Leader of the Opposition (Germany)
The Leader of the Opposition in Germany is the parliamentary leader of the strongest opposition faction in the German parliament, the Bundestag. It is a nominal title that does not have any formal functions in the by-laws of the Bundestag. The leader of the opposition is normally the first person to respond to the most senior government spokesperson during a debate.[1][2]
Currently Alexander Gauland and Alice Weidel from the Alternative for Germany party are the leaders of the opposition, since 2017.[3]
List of Opposition Leaders in Germany since 1949 (Federal Republic of Germany)
| # | Name (Birth–Death) |
Party | Term of office | Chancellor | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Term Length | |||||
| 1 | Kurt Schumacher (1895–1952) | Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) |
7 September 1949 | 20 August 1952 | 2 years, 348 days | Konrad Adenauer | |
| 2 | Erich Ollenhauer (1901–1963) | Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) |
27 September 1952 | 14 December 1963 | 11 years, 78 days | Konrad Adenauer | |
| 3 | Fritz Erler (1913–1967) | Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) |
1963 | 1966 | 2 years, 273 days | Ludwig Erhard | |
| 4 | Knut von Kühlmann-Stumm (1916–1977) | Free Democratic Party (FDP) |
1 December 1966 | 23 January 1968 | 1 year, 53 days | Kurt Georg Kiesinger | |
| 5 | Wolfgang Mischnick (1921–2002) | Free Democratic Party (FDP) |
23 January 1968 | 22 November 1969 | 1 year, 272 days | Kurt Georg Kiesinger | |
| 6 | Rainer Barzel (1924–2006) | Christian Democratic Union (CDU) |
22 November 1969 | 17 May 1973 | 3 years, 207 days | Willy Brandt | |
| 7 | Karl Carstens (1914–1992) | Christian Democratic Union (CDU) |
17 May 1973 | 13 September 1976 | 3 years, 119 days | Willy Brandt | |
| 8 | Helmut Kohl (1930–2017) | Christian Democratic Union (CDU) |
13 September 1976 | 1 October1982 | 6 years, 18 days | Helmut Schmidt | |
| 9 | Herbert Wehner (1906–1990) | Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) |
1 October 1982 | 8 March 1983 | 1 year, 158 days | Helmut Kohl | |
| 10 | Hans-Jochen Vogel (1926–2020) | Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) |
8 March 1983 | 12 November 1991 | 8 years, 249 days | Helmut Kohl | |
| 11 | Hans-Ulrich Klose (1937–) | Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) |
12 November 1991 | 10 November 1994 | 2 years, 363 days | Helmut Kohl | |
| 12 | Rudolf Scharping (1947–) | Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) |
10 November 1994 | 26 October 1998 | 3 years, 350 days | Helmut Kohl | |
| 13 | Wolfgang Schäuble (1942–) | Christian Democratic Union (CDU) |
27 October 1998 | 29 February 2000 | 1 year, 125 days | Gerhard Schröder | |
| 14 | Friedrich Merz (1955–) | Christian Democratic Union (CDU) |
29 February 2000 | 22 September 2002 | 2 years, 206 days | Gerhard Schröder | |
| 15 | Angela Merkel (1954–) | Christian Democratic Union (CDU) |
22 September 2002 | 22 November 2005 | 3 years, 61 days | Gerhard Schröder | |
| 16 | Wolfgang Gerhardt (1943–) | Free Democratic Party (FDP) |
22 November 2005 | 1 May 2006 | 160 days | Angela Merkel | |
| 17 | Guido Westerwelle (1961–2016) | Free Democratic Party (FDP) |
1 May 2006 | 28 October 2009 | 3 years, 180 days | Angela Merkel | |
| 18 | Frank-Walter Steinmeier (1956–) | Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) |
28 October 2009 | 16 December 2013 | 4 years, 49 days | Angela Merkel | |
| 19 | Gregor Gysi (1948–) | The Left | 17 December 2013 | 12 October 2015 | 1 year, 299 days | Angela Merkel | |
| 20 | Dietmar Bartsch (1958–) Sahra Wagenknecht (1969–) |
The Left | 12 October 2015 | 24 October2017 | 2 years, 12 days | Angela Merkel | |
| 21 | Alexander Gauland (1941–) Alice Weidel (1979–) |
Alternative for Germany (AfD) |
24 October 2017 | Present | 3 years, 76 days | Angela Merkel | |
References
- "Oppositionsführer - Ein Titel ohne Mittel". Cicero Online (in German). Retrieved 2018-07-31.
- Online, FOCUS. "Opposition: Bedeutung und Rechte im Bundestag". FOCUS Online (in German). Retrieved 2018-07-31.
- "Die AfD als Oppositionsführerin – das kommt auf den Bundestag zu". stern.de (in German). 2018-01-16. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
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