Bild: Hope reigns from today | Ab heute regiert die Hoffnung
FAZ: Merz’s cabinet is complete | Das Kabinett Merz ist vollständig
Funke: Friedrich Merz’s big day – but no euphoria in Germany | Der große Tag des Friedrich Merz – aber keine Euphorie in Deutschland
Handelsblatt: Merz’s test | Merz‘ Bewährungsprobe
RND: The Merz moment | Der Merz-Moment
SZ: The path is clear for Merz to become chancellor | Bahn frei für einen Kanzler Merz
Tagesspiegel: Before the chancellor election: Merz promises „strong“ government | Vor Kanzler-Wahl: Merz verspricht „kraftvolles“ Regieren
taz: Slain by the Klingbeil | Vom Klingbeil erschlagen
Welt: Am I now officially a right-wing extremist? | Bin ich jetzt gesichert rechtsextrem?
Chancellor Olaf Scholz bids farewell with grand military ceremony: In his farewell speech, Scholz called for the preservation of democracy. He described serving as chancellor of Germany as the honor of his life. The change of government was „an expression of democratic normality,“ he said. In a democracy, offices are always only granted for a limited period of time. Scholz wished his successor good luck. The Grand Military Tattoo is the highest honor the German Armed Forces can bestow on civilians. zdf.de, tagesspiegel.de, faz.net, handelsblatt.com
SPD presents ministers:
- Lars Klingbeil becomes Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister. The Commissioner for Eastern Germany, Elisabeth Kaiser, is now based there, along with State Secretaries Björn Böning and Rolf Bösinger and Parliamentary State Secretaries Dennis Rohde and Michael Schrodi. tagesschau.de
- Boris Pistorius remains Minister of Defense. Parliamentary State Secretaries are Sebastian Hartmann and Nils Schmid. web.de, esslinger-zeitung.de (Nils Schmid)
- Bärbel Bas, the former President of the Bundestag, will take over the Ministry of Labor as expected. Nathalie Pawlik, the former director of the Bundestag, will become Integration Commissioner, and Michael Schäfer will become Minister of State. Katja Mast and Kerstin Griese will become Parliamentary State Secretaries. spiegel.de
- Verena Hubertz takes over the Ministry of Construction. Sören Bartol remains Parliamentary State Secretary and Sabine Poschmann becomes Parliamentary State Secretary. faz.net
- Carsten Schneider will become Environment Minister. State Secretary will be environmental policy heavyweight Jochen Flasbarth. Carsten Träger and Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter, who was most recently Parliamentary State Secretary to Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, will become Parliamentary State Secretaries. zdf.de, faz.net
- Reem Alabali-Radovan takes over the development portfolio. Bärbel Kofler remains Parliamentary State Secretary, Johann Saathoff also remains Parliamentary State Secretary, but moves from the Ministry of the Interior to the Ministry of Development. ostsee-zeitung.de, zdf.de
- Stephanie Hubig takes over the Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection. Anette Kramme, who has been Parliamentary State Secretary in the Ministry of Labor for over ten years, becomes Parliamentary State Secretary. The previous Commissioner for Freedom of Religion and Belief, Frank Schwabe, becomes Parliamentary State Secretary. swr.de, lto.de
Union and SPD seal coalition agreement: The party leaders signed the agreement entitled ”Responsibility for Germany.” In terms of content, the coalition agreement provides for a tightening of migration policy, a reform of the Bürgergeld (citizen’s income) long-term unemployment benefit and investment incentives for companies. Plans also include stabilizing pension levels and reducing income tax for small and medium-sized incomes. tagesschau.de, faz.net
SPD leader Lars Klingbeil leaves future of co-leader Saskia Esken open: The focus is now on the ministries and on Wednesday on the leadership of the parliamentary group, Klingbeil said before a parliamentary group meeting. On the way to the party conference, the SPD will clarify who will be in the top roles. Klingbeil is considered a shoo-in for the party leadership. Esken’s future is uncertain; she was not considered for a ministerial post. handelsblatt.com
Friedrich Merz and Lars Klingbeil expect a majority for the chancellor: Merz said he assumed that, first, everyone would be present from both the Social Democrats and the Union, and second, that everyone would vote in favor. Klingbeil expressed a similar view. The CDU/CSU and SPD have a majority of twelve votes in the planned election of Merz as chancellor; Merz needs 316 votes. n-tv. de, tagesspiegel.de
Jens Spahn elected leader of the Union faction: Spahn was elected on Monday afternoon by the members of parliament with a good 91 percent of the votes, as the previous faction leader Friedrich Merz announced. Spahn has offered the coalition partner SPD fair cooperation. The CSU regional group elected the previous parliamentary secretary Alexander Hoffmann as its new chairman. He succeeds the designated interior minister Alexander Dobrindt. The new parliamentary secretary of the CSU is MP Reinhard Brandl. The SPD parliamentary group will be led by its current secretary general, Matthias Miersch, whose election is scheduled for Wednesday. handelsblatt.com, tagesschau.de, rp-online.de, n-tv.de
