Laschet cabinet replaces Cabinet Kraft II
Formation
The previous cabinet was a coalition government of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and The Greens led by Minister-President Hannelore Kraft.
The election took place on 14 May 2017, and resulted in substantial losses for both governing parties. The opposition CDU and FDP both recorded gains, with the former becoming the largest party. The AfD debuted at 7%.
Overall, the incumbent coalition lost its majority. The opposition coalition of the CDU and FDP won a slim majority of one seat. Also considered was a grand coalition of the CDU and SPD, but the SPD rejected this the day after the election. CDU leader Armin Laschet initially announced plans to held exploratory talks with the SPD, FDP, and Greens, but only the FDP accepted the offer.
On 22 May, the CDU and FDP boards unanimously voted to begin negotiations for a coalition. Meetings began the following day. They presented their coalition agreement in mid-June. The FDP held an online membership ballot to review the pact, with 97% voting in favour on about 50% turnout. The CDU congress unanimously approved the contract the next day, and it was formally signed on 26 June.Laschet was elected as Minister-President by the Landtag on 27 June, winning 100 votes out of 196 cast. His cabinet was sworn in on 30 June.