Jens Spahn and Hendrik Wüst have actually had an agreement for many years: one makes state politics, the other federal politics, so the two CDU politicians from the Münsterland have not gotten in each other’s way. But now there is speculation that the former Federal Health Minister Spahn could get a ministerial post in Wüst’s new NRW cabinet. Since the lost federal election, the 42-year-old Spahn has been aggressively trying to establish himself as an energy expert – and thereby reinvent himself politically.
Bundestag Vice-President Spahn had negotiated the black-green coalition agreement signed on Monday over the past three weeks; he represented the CDU side in the climate protection, energy and economy working group. On Tuesday afternoon, when Wüst was re-elected Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Spahn sat smiling in the audience gallery in the Düsseldorf state parliament.
Wüst does not want to appoint his new cabinet until Wednesday afternoon. The NRW-CDU is entitled to eight ministries in the first black-green coalition in North Rhine-Westphalia, four ministerial posts went to the Greens.
The most popular politician remains Minister of the Interior
The 46-year-old libertine has not yet revealed anything about the composition. What is certain is that NRW’s most popular state politician, Herbert Reul, will remain Minister of the Interior. In addition to the 69-year-old, the previous Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann is also considered set. The current transport minister and libertine confidante Ina Brandes will probably again take over a ministerial post in the new black-green state government, as will the previous construction minister Ina Scharrenbach. In CDU circles it is said that Angela Erwin, daughter of the former Mayor of Düsseldorf, Joachim Erwin, may hope for a job in Wüst’s cabinet. This also applies to the previous Secretary General of the CDU, Josef Hovenjürgen. So Wüst is still missing a woman and a man.
One personal issue is being hotly debated, especially on social networks: the possible appointment of Nathanael Liminski as Minister of Education. The 36-year-old head of the state chancellery and confidant of Armin Laschet is credited with the difficult school ministry, but current discussions about earlier statements about sex before marriage and homosexuals may fall on his feet.
In addition, not only Jens Spahn is currently without government office. Two other CDU men from Berlin’s political establishment are also looking for new career options after losing the federal election: the former CDU general secretary Paul Ziemiak and the former parliamentary group leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group Ralph Brinkhaus, both are members of the Bundestag for North Rhine-Westphalia. The latter is traded as a possible new finance minister after Lutz Lienenkämper announced that he would not be available again.
The Greens surprise twice
The Greens had already named their staff last week and caused two surprises. It was certain that Mona Neubaur, who had led the NRW election campaign as a top candidate, would take on a ministerial post. The 44-year-old will not only become deputy prime minister, but will also be responsible for the areas of economy, industry, climate and energy as “super minister”. The previous leader of the Greens parliamentary group, Josefine Paul, will become Minister for Children, Youth and Family, Gender Equality, Integration and Refugees.
The Green Arndt Klocke from Cologne had long been traded as the new Minister of Transport, but the newly created Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport will in future be headed by Oliver Krischer. The 52-year-old is currently Parliamentary State Secretary under Robert Habeck. Until last week, no one had the new green NRW justice minister on their list either: Benjamin Limbach is currently still president of the Federal University for Public Administration; before that he worked as a judge at the administrative court in Cologne and also in the NRW Ministry of Justice. The 52-year-old is the son of Jutta Limbach, the former President of the Federal Constitutional Court. But it was probably also important: Limbach is a qualified lawyer, and lawyers are rare in the management team of the NRW Greens.
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