Lower Saxony is a German state in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with 47,614 km2 (18,384 sq mi), and fourth-largest in population among the 16 Länder federated as the Federal Republic of Germany. In rural areas, Northern Low Saxon and Saterland Frisian are still spoken, albeit in declining numbers.
Christian Wilhelm Walter Wulff is a retired German politician and lawyer who served as President of Germany from 2010 to 2012. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), he previously served as minister president of the state of Lower Saxony from 2003 to 2010. He was elected to the presidency in the 30 June 2010 presidential election, defeating opposition candidate Joachim Gauck and taking office immediately, although he was not sworn in until 2 July. With the age of 51, he became Germany's youngest president.
Sigmar Hartmut Gabriel is a German politician who was the Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2017 to 2018 and the vice-chancellor of Germany from 2013 to 2018. He was Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) from 2009 to 2017, which made him the party's longest-serving leader since Willy Brandt. He was the Federal Minister of the Environment from 2005 to 2009 and the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy from 2013 to 2017. From 1999 to 2003 Gabriel was Minister-President of Lower Saxony.
Alfred Kubel was a German politician; in his later career, he was a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).
David James McAllister is a German politician who has been a member of the European Parliament since 2014. He is a member of the Christian Democratic Union, part of the European People's Party. He is the current vice president of the European People's Party and he is also vice chairman of the International Democrat Union. He was appointed Chair of the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee in February 2017.
The Cabinet Wulff I was the state government of the German state of Lower Saxony from 4 March 2003 until 26 February 2008. The Cabinet was headed by Minister President Christian Wulff and was formed by the Christian Democratic Union and the Free Democratic Party.
The Cabinet Wulff II was the state government of the German state of Lower Saxony from 26 February 2008 until 1 July 2010. The Cabinet was headed by Minister President Christian Wulff and was formed by the Christian Democratic Union and the Free Democratic Party. On 26 February 2008 Wulff was re-elected and sworn in as Minister President by the Landtag of Lower Saxony, after Wulff's winning of the 2008 Lower Saxony state election.
The Cabinet Glogowski was the state government of the German state of Lower Saxony from 28 October 1998 until 14 December 1999. The Cabinet was headed by Minister President Gerhard Glogowski and was formed by the Social Democratic Party.
Gerhard Fritz Kurt "Gerd" Schröder is a German former politician who was the chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. From 1999 to 2004, he was also the Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). As chancellor, he led a coalition government of the SPD and Alliance 90/The Greens. Since leaving public office, Schröder has worked for Russian state-owned energy companies, including Nord Stream AG, Rosneft, and Gazprom.
The Minister-President of Lower Saxony, also referred to as Premier or Prime Minister, is the head of government of the German state of Lower Saxony. The position was created in 1946, when the states of Brunswick, Oldenburg, Schaumburg-Lippe and the State of Hanover were merged to form the state of Lower Saxony. The current Minister President is Stephan Weil, heading a coalition government between the Social Democrats and the CDU. Weil succeeded David McAllister following the 2013 state election.
The Cabinet McAllister was the state government of the German state of Lower Saxony from 1 July 2010 to 19 February 2013. The Cabinet was headed by Minister President David McAllister. After the election of Christian Wulff as president of Germany, McAllister was elected and sworn in as Minister President by the Landtag of Lower Saxony on 1 July 2010.
The Cabinet Schröder I was the state government of the German state of Lower Saxony from 21 June 1990 until 20 June 1994. The Cabinet was headed by Minister President Gerhard Schröder and was formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance '90/The Greens, after Schröder's winning of the 1990 Lower Saxony state election. On 21 June 1990 Schröder was elected and sworn in as Minister President by the Landtag of Lower Saxony. It was succeeded by Schröder's second and third cabinets.
The Cabinet Schröder II was the state government of the German state of Lower Saxony from 20 June 1994 until 30 March 1998. The Cabinet was headed by Minister President Gerhard Schröder and was formed by the Social Democratic Party, after Schröder's winning of the 1994 Lower Saxony state election. On 20 June 1994 Schröder was re-elected and sworn in as Minister President by the Landtag of Lower Saxony. It was succeeded by Schröder's third and last cabinet.
Walther Gottlieb Louis Leisler Kiep was a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He was a member of the Bundestag between 1965 and 1976 and again from 1980 to 1982. After switching to state-level politics, he served as minister of economy (1976–77) and minister of finance (1976–80) in Lower Saxony under Ernst Albrecht. In 1982, Kiep was the leading candidate for the CDU in two successive state elections in Hamburg, losing both to incumbent Klaus von Dohnányi. From 1971 until 1992, he was treasurer of his party at the federal level. In this position, Kiep installed a system of unreported income accounts, leading to the CDU donations scandal in 1999.
The Minister-president is the head of state and government in thirteen of Germany's sixteen states.
Falko Mohrs is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who has been serving as State Minister for Science and Culture in the government of Lower Saxony since 2022. He previously was a member of the Bundestag from the state of Lower Saxony from 2017 to 2022.
Birgit Honé is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who served as Minister of Federal and European Affairs and Regional Development in the state government of Minister-President Stephan Weil of Lower Saxony from 2017 to 2022. In this capacity, was also a member of the German Bundesrat.
Boris Pistorius is a German lawyer and politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) who has been serving as the Federal Minister of Defence in the cabinet of Chancellor Olaf Scholz since 19 January 2023.
Mareike Lotte Wulf is a German politician (CDU) who has been serving as a member of the German Bundestag since 2021. From 2017 to 2021, she was a member of the Lower Saxony state parliament.
Frauke Heiligenstadt is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party who has been serving as a member of the Bundestag since 26 October 2021. She was a member of the Lower Saxony state parliament from 2003 to 2021, and Lower Saxony's Minister of Education from 2013 to 2017.
