Chancellor of Germany facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany
Standard of the German Chancellor
Logo of the German Chancellor
Incumbent Friedrich Merz since 6 May 2025 (2025-05-06)
Executive branch of the Federal Government Federal Chancellery
Style	Mr. Chancellor (informal) His Excellency (diplomatic)
Member of	Federal Cabinet European Council
Seat	Federal Chancellery, Berlin (main seat) Palais Schaumburg, Bonn (secondary seat)
Nominator	President
Appointer	President upon election by the Bundestag
Term length	until the constitution of a new Bundestag (renewable)
Constituting instrument	German Basic Law (German Constitution)
Formation	1 July 1867; 157 years ago (1867-07-01)
First holder	Otto von Bismarck
Deputy	Vice Chancellor
Salary	€255,150 per year (as of 2020[update])

The Chancellor of Germany, officially the Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, is the head of the federal government of Germany. The chancellor is the chief executive of the Federal Cabinet and heads the executive branch. The chancellor is elected by the Bundestag on the proposal of the federal president and without debate (Article 63 of the German Constitution). During a state of defence declared by the Bundestag the chancellor also assumes the position of commander-in-chief of the Bundeswehr.

Thirty-seven people (thirty-six men and one woman) have served as chancellor, the first of whom was Otto von Bismarck taking over on 21 March 1871. The current officeholder is Friedrich Merz of the Christian Democratic Union, since 6 May 2025.

Role

The cabinet bench in the Reichstag building (to the left of the flag) with the raised seat of the chancellor in the front row

The chancellor's authority emanates from the provisions of the Basic Law and in practice from their status as leader of the party (or coalition of parties) holding a majority of seats in the Bundestag (federal parliament). With the exception of Helmut Schmidt and Olaf Scholz, the chancellor has also been chairman of their own party. This was the case with Chancellor Gerhard Schröder from 1999 until he resigned the chairmanship of the SPD in 2004.

The first chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, set many precedents that continue today and established the chancellorship as the clear focus of power in Germany. Under the provisions of the Basic Law giving him the power to set guidelines for all fields of policy, Adenauer arrogated nearly all major decisions to himself. He often treated his ministers as mere extensions of his authority rather than colleagues. While his successors have tended to be less domineering, the chancellor has acquired enough ex officio authority (in addition to their constitutional powers) that Germany is often described by constitutional law experts as a "chancellor democracy".

The chancellor determines the composition of the Federal Cabinet. The president formally appoints and dismisses cabinet ministers, on the recommendation of the chancellor; no parliamentary approval is needed. According to the Basic Law, the chancellor may set the number of cabinet ministers and dictate their specific duties. Chancellor Ludwig Erhard had the largest cabinet, with 22 ministers, in the mid-1960s. Helmut Kohl presided over 17 ministers at the start of his fourth term in 1994; the 2002 cabinet, the second of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, had 13 ministers, and the Angela Merkel cabinet as of 22 November 2005 had 15.

Article 65 of the Basic Law sets forth three principles that define how the executive branch functions:

• The "chancellor principle" makes the chancellor responsible for all government policies; this is also known as the Richtlinienkompetenz (roughly translated as "guideline setting competence"). Any formal policy guidelines issued by the chancellor are legally binding directives that cabinet ministers must implement. Cabinet ministers are expected to introduce specific policies at the ministerial level that reflect the chancellor's broader guidelines.
• The "principle of ministerial autonomy" entrusts each minister with the freedom to supervise departmental operations and prepare legislative proposals without cabinet interference so long as the minister's policies are consistent with the chancellor's broader guidelines.
• The "cabinet principle" calls for disagreements between federal ministers over jurisdictional or budgetary matters to be settled by the cabinet.

