Germany Parties

Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership
Germany Parties

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)

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

1957-61 Honorary President of Freie DemokFratische 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 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
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

1989-2007 Chairperson of die Grauen Trude Unruh
2007-09 Honorary President
MP 1985-90 for FDP. The party was abolished in 2008 after a corruption scandal and she co-founded one of the successor-parties. (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. (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
2005-13 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.

1993-2005 Vice Chairperson of SPD Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul
Minister of Development Aid 1998-2009.

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 2003-08 and President from 2008. (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 ...

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
Senator in the Government of Berlin from 2002.

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

1995-98 Parliamentary Secretary General of PDS Dagmar Enkelmann
2003-08 Vice-Chairperson of PDS
2005-13 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
2005-11 Vice-Chairperson pf the party
She became Chairperson of FDP in Sachsen-Anhalt in 1995 and Parliamentary State Secretary of Foreign Affairs in 2009.

1998-2012 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
2009-13 Parliamentary Secretary General
Parliamentary State Secretary in the Government 2002-05 and from 2013.

1998-2002 Parliamentary Secretary General of SPD Ilse Janz

1998-2002 Parliamentary Secretary General of SPD Susanne Kastner
Became Vice-President of the Bundestag in 2002.

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 Katrin Göring-Eckardt
2002-05 and 2013- Joint Faction Chairperson
Jointly with Krista Sager, who was Co-Spokesperson of the party 1994-96. Vice-President of the Bundestag 2005-13, became Praeses of the synod of the Evangelical Church in Germany 2009-13 and joint candidate for the post of Federal Chancellor for the 2013-elections. (b. 1966-).

1998-2002 and 2013- 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
2005-13 Joint Parliamentary Leader
Party Leader in Berlin 1989, Minister of Consumer's Protection and Agriculture 2001-05, Candidate for the Post of Chief of Government and Mayor of Berlin in 2011. In 2012 she finished third in the party elections for the position of joint candidate for the post of Federal Chancellor for the 2013-elections

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

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

2000-03 Chairperson of PDS Gabi Zimmer

2000-13 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
2005-13 Deputy Chairperson of the Parliamentary Fraction of Die Linke
From 2005 also Spokesperson of Internal Affairs. (b. 1963-).

2001-02 and 2004-13 Co-Chairperson of Bündnis '90/Die Grünen Claudia Roth
In 2012 she finished fourth in the party elections for the position of joint candidate for the post of Federal Chancellor for the 2013-elections, Vice-President of the Bundestag from 2013. (b. 1955-)

2001-09 Parliamentary Secretary General of CDU/CSU-Fraktion Ilse Elisabeth Falk
2009-13 Vice-Chairperson of the Parliamentary Faction

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

2002-05 and 2013- Parliamentary Secretary General of Bündnis '90/Die Grüne Steffi Lemke

2002-05 Parliamentary Secretary General of Bündnis '90/Die Grünen Ekin Deligöz
2013- Vice-President of the Parliamentary Faction of Bündnis '90/Die Grünen
(b. 1971-)

2002-09 Parliamentary Secretary of Bündnis '90/Die Grünen Irmingard Schewe-Gerigk

2002-09 Vice-Chairperson of the Faction of FDP Birgit Homburger
2009-11 Chairperson of the Parliamentary Faction
2011- Vice-Chairperson of the party
Chairperson of FDP/DVP Baden-Württemberg from 2004. (b. 1965-).

2002-09 Vice-Chairperson of the Faction of SPD Nicolette Kressl

2002-05 Vice-Chairperson of the Faction of CDU/CSU Gerda Hasselfeldt
2011- Chairperson of the CSU-Group in the Bundestag (Vorsitzende der CSU-Landesgruppe)
Former Minister and 1. Vice-President of the Bundestag 2005-11

2002-09 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.

2003-07 Vice-Chairperson of PDS Katja Kipping
2009-10 Vice-Chairperson of Die Linke
2010-12 Joint Parliamentary Secretary General
2012- Joint Chairperson of Die Linke
Member of the Landtag of Sachsen since 1999. (b. 1978-).

Circa 2003- Party Chairperson of SSW Gerda Eichhorn

2005-09 Permanent Deputy Chairperson of the Parliamentary Fraction of Die Linke Inge Höger-Neuling

2005-10 Deputy Chairperson of the Parliamentary Fraction of Die Linke Gesine Lötzsch
2010-12 Joint Party Leader
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-).

2005-13 Deputy Chairperson of the Parliamentary Fraction of Die Linke Monika Knoche
Also Spokesperson of Foreign Affairs

2005-13 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-)

2005-09 Deputy Chairperson of the Parliamentary Fraction of Die Linke Martina Bunge
Deputy State Chairperson of PDS in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 1996-2000 and Minister of Social Affairs 1998-2002. (b. 1951-).

2005-09 Deputy Chairperson of the Parliametnary Faction of FDP Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger
2011-13 Vice-Party Chairperson
Minister of Justice 1992-96 and 2009-13, became Chairperson of FDP of Bavaria in 2000.