Union and SPD want to abolish two dozen government representatives: The aim is to streamline government work and reduce duplicate structures. Among those being abolished are the ambassador for feminist foreign policy, the special representative for international climate policy, the aerospace coordinator, the special representative for migration agreements, and the coordinator for better regulation and bureaucracy reduction. The post of commissioner for information technology is also being abolished; Markus Richter is currently the federal CIO. In the Ministry of Defense, the Commissioner for Planning the Turn of the Era (a reference to former Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Zeitenwende in defense policy) will be eliminated. According to a draft resolution, the tasks previously performed by commissioners, special envoys, and coordinators will in future be carried out by the relevant organizational units within the departments. sueddeutsche.de, tagesspiegel.de
AfD sues against classification as „confirmed right-wing extremist“ by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution: The party announced that a letter to this effect had been sent to the competent administrative court in Cologne. Friday’s reclassification reignited the debate about a possible ban on the AfD. zdf.de, handelsblatt.com
Israel wants permanent military presence in the Gaza Strip: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that soldiers would be permanently stationed in areas of the Palestinian territory that had been captured. The military operation there will be expanded to crush Hamas and rescue the remaining hostages. He left open whether the entire area or only parts of it would be annexed. In addition, residents would be resettled „for their own safety“. Before the planned expansion, a window of opportunity for negotiations with Hamas will remain open until mid-May. The EU warned of further suffering for the Palestinian population and called for maximum restraint. tagesschau.de, spiegel.de, n-tv.de, zdf.de
Russia reports drone attacks on Moscow: A few days before the commemorations, at least eight unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down by air defense forces on their way to Moscow, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced on Tuesday night. Debris from a drone fell onto a highway, but so far there have been no reports of serious damage or injuries. rnd.de
RTL/ntv trend barometer by Forsa: Union 25 percent (+1), AfD 25 percent (-1), SPD 15 percent (+2), Greens 12 percent, Left 10 percent, BSW 3 percent (-1), FDP 3 percent, others 7 percent. n-tv.de
Bild Sunday poll by Insa: Union 24.5 percent (-0.5), AfD 24.5 percent (-0.5), SPD 16 percent (-0.5), Greens 11 percent, Left Party 10 percent, BSW 4 percent, FDP 4 percent (+1), others 7 percent. bild.de
Brandenburg Interior Minister Katrin Lange supports increased controls at external borders: The announcement by the designated Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt comes as no surprise; he said that he would order increased rejections just one day after taking office. Lange signaled her support for the plan. Since fall 2023, there have been fixed controls by the federal police in Brandenburg on the border with Poland. rbb24.de
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier praises the Deutsches Museum in Munich: In his speech marking the museum’s 100th anniversary, Steinmeier called for more openness to technology and science. With its newly designed exhibitions on the history of progress, the Deutsches Museum today conveys „well-founded confidence,“ he said. Munich’s mayor Dieter Reiter was among those attending the ceremony. sueddeutsche.de
Sarah Wedl-Wilson becomes new Senator for Culture in Berlin: The former State Secretary for Culture succeeds Joe Chialo, who announced his resignation on Friday. Born in the UK in 1969, Wedl-Wilson not only has experience in cultural administration, but is also considered a long-standing expert on the Berlin cultural scene. Mayor Kai Wegner said Wedl-Wilson is familiar with the challenges facing the cultural landscape. zeit.de, rbb24.de
More news:
- Saxony-Anhalt: Coalition debates controversial issues for hours. n-tv.de
- Lower Saxony: Authorities recorded significantly more politically motivated crimes last year. ndr.de
- Lower Saxony: Police unions are calling for 1,000 additional recruits. n-tv.de
- Bremen: Interior Senator Ulrich Mäurer wants to expand Bremen’s weapon-free zones. butenunbinnen.de
- Berlin: Neukölln no longer wants to approve furnished rentals. rbb24.de
- Schleswig-Holstein: FDP calls for more practical training for teachers. kn-online.de
- Lower Saxony: Teachers file hazard report due to excessive workload. ndr.de
- Baden-Württemberg: Cyberattack on the city administration of Ellwangen. n-tv.de
