Vice-Chancellor of Germany

Vice-Chancellor of Germany
Coat of arms of the German Government
Incumbent Sigmar Gabriel since 17 December 2013
Inaugural holder	Otto of Stolberg-Wernigerode
Formation	1 June 1878

The Deputy to the Federal Chancellor (German: Stellvertreter des Bundeskanzlers), widely known as the Vice-Chancellor (German: Vizekanzler) of Germany^[1] is, according to protocol, the second highest position in the Cabinet of Germany. He is the equivalent of a deputy prime minister in other parliamentary systems. The current Vice-Chancellor is Sigmar Gabriel, who is the president of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and also serves as Federal Minister for the Economy and Energy.^[2]

Office

As provided by the Basic Law (Constitution), Vice-Chancellor is not an independent office, but a position held by one of the ministers; since 1966, it has often been held by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. It is the Chancellor who chooses which minister serves as Vice-Chancellor, although the appointment is formally done by the Federal President.

Since coalition governments are common in German politics, the Vice-Chancellor is in most cases the president of the junior coalition partner.

In case of the Chancellor's absence, the Vice-Chancellor acts in his or her place, for instance by heading Cabinet meetings.

The Vice-Chancellor will not automatically become Chancellor for the rest of the term if the Chancellor dies or becomes unable to fulfill his or her duties in any other way. It is the Federal President who asks a minister to fulfill the Chancellor's duties until the Bundestag elects a new Chancellor. This has happened only once: Vice-Chancellor Walter Scheel was acting Chancellor for a few days in May 1974 between Chancellor Willy Brandt’s resignation and Helmut Schmidt’s election.

History

The office was initially established by the 1878 Stellvertretungsgesetz (Deputation Act), which provided for the Imperial Chancellor appointing a deputy, officially known as Allgemeiner Stellvertreter des Reichskanzlers (General Deputy to the Imperial Chancellor). In addition to the general deputy, who would be responsible for all the affairs of the Chancellor, the Chancellor could appoint deputies with limited responsibilities. The act was revised on 28 October 1918, when the possibility of appointing deputies with limited responsibilities was removed and the Vice-Chancellor was given the right to appear before parliament.^[3]

Lists of Vice-Chancellors

German Empire (Allgemeiner Stellvertreter des Reichskanzler)

Political Party:       FKP       FVP

#	Portrait	Name	Birth	Death	Term start	Age start	Term end	Age end	Days	Party	Portfolio		Cabinet
1		of Stolberg-Wernigerode, OttoOtto of Stolberg-Wernigerode	30 October 1837	19 November 1896	1 June 1878	40	20 June 1881	43	1115	FKP			Bismarck
2		von Boetticher, Karl HeinrichKarl Heinrich von Boetticher	6 January 1833	6 March 1907	20 June 1881	48	1 July 1897	64	5855	FKP	Secretary of State for the Interior		Bismarck
													Caprivi
													Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst
3		von Posadowsky-Wehner, ArthurArthur von Posadowsky-Wehner	3 June 1845	23 October 1932	1 July 1897	52	24 June 1907	62	3644	FKP	Secretary of State for the Interior		Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst
													Bülow
4		von Bethmann-Hollweg, TheobaldTheobald von Bethmann-Hollweg	29 November 1856	1 January 1921	24 June 1907	50	14 July 1909	52	751	Independent	Secretary of State for the Interior		Bülow
5		von Delbrück, ClemensClemens von Delbrück	19 January 1856	17 December 1921	14 July 1909	53	22 May 1916	60	2501	Independent	Secretary of State for the Interior		Bethmann-Hollweg
7		Helfferich, KarlKarl Helfferich	22 July 1872	23 April 1924	22 May 1916	43	9 November 1917	45	536	Independent	Secretary of State for the Interior (until 23 October 1917)		Bethmann-Hollweg
													Michaelis
													Hertling
8		von Payer, FriedrichFriedrich von Payer	12 June 1847	14 July 1931	9 November 1917	70	10 November 1918	71	366	FVP			Hertling
													Baden
													Ebert

Weimar Republic (Reichvizekanzler)

Political Party:       DDP       Centre       DVP       SPD       DNVP

#	Portrait	Name	Birth	Death	Term start	Age start	Term end	Age end	Days	Party	Portfolio		Cabinet
1		Schiffer, EugenEugen Schiffer	14 February 1860	5 September 1954	13 February 1919	58	19 April 1919	59	65	DDP	Deputy Minister-President / Minister of Finance		Scheidemann
2		Dernburg, BernhardBernhard Dernburg	17 July 1865	14 October 1937	30 April 1919	53	20 June 1919	53	51	DDP	Deputy Minister-President / Minister of Finance		Scheidemann
3		Erzberger, MatthiasMatthias Erzberger	20 September 1875	26 August 1921	21 June 1919	43	3 October 1919	44	104	Centre	Deputy Minister-President (until 14 August 1919) / Minister of Finance		Bauer
4		Schiffer, EugenEugen Schiffer	14 February 1860	5 September 1954	3 October 1919	59	27 March 1920	60	176	DDP	Minister of Justice		Bauer
5		Koch-Weser, ErichErich Koch-Weser	26 February 1875	19 October 1944	27 March 1920	45	21 June 1920	45	86	DDP	Minister of the Interior		Müller I
6		Heinze, RudolfRudolf Heinze	22 July 1865	26 May 1928	25 June 1920	54	4 May 1921	55	313	DVP	Minister of Justice		Fehrenbach
7		Bauer, GustavGustav Bauer	6 January 1870	16 September 1944	10 May 1921	51	14 November 1922	52	553	SPD	Minister of Finance		Wirth I
													Wirth II
Vacant (14 November 1922 – 13 August 1923)
8		Schmidt, RobertRobert Schmidt	15 May 1864	16 September 1943	13 August 1923	59	3 November 1923	59	82	SPD	Minister for Reconstruction		Stresemann I
9		Jarres, KarlKarl Jarres	21 September 1874	20 October 1951	30 November 1923	49	15 December 1924	50	381	DVP	Minister of the Interior		Marx I
													Marx II
Vacant (15 December 1924 – 28 January 1927)
10		Hergt, OskarOskar Hergt	22 October 1869	9 May 1967	28 January 1927	57	12 June 1928	58	501	DNVP	Minister of Justice		Marx IV
Vacant (12 June 1928 – 30 March 1930)
11		Dietrich, HermannHermann Dietrich	14 December 1879	6 March 1954	30 March 1930	50	30 May 1932	52	792	DDP	Minister of Finance (from 26 June 1930)		Brüning I
													Brüning II
Vacant (30 May 1932 – 30 January 1933)

