The German
order of precedence
An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance and can be applied to individuals, groups, or organizations. Most often it is used in the context of people by many organizations and governments, for very formal and state o ...
is a symbolic hierarchy of the five highest federal offices in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
used to direct protocol. It has no official status, but has been established in practical use.
# The
President of Germany
The president of Germany, officially the Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: link=no, Bundespräsident der Bundesrepublik Deutschland),The official title within Germany is ', with ' being added in international corres ...
, the head of state of Germany.
# The
President of the Bundestag
The president of the Bundestag (german: Präsident des Deutschen Bundestages or ) presides over the sessions of the Bundestag, the federal parliament of Germany, with functions similar to that of a speaker in other countries. In the German order ...
, the speaker of the German parliament, the
Bundestag
The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet") is the German federal parliament. It is the only federal representative body that is directly elected by the German people. It is comparable to the United States House of Representatives or the House of Commons ...
.
# The
Chancellor of Germany
The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,; often shortened to ''Bundeskanzler''/''Bundeskanzlerin'', / is the head of the federal government of Germany and the commander in chief of the Ge ...
, the head of the
government of Germany
The Federal Cabinet or Federal Government (german: link=no, Bundeskabinett or ') is the chief executive body of the Federal Republic of Germany. It consists of the Federal Chancellor and cabinet ministers. The fundamentals of the cabinet's or ...
.
# (1.) The
President of the Bundesrat
In Germany, the President of the Bundesrat or President of the Federal Council (German: ''Bundesratspräsident'') is the chairperson (speaker) of the Bundesrat (Federal Council). The president is elected by the Bundesrat for a term of one year ...
, the speaker of the
Bundesrat, a federal legislative chamber, in which the governments of the sixteen German states are represented. The president of the Bundesrat is ''ex officio'' also deputy to the
President of Germany
The president of Germany, officially the Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: link=no, Bundespräsident der Bundesrepublik Deutschland),The official title within Germany is ', with ' being added in international corres ...
(''Basic Law'', Article 57), thus becomes first in the order, while acting on behalf of the President or while acting as head of state during a vacancy of the presidency.
# The President of the
Federal Constitutional Court
The Federal Constitutional Court (german: link=no, Bundesverfassungsgericht ; abbreviated: ) is the supreme constitutional court for the Federal Republic of Germany, established by the constitution or Basic Law () of Germany. Since its inc ...
, the supreme court of Germany.
Current office-holders
Living former office-holders
The order of precedence is also observed with respect to former office-holders in some cases, for example if they participate in official ceremonies as honoured guests.
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Horst Köhler
Horst Köhler (; born 22 February 1943) is a German politician who served as President of Germany from 2004 to 2010. As the candidate of the two Christian Democratic sister parties, the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, CDU (of which he is ...
, President of Germany (2004–2010)
*
Christian Wulff
Christian Wilhelm Walter Wulff (; born 1959) 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 ...
, President of Germany (2010–2012)
*
Joachim Gauck
Joachim Wilhelm Gauck (; born 24 January 1940) is a German politician and civil rights activist who served as President of Germany from 2012 to 2017. A former Lutheran pastor, he came to prominence as an anti-communist civil rights activist in E ...
, President of Germany (2012–2017)
*
Rita Süssmuth
Rita Süssmuth ( ''née'' Kickuth; ; born 17 February 1937) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). She served as the 10th President of the Bundestag.
From 1985 to 1988, she served as Federal Minister for Youth, Family ...
, President of the Bundestag (1988–1998)
*
Wolfgang Thierse
Wolfgang Thierse (; born 22 October 1943) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). He served as the 11th President of the Bundestag from 1998 to 2005.
Early life and career
Thierse was born in Breslau (Wrocław in present ...
, President of the Bundestag (1998–2005)
*
Norbert Lammert
Norbert Lammert (born 16 November 1948) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He served as the 12th President of the Bundestag from 2005 to 2017.
Early life and education
The son of a baker, Lammert attended gymnasium ...
, President of the Bundestag (2005–2017)
*
Wolfgang Schäuble
Wolfgang Schäuble (; born 18 September 1942) is a German lawyer, politician and statesman whose political career has spanned for more than five decades. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), he is one of the longest-serving politi ...
, President of the Bundestag (2017–2021)
*
Gerhard Schröder
Gerhard Fritz Kurt "Gerd" Schröder (; born 7 April 1944) is a German lobbyist and former politician, who served as the chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. From 1999 to 2004, he was also the Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany ...
, Chancellor of Germany (1998–2005), President of the Bundesrat (1997–1998)
*
Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German former politician and scientist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), she previously served as Leader of the Oppo ...
