW Gerda Eichhorn

2005- Permanent Deputy Chairperson of the Parliamentary Fraction of Die Linke Inge Höger-Neuling

2005- Deputy Chairperson of the Parliamentary Fraction of Die Linke Gesine Lötzsch
She was elected Deputy Parliamentary Leader after her party had rejected her as  Vice-President of the Federal Diet in favour of a 64 year old man. She was Chairperson of the PDS-Fraction in Berlin 1991-93 (b. 1961-).

2005- Deputy Chairperson of the Parliamentary Fraction of Die Linke Monika Knoche
Also Spokesperson of Foreign Affairs

2005- Deputy Chairperson of the Parliamentary Fraction of  Die Linke Petra Sitte
Parliamentary Leader of PDS in the Landtag of Sachsen-Anhalt 1990-2004. (b. 1960-)

2005- Deputy Chairperson of the Parliamentary Fraction of Die Linke Martina Bunge
Deputy State Chairperson of PDS in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 1996-2000. (b. 1951-).

2005-
Deputy Chairperson of the Faction of FDP Sabine Leutheusser- Schnarrenberger

2005- Parliamentary Secretary General of SPD Ute Kumpf

2005- Parliamentary Secretary General of Bündnis '90/Die Grüne Undine Kurth

2005 Secretary General-Elect of the SPD Andrea Nahles
Her election to the post by a large margin by the Party Central Executive against the wish of the Party Chairman led to his resignation and she resigned from the post and desided not run as Vice-Chairperson of the Party when a new party leadership was put together. MP 1998-2002 and from 2005. (b. 1970-).

2005- Deputy Chairperson of SPD Bärbel Dieckmann
Chief Mayor of Bonn since 1994 and mother of 2 sets of twins. (b. 1949-).

2005- Deputy Chairperson of SPD Elke Ferner
Secretary of State in the Federal Ministry of Building, Housing, Communication and Transport. (b. 1958-).

2005- Vice-Chairperson of the Faction of CDU/CSU Katherina Reiche

2005- Vice-Chairperson of the Faction of CDU/CSU Dr. Martina Krogmann

2007- Vice-Chairperson of SPD Andrea Nahles

2007- Secretary General of CDU Christine Haderthauers
Member of the Bavarian Landtag since 2003. (b. 1963-).
 

 

Last update 07.03.08