List of chancellors (present)

Political party:       CDU       SPD

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party	Vice Chancellor(s)	Cabinets
			Term	Time in office
1		Konrad Adenauer (1876–1967)	15 September 1949 – 16 October 1963	14 years, 31 days	CDU	Franz Blücher (1949–57) Ludwig Erhard (1957–63)	I II III IV
2		Ludwig Erhard (1897–1977)	16 October 1963 – 1 December 1966	3 years, 46 days	CDU	Erich Mende (1963–66) Hans-Christoph Seebohm (1966)	I II
3		Kurt Georg Kiesinger (1904–1988)	1 December 1966 – 22 October 1969	2 years, 325 days	CDU	Willy Brandt (1966–69)	I
4		Willy Brandt (1913–1992)	22 October 1969 – 7 May 1974	4 years, 197 days	SPD	Walter Scheel (1969–74)	I II
Vice Chancellor Walter Scheel served as acting Chancellor from 7 May to 16 May 1974.
5		Helmut Schmidt (1918–2015)	16 May 1974 – 1 October 1982	8 years, 138 days	SPD	Hans-Dietrich Genscher (1974–82) Egon Franke (1982)	I II III
6		Helmut Kohl (1930–2017)	1 October 1982 – 27 October 1998	16 years, 26 days	CDU	Hans-Dietrich Genscher (1982–92) Jürgen Möllemann (1992–93) Klaus Kinkel (1993–98)	I II III IV V
7		Gerhard Schröder (b. 1944)	27 October 1998 – 22 November 2005	7 years, 26 days	SPD	Joschka Fischer (1998–2005)	I II
8		Angela Merkel (b. 1954)	22 November 2005 – 8 December 2021	16 years, 16 days	CDU	Franz Müntefering (2005–07) Frank-Walter Steinmeier (2007–09) Guido Westerwelle (2009–11) Philipp Rösler (2011–13) Sigmar Gabriel (2013–18) Olaf Scholz (2018–21)	I II III IV
9		Olaf Scholz (b. 1958)	8 December 2021 – 6 May 2025	3 years, 149 days	SPD	Robert Habeck (2021–25)	I
10		Friedrich Merz (b. 1955)	6 May 2025 – Incumbent	3 days	CDU	Lars Klingbeil (Incumbent)	I

Chancellor's election

The chancellor is elected by the Bundestag and formally appointed by the president of Germany. A chancellor's election is necessary whenever the office of chancellor has fallen vacant. This is the case if a newly elected Bundestag meets for the first time, or during legislative periods, if the former chancellor died or resigned.

The chancellor's election is one of the few cases in which a vote in the Bundestag requires a majority of all elected members, not just a majority of those assembled at the time, or the so-called Kanzlermehrheit ("chancellor majority"). As with other elections performed by the Bundestag, the chancellor is elected via secret ballot. The election procedure laid down in the Basic Law can be divided into three phases:

First voting phase

The process begins with the president of Germany proposing a candidate to the Bundestag (a formality, as they are usually a candidate on which majority parties have agreed to beforehand), who is then voted upon without debate ("1st voting phase"). If the nominee reaches the necessary "chancellor majority", the president of Germany will appoint him or her and, after that, the president of the Bundestag will administer the oath of office before the assembled house.

As of 2025, 20 of 21 regular Chancellor elections were successful in the first voting phase.

Second voting phase

If this nominee is not elected, the right of nomination is transferred onto the Bundestag: Candidates can now be nominated for election, whereby a nomination must be supported by at least a quarter of all MPs. The Bundestag can hold any number of ballots in this manner for two weeks. To be elected, a candidate still needs a "chancellor majority" of yes-votes.

Only once, a regular Chancellor election went to the second phase: In 2025, Friedrich Merz failed to obtain the "chancellor majority" on the first ballot; on the second ballot, held only a few hours after the first ballot, he was elected and subsequently appointed as chancellor.

Third voting phase

If the Bundestag is unable to elect a chancellor in these fourteen days, a final ballot is held on the very next day. Once again, candidates must be nominated by at least a quarter of all MPs. Candidates receiving a "chancellor majority" in this ballot are elected. Otherwise, it is up to the President of Germany either to appoint the candidate with the plurality of votes as Chancellor or to dissolve the Bundestag and call new elections.

As of 2025, no Chancellor election has proceded to this phase.

Other election mechanisms

Another possibility to vote a new chancellor into office is the constructive vote of no confidence, which allows the Bundestag to replace a sitting chancellor, if it elects a new chancellor with the "chancellor-majority" (see below).

