# Vice-Chancellor of Germany

| Deputy to the Federal Chancellor
 *Stellvertreter des Bundeskanzlers* |
| --- |
| Coat of Arms of the German Government |
| Flag of Germany |
| **Incumbent Lars Klingbeil** since 6 May 2025 |
| Style | Mr. Vice-chancellor (informal) His Excellency (diplomatic) |
| Status | Deputy head of government |
| Member of | Federal Cabinet |
| Seat | As Federal Minister; currently Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Berlin/Bonn |
| Nominator | Chancellor or the coalition party |
| Appointer | Chancellor |
| Term length | *At the Chancellor's pleasure* |
| Constituting instrument | German Basic Law (German Constitution) |
| Formation | 24 May 1949 (1949-05-24) |
| First holder | Franz Blücher |

The **vice-chancellor of Germany**, inofficially the **vice-chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany** (German: *Vizekanzler der Bundesrepublik Deutschland*), officially the **deputy to the federal chancellor** (German: *Stellvertreter des Bundeskanzlers*), is the second highest ranking German cabinet member. The chancellor is the head of government and, according to the constitution, gives this title of deputy to one of the federal ministers. It is common that the title is given to the major minister provided by the (smaller) coalition partner.

In everyday politics, being a vice chancellor is more an honorary title. The vice-chancellor may head cabinet meetings when the chancellor is abroad. The function of vice chancellor is to use the specific constitutional powers of the chancellor in case that the chancellor is unable to perform his or her duties. This kind of substitution has never been made use of in the history of the Federal Republic.

Should a chancellor resign, die or be permanently unable to perform his or her duties, the vice chancellor does not automatically become the next chancellor. In such a case the Federal President assigns a minister to serve as acting chancellor until the Bundestag (parliament) elects a new chancellor.).

Although *Stellvertreter* is the constitutional term, most Germans know the deputy by the expression **Vice-Chancellor** (*Vizekanzler*). Chancellor (*Kanzler*) is the traditional term for the German head of government since 1867/71. A general deputy has been introduced only in 1878 by law (*Stellvertretungsgesetz*). In the Weimar Republic of 1919–1933, the office of *Vizekanzler* was mentioned in the internal reglement of the government. The current office or title has existed since the constitution of 1949.

Lars Klingbeil (Social Democratic Party) is the current officeholder since 6 May 2025.

## List of Vice Chancellors

### German Empire (Allgemeiner Stellvertreter des Reichskanzlers)

**Political Party:**
  FKP
  FVP

| No. | Portrait | Name | Birth | Death | Term start | Age start | Term end | Age end | Days | Party | Portfolio |  | Cabinet |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 |  | Otto Graf zu Stolberg-Wernigerode | 30 October 1837 | 19 November 1896 | 1 June 1878 | 40 | 20 June 1881 | 43 | 1115 | FKP |  |  | Bismarck |
| 2 |  | Karl 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 |  | Arthur 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 |  | Theobald 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 |  | Clemens 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 |  | Karl 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 |  | Friedrich von Payer | 12 June 1847 | 14 July 1931 | 9 November 1917 | 70 | 10 November 1918 | 71 | 366 | FVP |  |  | Hertling |
|  | Baden |
|  | Ebert |

### Weimar Republic (Allgemeiner Stellvertreter des Reichskanzlers)

**Political Party:**
  DDP
  Centre
  DVP
  SPD
  DNVP

| No. | Portrait | Name | Birth | Death | Term start | Age start | Term end | Age end | Days | Party | Portfolio |  | Cabinet |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 |  | Eugen 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 |  | Bernhard 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 |  | Matthias 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 |  | Eugen Schiffer | 14 February 1860 | 5 September 1954 | 3 October 1919 | 59 | 27 March 1920 | 60 | 176 | DDP | Minister of Justice |  | Bauer |
| 5 |  | Erich 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 |  | Rudolf Heinze | 22 July 1865 | 26 May 1928 | 25 June 1920 | 54 | 4 May 1921 | 55 | 313 | DVP | Minister of Justice |  | Fehrenbach |
| 7 |  | Gustav Bauer | 6 January 1870 | 16 September 1944 | 10 May 1921 | 51 | 14 November 1922 | 52 | 553 | SPD | Minister of Finance |  | Wirth I |
|  | Wirth II |
| 8 |  | Robert Schmidt | 15 May 1864 | 16 September 1943 | 13 August 1923 | 59 | 3 November 1923 | 59 | 82 | SPD | Minister for Reconstruction |  | Stresemann I |
| 9 |  | Karl 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 |
| 10 |  | Oskar Hergt | 22 October 1869 | 9 May 1967 | 28 January 1927 | 57 | 12 June 1928 | 58 | 501 | DNVP | Minister of Justice |  | Marx IV |
| 11 |  | Hermann 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 |