2005-09 Parliamentary Secretary General of SPD Ute Kumpf

2005-09 Parliamentary Secretary General of Bündnis '90/Die Grüne Undine Kurth

2005 Secretary General-Elect of the SPD Andrea Nahles
2005-09 Vice-Chairperson of SPD
2009-13 Secretary General
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. MP 1998-2002 and from 2005. Minister of Labour from 2013. (b. 1970-).

2005-09 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 Faction Elke Ferner
2005-07 Party Vice-Chairperson
Secretary of State 1998-2002 and from 2013. (b. 1958-).

2005-08 Vice-Chairperson of Die Linkspartei.PDS Ulrike Zerhau
2008-10 Vice-Chairperson of Die Linke

2005-13 Vice-Chairperson of the Faction of CDU/CSU Katherina Reiche

2005-09 Vice-Chairperson of the Faction of CDU/CSU Dr. Martina Krogmann
2009- Parliamentary Secretary General of the Faction

2007-08 Secretary General of CSU Christine Haderthauers
Member of the Bavarian Landtag since 2003 and appointed Bavarian Minister of Labour, Social Affairs, Family and Women in 2008. (b. 1963-).

2008-12 Vice-Chairperson of Die Linke Halina Wawzyniak
Former Vice-Chair of the Berlin Linke. (b. 1973-).

2009-13 Deputy Faction Chairperson of CDU/CSU Ingrid Fischbach
Parliamentary Secretary from 2013.

2009- Vice-Chairperson of SPD Manuela Schwesig
Minister of Social Affairs and Health in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 2008-13 and Federal Minister of Family from 2013. (b. 1974-)

2009- Vice-Chairperson of SPD Hannelore Kraft
Minister in the local government 2001-05, Chairperson of the SPD Parliamentary Faction since 2005 and Party Chairperson in Nordrhein-Westfälen since 2007 and Candidate for the position of Minister President in 2010. (b. 1961-).

2009- Vice-Chairperson of the SPD Faction Dagmar Ziegler

2009- Parliamentary Secretary General of SPD Petra Ernstberger

2009-13 Vice-Chairperson of the FPD Faction Gisela Piltz

2009-11 Vice-Chairperson of the FPD Faction Miriam Gruß

2009-11 Vice-Chairperson of the FPD Faction Ulrike Flach
Parliamentary State Secretary of Health 2011-13.

2009-13 Parliamentary Secretary General of FDP Claudia Winterstein

2009-13 Parliamentary Secretary General of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen Britta Haßelmann
2013- 1. Parliamentary Secretary General

2010- Vice-Chairperson of Die Linke Sahra Wagenknecht
2011- 1. Deputy Chairperson of the Parliamentary Faction

2010- Parliamentary Secretary General of CDU Michaela Noll

2011- Vice-Chairperson of SPD Aydan Özoguz
State Minister of Integration from 2013.

2012- Vice-Chairperson of Die Linke Caren Lay
2013- Vice-Chairperson of the Parliamentary Faction of Die Linke

2012- Vice-Chairperson of CDU Julia Klöckner
Chairperson of the CDU of Rheinland-Pfälz from 2010, candidate for the post of Minister-President in 2011 and Chair of the Parliamentary Group in the Landtag from 2011.

2013- Joint Chairperson of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen Simone Peter
Minister of Environment, Energy and Transport of Saarland 2009-12 and Parliamentary Secretary General of the Greens in the Local Parliament 2012-13. (b.1965-)

2013- Vice-Chairperson of FDP Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann
Lord Mayor of Düsseldorf

2013- Secretary General of FDP Nicola Beer
Secretary of State for European Affairs in Hessen 2009-12 and Minister of Culture 2012-13.

2013 Deputy Faction Chairperson of SPD Christine Lambrecht
2013- 1. Parliamentary Secretary General

2013- Parliamentary Secretary General of CDU/CSU Michaela Noll

2013- Vice-Chairperson of the Parliamentary Faction of Die Linke Sabine Zimmermann

2013- Vice-Chairperson of the Parliamentary Faction of Die Linke Diana Golze

2013- Parliamentary Secretary General of Die Linke Dorothée Menzer

2013- Parliamentary Secretary General of Die Linke Karin Binder

2013- Vice-President of the Parliamentary Faction of Bündnis '90/Die Grünen Bärbel Höhn
Minister of Environment, Planning and Agriculture 1995-2005 and for Consumer's Protection 2005-09 in Nordrhein-Westfalen. (b. 1952-)

2013- Parliamentary Secretary General of Bündnis '90/Die Grünen Anja Hajduk

2013- Parliamentary Secretary General of Bündnis '90/Die Grünen Katja Keul

2013-15 Joint Spokesperson for Alternative für Deutschland Frauke Petry
2015- Spokesperson for AfD
Former Deputy Chair of the Party and from 2014 Parliamentary Leader of AfD in Sachsen

2015- Secretary of SPD Katarina Barl

Last update 01.02.16