Confidence

In principle, the Chancellor is dependent on the confidence of Parliament, which is bestowed upon him with the election. The Bundestag can also withdraw its confidence in the Chancellor; however, this is only possible by means of a motion that simultaneously requests the President to appoint a new Chancellor proposed by name; such a motion requires (as in an ordinary election of Chancellor) a majority of all members of the Bundestag (Constructive vote of no confidence). Such a motion has been tabled twice so far and was successful only once:

This is to be distinguished from a motion of confidence. This is a motion that only the Chancellor can submit to the Bundestag (optionally in conjunction with another motion or bill) to the effect that the Bundestag explicitly expresses its confidence in him (again). However, if the Chancellor loses the vote on this motion, this does not mean that he leaves office; rather, it gives him additional options for action: He can ask the President to dissolve the Bundestag and call a snap election or declare a legislative emergency, during which the government can bypass the Bundestag in the legislative process for a limited period of time. This apparent paradox is due to the fact that the motion of confidence is intended as an instrument of discipline for the chancellor vis-à-vis parliament or the factions supporting him: if the MPs fail to place their trust in him, they risk a new election or a (temporary and partial) disempowerment in the legislative process. In practice, however, the motion of confidence has also established itself as a means for the chancellor to deliberately trigger new elections by submitting the motion of confidence with the explicit goal of losing the vote and then requesting a dissolution of parliament. A total of six times a chancellor has submitted a motion of confidence to date; only twice was it a "genuine motion of confidence" (1982 and 2001), while in four cases the respective chancellor had the goal of triggering a snap election from the outset (1972, 1982, 2005, 2024).

Vice chancellor

Lars Klingbeil, the current Vice Chancellor of Germany

The chancellor must appoint one of the cabinet ministers as vice chancellor (Article 69.1 Basic Law). The vice chancellor may deputise for the chancellor, if they are absent or unable to perform their duties. Although the chancellor is theoretically free to choose any cabinet minister, in coalition governments the leadership of the second biggest coalition party usually designates one of their ministers for the position, whom the chancellor appoints accordingly.

If the chancellor's term in office ends or if they resign, the Bundestag has to elect a new chancellor. The president of Germany may ask the former chancellor to act as chancellor until a new office holder is elected, but if they are unwilling or unable to do so, the president may also appoint the vice chancellor as acting chancellor. This has happened once: On 7 May 1974, Chancellor Willy Brandt resigned as a consequence of the Guillaume affair, an espionage scandal. In his letter of resignation to President Gustav Heinemann he requested, to be not asked to remain in office in an acting capacity and instead to appoint the vice chancellor as acting chancellor. President Heinemann followed the request. Vice Chancellor Walter Scheel was appointed acting chancellor and served for nine days until the election of Helmut Schmidt on 16 May 1974.

Scheel not taken into account, three persons, Ludwig Erhard, Willy Brandt, and Olaf Scholz, have held both the office of Vice Chancellor and that of Chancellor of Germany.

The current vice chancellor of Germany is Lars Klingbeil, who also serves as Minister of Finance in the Merz cabinet.

List of vice chancellors (1949–present)