, Chancellor of Germany (2005–2021)
*
Bernhard Vogel
Bernhard Vogel (; born 19 December 1932) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He was the 4th Minister President of Rhineland-Palatinate from 1976 to 1988 and the 2nd Minister President of Thuringia from 1992 to 2003. ...
, President of the Bundesrat (1976–1977 and 1987–1988)
*
Hans-Ulrich Klose
Hans-Ulrich Klose (born 14 June 1937) is a German politician from the Social Democratic Party and a former member of the German Federal parliament (German: ''Bundestag''). Klose was the First Mayor (German: ''Erster Bürgermeister'') of the Fre ...
, President of the Bundesrat (1979–1980)
*
Björn Engholm
Björn Engholm (born 9 November 1939) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). He was Federal Minister for Education and Science from 1981 to 1982, and in 1982 also Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Forests. From 1 ...
, President of the Bundesrat (1988–1989)
*
Walter Momper
Walter Momper (born 21 February 1945) is a German politician and former Governing Mayor of Berlin (West Berlin 1989–1990, reunited Berlin 1990–1991). Whilst Governing Mayor, he served as President of the Bundesrat in 1989/90. He was at th ...
, President of the Bundesrat (1989–1990)
*
Berndt Seite
Berndt Seite (born 22 April 1940 in ''Hahnswalde'', Trebnitz) is a German politician. He was the 2nd minister president of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern from 1992 to 1998 and the 45th president of the German Bundesrat
In Germany, the President o ...
, President of the Bundesrat (1992)
*
Oskar Lafontaine
Oskar Lafontaine (; born 16 September 1943) is a German politician. He served as Minister-President of the state of Saarland from 1985 to 1998, and was federal leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) from 1995 to 1999. He was the lead candid ...
, President of the Bundesrat (1992–1993)
*
Klaus Wedemeier
Klaus Wedemeier (born 12 January 1944 in Hof an der Saale) is a German politician (SPD) who served as the 5th President of the Senate and Mayor of Bremen from 1985 to 1995 and as the 47th President of the Bundesrat
In Germany, the President ...
, President of the Bundesrat (1993–1994)
*
Edmund Stoiber
Edmund Rüdiger Stoiber (born 28 September 1941) is a German politician who served as the 16th Minister President of the States of Germany, state of Bavaria between 1993 and 2007 and chairman of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria, Christian So ...
, President of the Bundesrat (1995–1996)
*
Erwin Teufel
Erwin Teufel (born 4 September 1939, in Zimmern ob Rottweil) is a German politician of the CDU.
Political career
Teufel was the leader of the CDU parliamentary group in the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg from 1978 to 1991.
Teufel was Minister ...
, President of the Bundesrat (1996–1997)
*
Hans Eichel
Hans Eichel (born 24 December 1941) is a German politician ( SPD) and the co-founder of the G20, or "Group of Twenty", an international forum for the governments and central bank governors of twenty developed and developing nations to discuss ...
, President of the Bundesrat (1998–1999)
*
Roland Koch
Roland Koch (born 24 March 1958) is a German jurist and former conservative politician of the Christian Democratic Union (Germany), CDU. He was the 7th Minister-President, Minister President of Hesse from 7 April 1999, immediately becoming the 5 ...
, President of the Bundesrat (1999)
*
Kurt Beck
Kurt Beck (born 5 February 1949) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), who served as the 7th Minister President of Rhineland-Palatinate from 1994 to 2013 and as the 55th President of the Bundesrat in 2000/01. In May 2006, ...
, President of the Bundesrat (2000–2001)
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Klaus Wowereit
Klaus Wowereit (born 1 October 1953) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and was the Governing Mayor of Berlin from 21 October 2001 to 11 December 2014. In 2001 state elections his party won a plurality of the votes, 29 ...
, President of the Bundesrat (2001–2002)
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Wolfgang Böhmer
Wolfgang Böhmer (born 27 January 1936) is a German politician ( CDU) and was the 5th Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt from 16 May 2002 to 19 April 2011. He served as President of the Bundesrat in 2002/03. He formerly worked as a medical doc ...
, President of the Bundesrat (2002–2003)
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Dieter Althaus
Dieter Althaus (born 29 June 1958 in Heiligenstadt/ Eichsfeld) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He served as the 3rd Minister President of Thuringia from 2003 to 2009. In 2003/04 he was the 58th President of the B ...
