Cabinet posts

Merkel has been through a similar balancing act before, but with someone else on the other end of the see-saw. The conservative chancellor needs to create a cabinet that rewards supporters among her own party while also keeping her assertive new coalition partner, the Free Democrats (FDP), happy.

Merkel and FDP head Guido Westerwelle have kept mum on their negotiating strategies. But plenty of speculation has already begun about possible candidates for top posts. Merkel has said she hopes to have her new government finalized by November 9.

Westerwelle seen as likely foreign minister

The Free Democratic Party (FDP) captured a record 14.6 percent of the vote. As the leader of the party, Westerwelle, 47, is virtually assured a cabinet post. While he himself has said that a decision on who fills what positions will only come “at the end” of coalition negotiations, he is widely expected to take on the role of vice-chancellor and foreign minister, posts often reserved for the junior coalition partner.

Yet Westerwelle recently sparked unwanted media attention in Germany for refusing to answer a question at a press conference in English. There has been some media speculation that he does not have the skills or temperament to become Germany's top diplomat.

All bets off for top environment job

With one of the top issues facing the new administration being whether to change course on nuclear energy, a lot of media attention has been focused on Merkel's pick for environment minister.

One name being discussed for the environment post is the CDU's Tanja Goenner, currently the state environment minister in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. The 40-year-old is familiar with Berlin, having been in parliament between 2002 and 2004 before returning to state politics.

Goenner has already stepped into the nuclear energy debate. Shortly after the elections, she said she would like to see the nuclear plants in Baden-Wuerttemberg stay open “as long as they remain safe.” Germany currently has committed itself to closing its 17 nuclear plants by 2020, but the new government has said it wants to revisit the issue.

Yet the fact that she is from Baden-Wuerttemberg might work against her, as three other cabinet hopefuls are also from the same southern state. The CDU's Wolfgang Schaeuble has served as interior minister in Merkel's first government and is expected to be offered a post in the new government. Education Minister Annette Schavan, also a Baden-Wuerttemberger, is expected to return to the government. And the current head of the CDU's parliamentary group, Volker Kauder, also from the area, is in the running for a cabinet position, according to media reports.

Finance minister post proving unpopular

The finance minister post is not one that politicians seem to be fighting over, according to an article in Wednesday's Financial Times Deutschland. Economics Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, who is just 37 and regarded as an up-and-comer in Merkel's Bavarian sister party, the CSU, has been seen as one possible candidate.

The FDP's finance expert Hermann Otto Solms is another name that has been mentioned for the post, but, at 68, his age may count against him.

Even if he isn't named finance minister, zu Guttenberg seems likely to get some type of post in the new government. Along with Family Minister Ursula von der Leyen, he enjoys high popularity among both CDU and CSU supporters as well as the general population, according to a new survey released this week by the YouGov institute.

FDP could get justice minister spot

The FDP's Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger gave an interviewer a smile when recently asked whether she expects to join Merkel's cabinet. Though she refused to talk about her possible role in a new cabinet, she did say that she expects the FDP to be well-represented in the new cabinet.

As head of the FDP in Bavaria, there has been widespread speculation that the 58-year-old could land the post of Justice Minister. Under the previous government, the position was held by the Social Democrats' Brigitte Zypries.

Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger already has experience in the role as justice minister under Chancellor Helmut Kohl from 1992 to 1996. Back then, she stepped down as minister because she disagreed with her party's position on electronic eavesdropping. She is seen as a champion of privacy and data protection.

“Everything is looking like she will become a cabinet member,” an unnamed parliamentarian told dpa.

th/AP/dpa/Reuters
Editor: Michael Lawton