Of the three coalition parties, the SPD took most of the time to choose its cabinet members.
One question in particular drove up the tension curve: Will Lauterbach become Minister of Health?
The health politician, known from radio and television, has many supporters, but also critics within and outside of his party.
He is said to have already got on the nerves of the future chancellor.
But the epidemiologist is a specialist;
he does not have to first familiarize himself with the matter on the crest of the fourth wave of pandemics.
However, he will find that running a ministry is different from giving advice on a talk show.
The Bundeswehr is used to grief
In other cases, Scholz and those in the SPD who were allowed to have a say were more concerned with leadership experience than with professional competence. The previous Justice and Family Minister Lambrecht, from whom it was said that she wanted to return to her legal profession, was not previously known for having dealt intensively with defense and security policy. Putin won't wait for it. The Bundeswehr is of course used to newcomers and other troubles. Von der Leyen and Kramp-Karrenbauer had not even served on a defense committee.
As announced, an important criterion for the selection of the SPD was gender.
Scholz had announced that his cabinet would include "at least" as many women as men.
In order to keep this promise, he doesn't count himself now.
But for the first time there will be a Federal Minister of the Interior.
With the appointment of Nancy Faeser, Scholz had his greatest surprise on St.
Outside of Hesse, not much has been heard from her.
Like Lambrecht, she first has to show that she can get a big house under control, and one that doesn't already shimmer as red and green as the Foreign Office.
At least Baerbock won't be able to complain about an inadequate welcoming culture.