Wednesday, 22 November 2017: Social Democratic politician Stephan Weil was re-elected during a vote at the State Assembly of Lower Saxony as the Bundesland’s premier.
Social Democrats won the Elections for the Parliament in the second largest German State located in the north-west of Germany. To form the new government in Hannover the Social Democrats have entered into a coalition with the Christian Democrats.
After two weeks of negotiations between the acting social democratic Premier Stephan Weil and the regional leader of the CDU Bernd Althusmann the crucial issues for the coalition’s formation were elaborated. Althusmann will hold the office of the Deputy Premier and lead the resort for Economics, Labour and Digital Affairs. As Minister of Economics, Althusmann wants, contrary to his electoral promises, to be a participant of the supervisory board of Volkswagen. The remaining ministerial posts are split evenly among the two coalition partners as follows.
Social Democrats: Former Minister of Economics Olaf Lies will change to the Ministry of Ecology, Housing and Energy, whereas Boris Pistorius, Minister of the Interior will remain in his position. Grant Hendrik Tonne, former parliamentary manager of the SPD party will take over the Ministry of Education and Arts. The Ministry of Social Affairs will be led by the member of the Bundestag Carola Reiman. Last but not least, Birgit Honé, who was in the past assigned to the state chancellery, will receive her own department and become Minister for Federal and European Affairs.
Christian Democrats: The former budget policy speaker of the CDU parliamentary fraction, Reinhold Hilbers, will become Minister of Finance. The ministry of agriculture will be led by Barbara Otte-Kienast, while the North-Rhine Westphalian judge Barbara Havilza will take over the ministry of Justice. The last ministerial post for the CDU will be filled with former group-chairman Björn Thümler as Minister for Science and Culture.
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