# Federal Minister for Special Affairs of Germany

A Federal Minister for Special Affairs (German: Bundesminister für besondere Aufgaben, pronounced ) is a member of the German government without portfolio.
Early Minister for Special Affairs were assigned different tasks by the Chancellor. For example, Robert Tillmanns, one of the first two Ministers for Special Affairs, represented the federal government in the Council of Elders of the Bundestag. Other responsibilities delegated to different Ministers for Special Affairs included the middle class, water management, the Federal Defense Council or the affairs of the Vice-Chancellor of Germany.
Since 1964, this use of the title fell out of favour. Instead, the title is often given to the Chief of staff of the Chancellery to provide him with a vote in cabinet meetings. The last Chief of staff of the Chancellery not to concurrently hold the title of minister special affairs was Frank-Walter Steinmeier (1999–2005), who instead retained the lower Secretary of State rank; however regardless of ministerial rank, the title "Kanzleramtsminister" (Minister of the Chancellery) is frequently used to refer to the job. Historically, appointees to the ministry who weren't heads of the chancellery at the same time have often been important political aides or politicians waiting for a portfolio or representatives of certain parties, groups or regions.
For instance, after German reunification in 1990, some members of the final East German government, former Association of Free Democrats (the affiliated group of the FDP, the then-junior coalition partner) Volkskammer leader Rainer Ortleb and President of the Volkskammer Sabine Bergmann-Pohl were appointed as Federal Ministers for Special Affairs, in order to provide a representation of the New states of Germany in the federal government.

## List of Federal Ministers for Special Affairs

Political Party:  CSU  CDU  SPD  FDP  GB/BHE
| Portrait | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Responsibilities | Term of Office | Term of Office | Term of Office | Political Party |
| Portrait | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Responsibilities | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political Party |
| 1 | | Franz Josef Strauß (1915–1988) | N/A | 6 October 1953 | 12 October 1955 | 2 years, 6 days | Christian Social Union |
| 2 | | Robert Tillmanns (1896–1955) | represented cabinet in the Council of Elders of the German Bundestag | 20 October 1953 | 12 November 1955 (died in office) | 2 years, 23 days | Christian Democratic Union |
| 3 | | Waldemar Kraft (1898–1977) | responsible for water management | 20 October 1953 | 12 October 1955 | 2 years, 23 days | All-German Bloc/ League of Expellees and Deprived of Rights |
| 4 | | Hermann Schäfer (1892–1966) | responsible for small and medium-sized businesses | 20 October 1953 | 16 October 1956 | 2 years, 362 days | Free Democratic Party |
| 5 | | Heinrich Krone (1895–1989) | Federal Defense Council questions | 14 November 1961 | 30 November 1966 | 5 years, 16 days | Christian Democratic Union |
| 6 | | Ludger Westrick (1894–1990) | Head of the Federal Chancellery | 16 June 1964 | 30 November 1966 | 2 years, 167 days | Christian Democratic Union |
| 7 | | Horst Ehmke (1927–2017) | Head of the Federal Chancellery | 22 October 1969 | 15 December 1972 | 3 years, 54 days | Social Democratic Party |
| 8 | | Werner Maihofer (1918–2009) | Minister for Vice-Chancellor's Affairs | 15 December 1972 | 16 May 1974 | 1 year, 152 days | Free Democratic Party |
| 9 | | Egon Bahr (1922–2015) | Federal Minister in the Federal Chancellery | 15 December 1972 | 16 May 1974 | 1 year, 152 days | Social Democratic Party |
| 10 | | Wolfgang Schäuble (1942-2023) | Head of the Federal Chancellery | 15 November 1984 | 21 April 1989 | 4 years, 157 days | Christian Democratic Union |
| 11 | | Rudolf Seiters (born 1937) | Head of the Federal Chancellery | 21 April 1989 | 26 November 1991 | 2 years, 219 days | Christian Democratic Union |
| 12 | | Hans Klein (1931–1996) | government spokesman and head of the Press and Information Office of the Federal Government | 26 November 1989 | 20 December 1990 | 1 year, 24 days | Christian Social Union |
| 13 | | Lothar de Maizière (born 1940) | after German reunification | 3 October 1990 | 19 December 1990 | 77 days | Christian Democratic Union |
| 14 | | Sabine Bergmann-Pohl (born 1946) | after German reunification | 3 October 1990 | 17 January 1991 | 106 days | Christian Democratic Union |
| 15 | | Günther Krause (born 1953) | after German reunification | 3 October 1990 | 17 January 1991 | 106 days | Christian Democratic Union |
| 16 | | Rainer Ortleb (born 1944) | after German reunification | 3 October 1990 | 17 January 1991 | 106 days | Free Democratic Party |
| 17 | | Hansjoachim Walther (1939–2005) | after German reunification | 3 October 1990 | 17 January 1991 | 106 days | German Social Union |
| 18 | | Friedrich Bohl (born 1945) | Head of the Federal Chancellery | 26 November 1991 | 27 October 1998 | 7 years, 283 days | Christian Democratic Union |
| 19 | | Bodo Hombach (born 1952) | Head of the Federal Chancellery | 27 October 1998 | 7 July 1999 | 253 days | Social Democratic Party |
| 20 | | Thomas de Maizière (born 1954) | Head of the Federal Chancellery | 22 November 2005 | 27 October 2009 | 3 years, 339 days | Christian Democratic Union |
| 21 | | Ronald Pofalla (born 1959) | Head of the Federal Chancellery | 28 October 2009 | 17 December 2013 | 4 years, 50 days | Christian Democratic Union |
| 22 | | Peter Altmaier (born 1958) | Head of the Federal Chancellery | 17 December 2013 | 14 March 2018 | 4 years, 87 days | Christian Democratic Union |
| 23 | | Helge Braun (born 1972) | Head of the Federal Chancellery | 14 March 2018 | 8 December 2021 | 3 years, 269 days | Christian Democratic Union |
| 24 | | Wolfgang Schmidt (born 1970) | Head of the Federal Chancellery | 8 December 2021 | Incumbent | 3 years, 89 days | Social Democratic Party |