EU wants to attract researchers with new €500 million funding package: EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a corresponding package for the next three years in Paris. The aim is to make Europe a magnet for researchers. Science is an investment, she said, and the right incentives must be offered. Observers also see the new strategy as a response to the US government’s crackdown on universities and other research institutions in the US. puls24.at
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announces his resignation: The Social Democrat announced his resignation after the strong showing of far-right candidate George Simion in the first round of the presidential election. In view of the election results, his coalition with the Liberals and the Hungarian minority party no longer has any legitimacy. Ciolacu had sought to pursue a pro-EU course in Romanian politics. His far-right rival received around 40 percent of the vote and will face the independent mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, in the second round of voting. zdf.de, spiegel.de, derstandard.at
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi mediates between Pakistan and India: He has traveled to Pakistan and wants to hold talks with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif. Tensions between the nuclear powers Pakistan and India has escalated significantly since a terrorist attack left 26 people dead in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir. The conflict relates to the Kashmir region, which both countries claim as their own. India blames Pakistan for the attack. Most recently, the government in Islamabad spoke of credible intelligence information that India was planning an attack on its neighbor. rnd.de
US government to pay migrants money for voluntary departure: The Department of Homeland Security announced that $1,000 would be given to any migrant who uses the „self-deportation“ function via a corresponding app. It will be paid out as soon as the migrant’s arrival in their home country is confirmed. According to the information provided, the US government will also cover travel expenses. tagesspiegel.de, n-tv.de
More news:
- Turkey: Inflation rate in April at its lowest level in almost three and a half years. faz.net
- Turkey: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatens opposition after the arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu. wa.de
- Belgium: Family reunification is being drastically restricted. sn.at
- Hungary: Opposition leader and political newcomer Péter Magyar deconstructs the mythos of Viktor Orban. srf.ch
- United Kingdom: Parade in London to mark the anniversary of the end of the Second World War. mdr.de
- Austria: Digital tax unlikely to be increased. derstandard.at
- Serbia: AfD allies want to invade Ukraine. t-online.de
- Denmark: Huge CO2 storage facility on the coast clears next hurdle. unternehmen-heute.de
- Poland: Foreign Office announces new security regulations, including a far-reaching photography ban on bridges and other crucial infrastructure. heise.de
- France: Iconic Concorde aircraft listed as a historic monument. spiegel.de
- Switzerland: New seat allocation in the Council of Swiss Abroad causes problems. swissinfo.ch
More news:
- Like Apple Pay and Google Pay: PayPal enables contactless payments via smartphone. n-tv.de
- Gasoline prices fall to lowest level of the year. faz.net
- Ford expects tariffs to cost it billions in profits. handelsblatt.com
- A visit to Radio Free Europe in Prague: They are still broadcasting sueddeutsche.de
- After the constitutional court ruling: Will ARD and ZDF now treat the AfD differently? kress.de
- Europe 1: SR cuts ties with right-wing conservative media mogul dwdl.de
- German Museum Association laments nationwide interference in the freedom and independence of museums wdr.de
- Fatal accident on set of „Rust“: Western starring Alec Baldwin overshadowed by tragedy and flops badly web.de
- Paul Kalkbrenner: Raver attacked during DJ set musikexpress.de
- End of „body positivity“: The lean years are back monopol-magazin.de
- Sean Combs trial: The alleged godfather zeit.de
- Big family feud: Son stays away from David Beckham’s birthday party n-tv.de
- Bayern stars celebrate without fans: Harry Kane parties in a posh restaurant after winning the title n-tv.de
- Rolfes openly addresses Bayer 04’s decline in performance – Xhaka calls for help over Xabi Alonso case. The uncertainty surrounding the coach is hurting him as much as it is hurting the club. kicker.de
- What Toppmöller and Krösche don’t like about the team: Eintracht hooligans risk games being called off kicker.de
- VfL Wolfsburg parts ways with Ralph Hasenhüttl: Another coach leaves the car city sueddeutsche.de
- Secret meeting with US team: Mick Schumacher can still hope for an F1 comeback – as candidate for the new US racing team Cadillac n-tv.de
- World Championships in Sheffield: China is now a world power in snooker too spiegel.de
Parents surprised by train departure: Eight-month-old daughter left behind on platform spiegel.de