, President of the Bundesrat (2003–2004)
*
Matthias Platzeck
Matthias Platzeck (born 29 December 1953) is a German politician. He was Minister President of Brandenburg from 2002 to 2013 and party chairman of the SPD from November 2005 to April 2006.
On 29 July 2013 Platzeck announced his resignation fro ...
, President of the Bundesrat (2004–2005)
*
Peter Harry Carstensen
Peter Harry Carstensen (born 12 March 1947) is a German politician, in the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party.
From 2005 to 2012 he was Minister President of the state of Schleswig-Holstein, serving as ...
, President of the Bundesrat (2005–2006)
*
Ole von Beust
Ole von Beust (born 13 April 1955) is a former German politician who was First Mayor of Hamburg from 31 October 2001 to 25 August 2010, serving as President of the Bundesrat from 1 November 2007 on for one year. He was succeeded as mayor by Ch ...
, President of the Bundesrat (2007–2008)
*
Peter Müller, President of the Bundesrat (2008–2009)
*
Jens Böhrnsen
Jens Böhrnsen (born 12 June 1949) is a German politician of the SPD who served as President of the Senate and Mayor of Bremen from 2005 to 2015. From 1 November 2009 until 31 October 2010 he was President of the Bundesrat. As such, he was acti ...
, President of the Bundesrat (2009–2010)
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Hannelore Kraft
Hannelore Kraft (''née'' Külzhammer; born 12 June 1961) is a German politician. She served as the Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia from 2010 until 2017. Kraft was the first woman to serve as head of government of this state and was ...
, President of the Bundesrat (2010–2011)
*
Horst Seehofer
Horst Lorenz Seehofer (born 4 July 1949) is a German politician who served as Minister of the Interior, Building and Community under Chancellor Angela Merkel from 2018 to 2021. A member of the Christian Social Union (CSU), he served as the 18 ...
, President of the Bundesrat (2011–2012)
*
Winfried Kretschmann
Winfried Kretschmann (born 17 May 1948) is a German politician serving as Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg since 2011. A member of the Alliance '90/Greens, he was President of the Bundesrat and ''ex officio'' deputy to the President of G ...
, President of the Bundesrat (2012–2013)
*
Stephan Weil
Stephan Weil (born 15 December 1958) is a German politician and the leader of the Social Democratic Party in Lower Saxony. On 20 January 2013, the SPD and the Green party won the 2013 Lower Saxony state election by one seat. On 19 February 2013 ...
, President of the Bundesrat (2013–2014)
*
Volker Bouffier
Volker Bouffier (born 18 December 1951) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who served as Minister President of the German state of Hessen from 31 August 2010 to 31 May 2022. From 1 November 2014 until 31 October 2015 ...
, President of the Bundesrat (2014–2015)
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Stanislaw Tillich
Stanislaw Tillich (; hsb, Stanisław Tilich; born 10 April 1959) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, CDU. He served as the 3rd Minister-President, Minister President of Saxony from 2008 to 2017. From 1 November ...
, President of the Bundesrat (2015–2016)
*
Malu Dreyer
Marie-Luise "Malu" Dreyer (born 6 February 1961) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who has served as the 8th and current Minister President of Rhineland-Palatinate since 13 January 2013. She is the first woman to hold th ...
, President of the Bundesrat (2016–2017)
*
Michael Müller, President of the Bundesrat (2017–2018)
*
Daniel Günther
Daniel Günther (born 24 July 1973) is a German politician who is a member of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU). Since 28 June 2017, he has served as the Minister President of Schleswig-Holstein. From 1 November 2018 to 31 October ...
, President of the Bundesrat (2018–2019)
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Dietmar Woidke
Hubert Dietmar Woidke (born 22 October 1961) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany. Since August 2013, Woidke has served as Minister President of Brandenburg.
Political career
Woidke has been a member of the SPD ...
, President of the Bundesrat (2019–2020)
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Reiner Haseloff
Reiner Haseloff (born 19 February 1954) is a German politician who serves as the Minister-President, Minister President of Saxony-Anhalt. On 9 October 2020, he was elected President of the Bundesrat. His one-year term started on 1 November 2020. ...
, President of the Bundesrat (2020–2021)
*
Bodo Ramelow
Bodo Ramelow (; born 16 February 1956) is a German politician who has served since 4 March 2020 as Minister-President of Thuringia, an office he previously held from 2014 to 5 February 2020. He is the first head of a German state government to ...
, President of the Bundesrat (2021–2022)
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Hans-Jürgen Papier
Hans-Jürgen Papier (; born 6 July 1943 in Berlin) is a German scholar of constitutional law and was President of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany from 2002 to 2010.
Three years after graduating from law school in 1967 with the first ...