Nazi Germany (Reichvizekanzler)

Political Party:       NSDAP

#	Portrait	Name	Birth	Death	Term start	Age start	Term end	Age end	Days	Party	Portfolio	Other positions		Cabinet
1		von Papen, FranzFranz von Papen	29 October 1879	2 May 1969	30 January 1933	53	7 August 1934	54	554	Non-partisan		Minister President of Prussia (until 10 April 1933)		Hitler
Vacant (7 August 1934 – 10 February 1941)
2		Göring, HermannHermann Göring	12 January 1893	15 October 1946	10 February 1941	48	23 April 1945	52	1533	NSDAP	Minister of Aviation / Minister of Forestry	President of the Reichstag / Minister President of Prussia / Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe		Hitler

Federal Republic of Germany

Political Party:       FDP       CDU       SPD       Green

#	Portrait	Name	Birth	Death	Term start	Age start	Term end	Age end	Days	Party	Portfolio		Cabinet
1		Blücher, FranzFranz Blücher	24 March 1896	26 March 1959	20 September 1949	53	29 October 1957	61	2961	FDP/FVP	Marshall Plan / Economic Cooperation		Adenauer I • II
2		Erhard, LudwigLudwig Erhard	4 February 1897	5 May 1977	29 October 1957	60	16 October 1963	66	2178	CDU	Economics		Adenauer III • IV • V
3		Mende, ErichErich Mende	28 October 1916	6 May 1998	17 October 1963	46	28 October 1966	50	1107	FDP	Intra-German Relations		Erhard I • II
4		Seebohm, Hans-ChristophHans-Christoph Seebohm	4 August 1903	17 September 1967	8 November 1966	63	30 November 1966	63	22	CDU	Transport		Erhard II
5		Brandt, WillyWilly Brandt	18 December 1913	8 October 1992	1 December 1966	52	20 October 1969	55	1054	SPD	Foreign Minister		Kiesinger I
6		Scheel, WalterWalter Scheel	8 July 1919		21 October 1969	50	16 May 1974	54	1668	FDP	Foreign Minister		Brandt I • II
7		Genscher, Hans-DietrichHans-Dietrich Genscher	21 March 1927	31 March 2016	17 May 1974	47	17 September 1982	55	3045	FDP	Foreign Minister		Schmidt I • II • III
8		Franke, EgonEgon Franke	11 April 1913	26 April 1995	17 September 1982	69	1 October 1982	69	14	SPD	Intra-German Relations		Schmidt III
9		Genscher, Hans-DietrichHans-Dietrich Genscher	21 March 1927	31 March 2016	1 October 1982	55	17 May 1992	65	3516	FDP	Foreign Minister		Kohl I • II • III • IV
10		Möllemann, JürgenJürgen Möllemann	15 July 1945	5 June 2003	18 May 1992	46	21 January 1993	47	248	FDP	Economics		Kohl IV
11		Kinkel, KlausKlaus Kinkel	17 December 1936		21 January 1993	56	26 October 1998	61	2104	FDP	Foreign Minister		Kohl IV • V
12		Fischer, JoschkaJoschka Fischer	12 April 1948		27 October 1998	50	22 November 2005	57	2583	Green	Foreign Minister		Schröder I • II
13		Müntefering, FranzFranz Müntefering	16 January 1940		22 November 2005	65	21 November 2007	67	729	SPD	Labour and Social Affairs		Merkel I
14		Steinmeier, Frank-WalterFrank-Walter Steinmeier	5 January 1956		21 November 2007	51	27 October 2009	53	706	SPD	Foreign Minister		Merkel I
15		Westerwelle, GuidoGuido Westerwelle	27 December 1961	18 March 2016	28 October 2009	47	16 May 2011	49	565	FDP	Foreign Minister		Merkel II
16		Rösler, PhilippPhilipp Rösler	24 February 1973		16 May 2011	38	17 December 2013	40	946	FDP	Economics and Technology		Merkel II
17		Gabriel, SigmarSigmar Gabriel	12 September 1959		17 December 2013	54	Incumbent	Incumbent	836	SPD	Economics and Energy		Merkel III

References

1. The prefix "Vize-" is derived from the Latin "vicis" meaning "in place of". "Kanzler" (Chancellor) is the traditional title of the head of government in Germany. Although the office has always been widely known as Vizekanzler, this has never been the official title. The official title since 1949 is seldom used outside very formal contexts.
2. http://racers-republic.com/world-news124/germany-social-democratic-rival-merkel-appointed-vice-chancellor-940
3. (in German) http://www.documentarchiv.de/ksr/1878/reichskanzler-stellvertretung_ges.html