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party	Cabinet	Portfolio
			Term	Time in office
1		Franz Blücher (1896–1959)	20 September 1949 – 29 October 1957	8 years, 30 days	FDP	Adenauer I Adenauer II	Marshall Plan/Economic Cooperation
2		Ludwig Erhard (1897–1977)	29 October 1957 – 16 October 1963	5 years, 362 days	CDU	Adenauer III Adenauer IV	Economic Affairs
3		Erich Mende (1916–1998)	17 October 1963 – 28 October 1966	3 years, 10 days	FDP	Erhard I Erhard II	Intra-German Relations
The office was vacant from 28 October to 8 November 1966.
4		Hans-Christoph Seebohm (1903–1967)	8 November 1966 – 1 December 1966	23 days	CDU	Erhard II	Transport
5		Willy Brandt (1913–1992)	1 December 1966 – 22 October 1969	2 years, 325 days	SPD	Kiesinger	Foreign Affairs
6		Walter Scheel (1919–2016)	22 October 1969 – 16 May 1974	4 years, 207 days	FDP	Brandt I Brandt II	Foreign Affairs
7		Hans-Dietrich Genscher (1927–2016) 1st term	17 May 1974 – 17 September 1982	8 years, 123 days	FDP	Schmidt I Schmidt II Schmidt III	Foreign Affairs
8		Egon Franke (1913–1995)	17 September 1982 – 1 October 1982	14 days	SPD	Schmidt III	Intra-German Relations
The office was vacant from 1 October to 4 October 1982.
9		Hans-Dietrich Genscher (1927–2016) 2nd term	4 October 1982 – 18 May 1992	9 years, 230 days	FDP	Kohl I Kohl II Kohl III Kohl IV	Foreign Affairs
10		Jürgen Möllemann (1945–2003)	18 May 1992 – 21 January 1993	249 days	FDP	Kohl IV	Economic Affairs
11		Klaus Kinkel (1936–2019)	21 January 1993 – 27 October 1998	5 years, 279 days	FDP	Kohl IV Kohl V	Foreign Affairs
12		Joschka Fischer (b. 1948)	27 October 1998 – 22 November 2005	7 years, 26 days	Alliance 90/The Greens	Schröder I Schröder II	Foreign Affairs
13		Franz Müntefering (b. 1940)	22 November 2005 – 21 November 2007	1 year, 364 days	SPD	Merkel I	Labour and Social Affairs
14		Frank-Walter Steinmeier (b. 1956)	21 November 2007 – 27 October 2009	1 year, 340 days	SPD	Merkel I	Foreign Affairs
15		Guido Westerwelle (1961–2016)	27 October 2009 – 16 May 2011	1 year, 201 days	FDP	Merkel II	Foreign Affairs
16		Philipp Rösler (b. 1973)	16 May 2011 – 17 December 2013	2 years, 215 days	FDP	Merkel II	Economic Affairs
17		Sigmar Gabriel (b. 1959)	17 December 2013 – 14 March 2018	4 years, 87 days	SPD	Merkel III	Economic Affairs (2013–2017) Foreign Affairs (2017–2018)
18		Olaf Scholz (b. 1958)	14 March 2018 – 8 December 2021	3 years, 269 days	SPD	Merkel IV	Finance
19		Robert Habeck (b. 1969)	8 December 2021 – 6 May 2025	3 years, 149 days	Alliance 90/The Greens	Scholz	Economic Affairs and Climate Protection
20		Lars Klingbeil (b. 1978)	6 May 2025 – Incumbent	3 days	SPD	Merz	Finance

Official residence

Since 2001, the official seat of the chancellor is the Federal Chancellery in Berlin (Bundeskanzleramt). The former seat of the Federal Chancellery, the Palais Schaumburg in the former capital Bonn, now serves as a secondary official seat. The chancellor's country retreat is Schloss Meseberg in the state of Brandenburg.

The private lodging of the chancellors at Bonn has previously been the chancellor's bungalow built by Ludwig Erhard in the park of Palais Schaumburg, while his predecessor Konrad Adenauer used to live in his private house near Bonn. Under Adenauer, the government had also acquired a villa in Dahlem in 1962, a suburban district of southwestern Berlin, as a pied-a-terre of the chancellors in West-Berlin. Gerhard Schröder lived there between 1999 and 2001. Since 2004 it has however served as a private residence for the presidents of Germany. Angela Merkel preferred to live with her husband in her private apartment downtown.

Style of address

The correct style of address in German is Herr Bundeskanzler (male) or Frau Bundeskanzlerin (female). In international correspondence, the chancellor is referred to as "His/Her Excellency the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany" ("Seine/Ihre Exzellenz der Bundeskanzler/die Bundeskanzlerin der Bundesrepublik Deutschland").

Salary

Holding the third-highest state office available within Germany, the chancellor of Germany receives €220,000 per annum and a €22,000 bonus, i.e. one and two thirds of Salary Grade B11 (according to § 11 (1) a of the Federal Law on Ministers – Bundesministergesetz, BGBl. 1971 I p. 1166 and attachment IV to the Federal Law on Salaries of Officers – Bundesbesoldungsgesetz, BGBl. 2002 I p. 3020)

See also

In Spanish: Canciller de Alemania para niños

• Vice-Chancellor of Germany
• Leadership of East Germany
• List of chancellors of Germany by time in office
• Religious affiliations of chancellors of Germany