When the new cabinet members lined up in a semicircle early on Wednesday afternoon to swear the constitutional oath in the plenary hall of the state parliament, there were 13 ministers who carried on. And five other people who are new to the cabinet. The parliamentary group leaders of the Greens and SPD are taking this as an opportunity to criticize: only four cabinet members are female, compared to six at the beginning of the last legislative period. “An indictment for all women in this country,” says Katharina Schulze (Greens). “In our opinion, equality works differently,” says Florian von Brunn (SPD).
At least, in a prominent position, Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) has replaced a man with a woman: In addition to Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters), his deputies no longer include the old and new Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann, but the reappointed Social Affairs Minister Ulrike Scharf (both CSU). However, Scharf’s appointment does not change the gender balance in the state government.
At the beginning of the new legislative period, the list of seven so-called representatives of the state government also includes predominantly men. Wolfgang Fackler (CSU) becomes the new representative for citizens’ issues. State parliament member Walter Nussel (CSU) will retain his role as representative for reducing bureaucracy. Ludwig Spaenle (CSU), who is no longer a member of the state parliament, also remains the representative for Jewish life and against anti-Semitism. The integration officer will in future be called Karl Straub (CSU), the new patient and care representative will be Thomas Zöller (FW). Two women are only responsible for emigrants and displaced persons as well as for volunteer work: Petra Loibl (CSU) and Gabi Schmidt (FW).
On Wednesday, the CSU also decided on internal party personnel. In a meeting, the MPs elected the 49-year-old lawyer and former ombudsman Michael Hofmann as parliamentary manager of their group. He succeeds Tobias Reiß, who as deputy to the state parliament will in future be one of the deputies of Parliament President Ilse Aigner (CSU).