Leader of the Opposition (Germany)
The Leader of the Opposition in Germany is the parliamentary leader of the largest political party in the Bundestag that is not in government.
| Leader of the Opposition of the Federal Republic of Germany | |
|---|---|
| Appointer | Largest political party in the Bundestag that is not in government |
| Term length | While leader of the largest political party in the Bundestag that is not in government |
| First holder | Kurt Schumacher |
List of opposition leaders in Germany since 1949 (Federal Republic of Germany)
| No. | Image | Name (Birth–Death) |
Party | Term of office | Chancellor | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Term Length | ||||||
| 1 | 
|
Kurt Schumacher (1895–1952) |
Social Democratic Party (SPD) |
7 September 1949 | 20 August 1952 | 2 years, 348 days | Konrad Adenauer | |
| 2 | 
|
Erich Ollenhauer (1901–1963) |
Social Democratic Party (SPD) |
27 September 1952 | 14 December 1963 | 11 years, 78 days | Konrad Adenauer Ludwig Erhard | |
| 3 | .JPEG)
|
Fritz Erler (1913–1967) |
Social Democratic Party (SPD) |
1963 | 1966 | 2 years, 273 days | Ludwig Erhard | |
| 4 | 
|
Knut Freiherr 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 | .jpg)
|
Karl Carstens (1914–1992) |
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) |
17 May 1973 | 13 September 1976 | 3 years, 119 days | Willy Brandt Helmut Schmidt | |
| 8 | _(cropped).jpg)
|
Helmut Kohl (1930–2017) |
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) |
13 September 1976 | 1 October 1982 | 6 years, 18 days | Helmut Schmidt | |
| 9 | 
|
Herbert Wehner (1906–1990) |
Social Democratic Party (SPD) |
1 October 1982 | 8 March 1983 | 1 year, 158 days | Helmut Kohl | |
| 10 | 
|
Hans-Jochen Vogel (1926–2020) |
Social Democratic Party (SPD) |
8 March 1983 | 12 November 1991 | 8 years, 249 days | Helmut Kohl | |
| 11 | 
|
Hans-Ulrich Klose (born 1937) |
Social Democratic Party (SPD) |
12 November 1991 | 10 November 1994 | 2 years, 363 days | Helmut Kohl | |
| 12 | 
|
Rudolf Scharping (born 1947) |
Social Democratic Party (SPD) |
10 November 1994 | 26 October 1998 | 3 years, 350 days | Helmut Kohl | |
| 13 | 
|
Wolfgang Schäuble (born 1942) |
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) |
27 October 1998 | 29 February 2000 | 1 year, 125 days | Gerhard Schröder | |
| 14 | _(cropped).jpg)
|
Friedrich Merz (born 1955) |
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) |
29 February 2000 | 22 September 2002 | 2 years, 206 days | Gerhard Schröder | |
| 15 | 
|
Angela Merkel (born 1954) |
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) |
22 September 2002 | 22 November 2005 | 3 years, 61 days | Gerhard Schröder | |
| 16 | .jpg)
|
Wolfgang Gerhardt (born 1943) |
Free Democratic Party (FDP) |
22 November 2005 | 1 May 2006 | 160 days | Angela Merkel | |
| 17 | .jpg)
|
Guido Westerwelle (1961–2016) |
Free Democratic Party (FDP) |
1 May 2006 | 28 October 2009 | 3 years, 180 days | Angela Merkel | |
| 18 | 
|
Frank-Walter Steinmeier (born 1956) |
Social Democratic Party (SPD) |
28 October 2009 | 16 December 2013 | 4 years, 49 days | Angela Merkel | |
| 19 | 
|
Joachim Poß (born 1948) |
Social Democratic Party (SPD) |
23 August 2010 | 26 October 2010 | 64 days | Angela Merkel | |
| 20 | .jpg)
|
Gregor Gysi (born 1948) |
The Left | 17 December 2013 | 12 October 2015 | 1 year, 299 days | Angela Merkel | |
| 21 | 
|
Dietmar Bartsch (born 1958) Sahra Wagenknecht (born 1969) |
The Left | 12 October 2015 | 24 October 2017 | 2 years, 12 days | Angela Merkel | |
| 22 | 
|
Alexander Gauland (born 1941) Alice Weidel (born 1979) |
Alternative for Germany (AfD) |
24 October 2017 | 26 October 2021 | 4 years, 2 days | Angela Merkel | |
| 23 | 
|
Ralph Brinkhaus (born 1968) |
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) |
26 October 2021 | 15 February 2022 | 69 days | Angela Merkel Olaf Scholz | |
| 24 (14) |
|
Friedrich Merz (born 1955) |
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) |
15 February 2022 | Incumbent | 2 years, 310 days | Olaf Scholz | |
Leader Of The Opposition (Germany) Media
Then-Leader of the Opposition Angela Merkel with future Leader of the Opposition Guido Westerwelle at the Munich Security Conference in early 2005.
