Second Ramelow cabinet explained

Cabinet Name:Second Cabinet of Bodo Ramelow
Cabinet Number:9th
Cabinet Type:Cabinet
Jurisdiction:Thuringia
Flag:Coat of arms of Thuringia.svg
Flag Border:true
Incumbent:2020–
Date Formed:4 March 2020
Government Head Title:Minister-President
Government Head:Bodo Ramelow
Deputy Government Head Title:Deputy Minister-President
Deputy Government Head:Wolfgang Tiefensee
Georg Maier
Anja Siegesmund
Members Number:8
Political Parties:The Left
Social Democratic Party
Alliance 90/The Greens
Legislature Status:Minority coalition government
Opposition Parties:Christian Democratic Union
Alternative for Germany
Free Democratic Party
Election:2019 Thuringian state election
Legislature Term:7th Landtag of Thuringia
Predecessor:Thomas Kemmerich
First Ramelow cabinet

The second Ramelow cabinet is the current state government of Thuringia, sworn in on 4 March 2020 after Bodo Ramelow was elected as Minister-President by the members of the Landtag of Thuringia. It is the 8th Cabinet of Thuringia

It was formed after the 2020 Thuringian government crisis which emerged from the 2019 Thuringian state election. The government is a coalition of The Left (LINKE), the Social Democratic Party (SPD), and Alliance 90/The Greens (GRÜNE). Excluding the Minister-President, the cabinet comprises eight ministers. Four are members of The Left, three are members of the SPD, and two are members of the Greens.

Formation

See also: 2019 Thuringian state election.

See also: 2020 Thuringian government crisis. The previous cabinet was a coalition government of the Left, SPD, and Greens led by Minister-President Bodo Ramelow of The Left.

The state election took place on 27 October 2019, and resulted in the incumbent coalition losing its majority to the conservative opposition of the AfD, CDU, and FDP. However, all parties had ruled out working with the AfD, and the CDU and FDP had ruled out working with The Left. The Landtag thus became deadlocked as it was not possible to reach a majority without cooperation between two of The Left, the CDU, and the AfD.

Despite this, The Left, SPD, and Greens agreed to renew their coalition as a minority government. The election process for the Minister-President enables a candidate to win with a plurality of votes in the third round if an absolute majority is not reached in the first two.

The Landtag convened for its first session on 5 February 2020. In the first two ballots for Minister-President, there were two candidates: Bodo Ramelow of The Left, and Christoph Kindervater, an independent proposed by the AfD. They fell short of the required majority in the first and second rounds. On the third ballot, the FDP also put forward their state leader Thomas Kemmerich. Kemmerich was elected Minister-President with 45 votes, corresponding to the support of most of the AfD, CDU, and FDP. Ramelow received 44 votes, corresponding to The Left, SPD, Greens, and two members of the opposition. Kindervater received no votes. One abstention was recorded.[1]

Minister-President election
Ballot →5 February 2020
Required majority →46 out of 90 46 out of 90 Plurality
bgcolor=#BE3075 Bodo Ramelow
bgcolor=#009EE0 Christoph Kindervater
bgcolor=#FFED00 Thomas KemmerichDid not runDid not run
Abstentions

Kemmerich's victory was highly unexpected. Neither the CDU nor AfD had indicated that they would support him. The participation of the AfD was perceived as a breach of the cordon sanitaire practised against them by all other parties. It was condemned across the German political spectrum and protests broke out across the country. In addition, Kemmerich insisted that the AfD would not be brought into government, leaving him without a workable majority in the Landtag. He announced his resignation on 8 February.[2]

Following joint discussions, The Left, CDU, SPD, and Greens agreed on 21 February to invest Bodo Ramelow as Minister-President to lead a Left–SPD–Green minority government ahead of a planned early election in April 2021.[3]

Bodo Ramelow was elected Minister-President by the Landtag on 4 March after three rounds of voting. The Left, SPD, and Greens supported Ramelow, while AfD put forward state chairman Björn Höcke and the CDU abstained. The FDP was not present for the vote. Höcke withdrew on the third ballot and Ramelow was elected with 43 votes in favour, 23 against, and 20 abstentions.[4]

Minister-President election
Ballot →4 March 2020
Required majority →46 out of 90 46 out of 90 Plurality
bgcolor=#BE3075 Bodo Ramelow
bgcolor=#009EE0 Björn HöckeDid not run
bgcolor=red AgainstN/A
Abstentions

Composition

PortfolioSenatorPartyTook officeLeft officeState secretaries
Minister-PresidentBodo Ramelow
bgcolor=LINKE4 March 2020Incumbent
First Deputy Minister-PresidentGeorg Maier
SPD31 August 2021Incumbent
Minister for Interior and Communities4 March 2020Incumbent
Second Deputy Minister-President
Minister for Environment, Energy, and Nature Protection
Anja Siegesmund
bgcolor=GRÜNE4 March 202031 January 2023
Bernhard Stengele
bgcolor=GRÜNE1 February 2023Incumbent
Minister for Migration, Justice and Consumer ProtectionDirk Adams
bgcolor=GRÜNE4 March 20209 January 2023
Anja Siegesmund
(acting)
bgcolor=GRÜNE9 January 202331 January 2023
Doreen Denstädt
bgcolor=GRÜNE1 February 2023incumbent
Minister for Culture, Federal and European Affairs and Chief of the State ChancelleryBenjamin-Immanuel Hoff
LINKE4 March 2020Incumbent
Minister for Infrastructure and Agriculture (acting)4 March 20209 September 2021
Minister for Education, Youth and SportHelmut Holter
bgcolor=LINKE4 March 2020Incumbent
Minister for Infrastructure and AgricultureSusanna Karawanskij
bgcolor=LINKE9 September 2021Incumbent
Minister for FinanceHeike Taubert
bgcolor=SPD4 March 2020Incumbent
Minister for Economics, Science and Digital SocietyWolfgang Tiefensee
SPD4 March 2020Incumbent
First Deputy Minister-President4 March 202031 August 2021
Minister for Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Women and FamilyHeike Werner
bgcolor=LINKE4 March 2020Incumbent

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Desolation and hope in German city of Erfurt after far-right vote. Deutsche Welle. 9 February 2020.
  2. News: Germany AfD: Thuringia PM quits amid fury over far right. 8 February 2020. BBC.
  3. News: Troubled Thuringia gets fresh election dates. 21 February 2020. Deutsche Welle.
  4. News: Germany's Thuringia gets left-wing state premier in re-run vote. 4 March 2020. Politico.