After Olaf Scholz was elected ninth Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, the members of his cabinet were appointed by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and sworn in before the Bundestag. At 1.30 p.m., the ministers took their seats for the first time on the government bench in the plenary hall of the Reichstag building. Steinmeier gave the new federal government warnings in view of the acute corona crisis. He urged them: "Take seriously the great responsibility that now rests on your shoulders". The people hoped that the new government would show leadership and take the necessary measures together with the federal states. Steinmeier said that Germany was “without a doubt” facing major challenges: “Whether climate change or digitization,international competition or migration ”- the answers of the new government would“ shape the future face of our country ”, prophesied the Federal President. And he told Scholz that he had “a strong electoral mandate” and “a solid majority in the German Bundestag” for his change intentions.
Johannes Leithäuser
Political correspondent in Berlin.
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Before the swearing-in ceremony, Bundestag President Bärbel Bas (SPD) read out the names of the new ministers, to whom the coalition factions of the three traffic light parties gave applause, sometimes mixed with cheers.
In the morning she had already taken the oath of office from Scholz.
She held the original of the Basic Law against him to swear the oath.
When giving the oath, Scholz waived the religious addition “so help me God”.
The new Chancellor was elected by the Bundestag with 395 votes on Wednesday morning and then appointed Chancellor by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Bellevue Palace. After receiving the certificate of appointment, Steinmeier was the first to congratulate Scholz with his new title: "Mr. Chancellor, my very best congratulations". The Federal President also gave Scholz a hint on how to deal with his document by saying, "Well, now we'd better hold it open again in the cameras".
Scholz received 395 votes in his election as Federal Chancellor, 21 votes less than the number of MPs that the new government alliance of the SPD, Greens and FDP has. Overall, however, 29 of the 736 members of the Bundestag were also missing from the election. The new Bundestag President Bärbel Bas (SPD) asked Scholz after a long break, forced by the applause of the MPs, the obligatory "all-important" question, whether he would accept the election; Scholz answered with a curt "yes". The SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich had already stated before the election that not all 206 members of the SPD parliamentary group could be present. There are some cases of illness, including those that are denied attendance because of their illness.
After his election, Scholz left the Reichstag building and drove to the official residence of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Bellevue Palace to receive his certificate of appointment.
After returning to the plenary session, the new Federal Chancellor is sworn in before the MPs;
Steinmeier then appoints the ministers in his cabinet at the suggestion of the new Chancellor.
The procedure for forming a government ends with their swearing-in in the Bundestag.