### Nazi Germany

| No. | Portrait | Name | Birth | Death | Term start | Age start | Term end | Age end | Days | Party | Portfolio | Other positions |  | Cabinet |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 |  | Franz 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 |

### Federal Republic of Germany (1949–present)

**Political party:**
  FDP
  CDU
  SPD
  Green

| No. | Portrait | Name | Term start | Term end | Days | Party | Portfolio |  | Cabinet |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 |  | **Franz Blücher** (1896–1959) | 20 September 1949 | 29 October 1957 | 2961 | FDP (until 1956) FVP (1956–57) DP (1957–) | Marshall Plan (later renamed to *Economic Cooperation*) |  | Adenauer I • II |
| 2 |  | **Ludwig Erhard** (1897–1977) | 29 October 1957 | 16 October 1963 | 2178 | CDU | Economic Affairs |  | Adenauer III • IV |
| 3 |  | **Erich Mende** (1916–1998) | 17 October 1963 | 28 October 1966 | 1107 | FDP | Intra-German Relations |  | Erhard I • II |
| *The office was vacant from 28 October to 8 November 1966.* |
| 4 |  | **Hans-Christoph Seebohm** (1903–1967) | 8 November 1966 | 1 December 1966 | 22 | CDU | Transport |  | Erhard II |
| 5 |  | **Willy Brandt** (1913–1992) | 1 December 1966 | 22 October 1969 | 1054 | SPD | Foreign Affairs |  | Kiesinger |
| 6 |  | **Walter Scheel** (1919–2016) | 22 October 1969 | 16 May 1974 | 1668 | FDP | Foreign Affairs |  | Brandt I • II |
| 7 |  | **Hans-Dietrich Genscher** (1927–2016) First term | 17 May 1974 | 17 September 1982 | 3045 | FDP | Foreign Affairs |  | Schmidt I • II • III |
| 8 |  | **Egon Franke** (1913–1995) | 17 September 1982 | 1 October 1982 | 14 | SPD | Intra-German Relations |  | Schmidt III |
| *The office was vacant from 1 October to 4 October 1982.* |
| 9 (7) |  | **Hans-Dietrich Genscher** (1927–2016) Second term | 4 October 1982 | 18 May 1992 | 3516 | FDP | Foreign Affairs |  | Kohl I • II • III • IV |
| 10 |  | **Jürgen Möllemann** (1945–2003) | 18 May 1992 | 21 January 1993 | 248 | FDP | Economic Affairs |  | Kohl IV |
| 11 |  | **Klaus Kinkel** (1936–2019) | 21 January 1993 | 27 October 1998 | 2104 | FDP | Foreign Affairs |  | Kohl IV • V |
| 12 |  | **Joschka Fischer** (born 1948) | 27 October 1998 | 22 November 2005 | 2583 | Green | Foreign Affairs |  | Schröder I • II |
| 13 |  | **Franz Müntefering** (born 1940) | 22 November 2005 | 21 November 2007 | 729 | SPD | Labour and Social Affairs |  | Merkel I |
| 14 |  | **Frank-Walter Steinmeier** (born 1956) | 21 November 2007 | 27 October 2009 | 706 | SPD | Foreign Affairs |  | Merkel I |
| 15 |  | **Guido Westerwelle** (1961–2016) | 27 October 2009 | 16 May 2011 | 565 | FDP | Foreign Affairs |  | Merkel II |
| 16 |  | **Philipp Rösler** (born 1973) | 16 May 2011 | 17 December 2013 | 946 | FDP | Economic Affairs |  | Merkel II |
| 17 |  | **Sigmar Gabriel** (born 1959) | 17 December 2013 | 14 March 2018 | 1548 | SPD | Economic Affairs (2013–17) Foreign Affairs (2017–18) |  | Merkel III |
| 18 |  | **Olaf Scholz** (born 1958) | 14 March 2018 | 8 December 2021 | 1365 | SPD | Finance |  | Merkel IV |
| 19 |  | **Robert Habeck** (born 1969) | 8 December 2021 | 6 May 2025 | 1655 | Green | Economic Affairs and Climate Protection |  | Scholz |
| 20 |  | **Lars Klingbeil** (born 1978) | 6 May 2025 | *Incumbent* | 410 | SPD | Finance |  | Merz |