, President of the Federal Constitutional Court (2002–2010)
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Andreas Voßkuhle
Andreas Voßkuhle (born 21 December 1963) is a German legal scholar who served as the president of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany from 2010 until 2020.
Early life and education
Voßkuhle was born and grew up in the small Western Germ ...
, President of the Federal Constitutional Court (2010–2020)
Trivia
As of November 2022, 110 persons have held at least one of the five highest German federal offices. Seven of them were female:
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Annemarie Renger
Annemarie Renger (née Wildung), (7 October 1919 in Leipzig – 3 March 2008 in Remagen-Oberwinter), was a German politician for the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).
From 1972 until 1976 she served as the 5th President of the Bundestag ...
, President of the Bundestag (1972–1976)
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Rita Süssmuth
Rita Süssmuth ( ''née'' Kickuth; ; born 17 February 1937) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). She served as the 10th President of the Bundestag.
From 1985 to 1988, she served as Federal Minister for Youth, Family ...
, President of the Bundestag (1988–1998)
*
Bärbel Bas
Bärbel Bas (; born 3 May 1968) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who has served as the President of the Bundestag since 2021. She has been a member of the German Bundestag since the federal election in 2009. She served ...
, President of the Bundestag (incumbent since 2021)
*
Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German former politician and scientist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), she previously served as Leader of the Oppo ...
, Chancellor of Germany (2005–2021)
*
Hannelore Kraft
Hannelore Kraft (''née'' Külzhammer; born 12 June 1961) is a German politician. She served as the Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia from 2010 until 2017. Kraft was the first woman to serve as head of government of this state and was ...
, President of the Bundesrat (2010–2011)
*
Malu Dreyer
Marie-Luise "Malu" Dreyer (born 6 February 1961) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who has served as the 8th and current Minister President of Rhineland-Palatinate since 13 January 2013. She is the first woman to hold th ...
, President of the Bundesrat (2016–2017)
*
Jutta Limbach
Jutta Limbach (27 March 1934 – 10 September 2016) was a German jurist and politician. She was a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and served as President of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany from 1994 to 2002, th ...
, President of the Federal Constitutional Court (1994–2002)
The following people have held two different of these offices:
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Karl Carstens
Karl Carstens (, 14 December 1914 – 30 May 1992) was a German politician. He served as the president of West Germany from 1979 to 1984.
Early life and education
Carstens was born in the City of Bremen, the son of a commercial school teacher, ...
, President of Germany (1979–1984), President of the Bundestag (1976–1979)
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Roman Herzog
Roman Herzog (; 5 April 1934 – 10 January 2017) was a German politician, judge and legal scholar, who served as the president of Germany from 1994 to 1999. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), he was the first president to be elec ...
, President of Germany (1994–1999), President of the Federal Constitutional Court (1987–1994)
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Johannes Rau
Johannes Rau (; 16 January 193127 January 2006) was a German politician (SPD). He was the president of Germany from 1 July 1999 until 30 June 2004 and the minister president of North Rhine-Westphalia from 20 September 1978 to 9 June 1998. In the ...
, President of Germany (1999–2004), President of the Bundesrat (1982–1983 and 1994–1995)
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Kai-Uwe von Hassel
Kai-Uwe von Hassel (21 April 1913 – 8 May 1997) was a German politician from Schleswig-Holstein associated with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He served as Minister President of Schleswig-Holstein from 1954 to 1963, as Federal Minister ...
, President of the Bundestag (1969–1972), President of the Bundesrat (1955–1956)
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Kurt-Georg Kiesinger
Kurt Georg Kiesinger (; 6 April 1904 – 9 March 1988) was a German politician who served as the chancellor of West Germany from 1 December 1966 to 21 October 1969. Before he became Chancellor he served as Minister President of Baden-Württemberg ...
, Chancellor of Germany (1966–1969), President of the Bundesrat (1962–1963)
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Willy Brandt
Willy Brandt (; born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm; 18 December 1913 – 8 October 1992) was a German politician and statesman who was leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) from 1964 to 1987 and served as the chancellor of West Ge ...
, Chancellor of Germany (1969–1974), President of the Bundesrat (1957–1958)
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Gerhard Schröder
Gerhard Fritz Kurt "Gerd" Schröder (; born 7 April 1944) is a German lobbyist and former politician, who served as the chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. From 1999 to 2004, he was also the Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany ...
, Chancellor of Germany (1998–2005), President of the Bundesrat (1997–1998)
Notes
References
{{reflist
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
Government of Germany
de:Protokollarische Rangordnung#Deutschland