Leader of the Opposition (Germany)

The **Leader of the Opposition** in Germany is the parliamentary leader of the largest political party in the Bundestag that is not in government.

## List of opposition leaders in Germany since 1949 (Federal Republic of Germany)

|rowspan=2||rowspan=2|Image|rowspan=2|Name|rowspan=2 colspan=2|Party|colspan="3"|Term of office|rowspan="2"|Chancellor|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
||**Kurt Schumacher**|style="background:;"||data-sort-value="SPD"|Social Democratic Party (SPD)|7 September 1949|20 August 1952||Konrad Adenauer|||
||**Erich Ollenhauer**|style="background:;"||data-sort-value="SPD"|Social Democratic Party (SPD)|27 September 1952|14 December 1963||Konrad Adenauer Ludwig Erhard|||
||**Fritz Erler**|style="background:;"||data-sort-value="SPD"|Social Democratic Party (SPD)|1963|1966||Ludwig Erhard|||
||**Knut Freiherr von Kühlmann-Stumm**|style="background:;"||data-sort-value="FDP"|Free Democratic Party (FDP)|1 December 1966|23 January 1968||Kurt Georg Kiesinger|||
||**Wolfgang Mischnick**|style="background:;"||data-sort-value="FDP"|Free Democratic Party (FDP)|23 January 1968|22 November 1969||Kurt Georg Kiesinger|||
||**Rainer Barzel**|style="background:;"||data-sort-value="CDU"|Christian Democratic Union (CDU)|22 November 1969|17 May 1973||Willy Brandt|||
||**Karl Carstens**|style="background:;"||data-sort-value="CDU"|Christian Democratic Union (CDU)|17 May 1973|13 September 1976||Willy Brandt Helmut Schmidt|||
||**Helmut Kohl**|style="background:;"||data-sort-value="CDU"|Christian Democratic Union (CDU)|13 September 1976|1 October 1982||Helmut Schmidt|||
||**Herbert Wehner**|style="background:;"||data-sort-value="SPD"|Social Democratic Party (SPD)|1 October 1982|8 March 1983||Helmut Kohl|||
||**Hans-Jochen Vogel**|style="background:;"||data-sort-value="SPD"|Social Democratic Party (SPD)|8 March 1983|12 November 1991||Helmut Kohl|||
||**Hans-Ulrich Klose**|style="background:;"||data-sort-value="SPD"|Social Democratic Party (SPD)|12 November 1991|10 November 1994||Helmut Kohl|||
||**Rudolf Scharping**|style="background:;"||data-sort-value="SPD"|Social Democratic Party (SPD)|10 November 1994|27 October 1998||Helmut Kohl|||
||**Wolfgang Schäuble**|style="background:;"||data-sort-value="CDU"|Christian Democratic Union (CDU)|27 October 1998|29 February 2000||Gerhard Schröder|||
||**Friedrich Merz**|style="background:;"||data-sort-value="CDU"|Christian Democratic Union (CDU)|29 February 2000|22 September 2002||Gerhard Schröder|||
||**Angela Merkel**|style="background:;"||data-sort-value="CDU"|Christian Democratic Union (CDU)|22 September 2002|22 November 2005||Gerhard Schröder|||
||**Wolfgang Gerhardt**|style="background:;"||data-sort-value="FDP"|Free Democratic Party (FDP)|22 November 2005|1 May 2006||Angela Merkel|||
||**Guido Westerwelle**|style="background:;"||data-sort-value="FDP"|Free Democratic Party (FDP)|1 May 2006|28 October 2009||Angela Merkel|||
||**Frank-Walter Steinmeier**|style="background:;"||data-sort-value="SPD"|Social Democratic Party (SPD)|28 October 2009|16 December 2013||Angela Merkel|||
||**Joachim Poß**|style="background:;"||data-sort-value="SPD"|Social Democratic Party (SPD)|23 August 2010|26 October 2010||Angela Merkel|||
||**Gregor Gysi**|style="background:;"||data-sort-value="The Left"|The Left|17 December 2013|12 October 2015||Angela Merkel|||
||**Dietmar Bartsch** **Sahra Wagenknecht**|style="background:;"||data-sort-value="The Left"|The Left|12 October 2015|24 October 2017||Angela Merkel|||
||**Alexander Gauland** **Alice Weidel**|style="background:;"||data-sort-value="AfD"|Alternative for Germany (AfD)|24 October 2017|26 October 2021||Angela Merkel|||
||**Ralph Brinkhaus**|style="background:;"||data-sort-value="CDU"|Christian Democratic Union (CDU)|8 December 2021|15 February 2022||Olaf Scholz|||
||**Friedrich Merz**|style="background:;"||data-sort-value="CDU"|Christian Democratic Union (CDU)|15 February 2022|6 May 2025|3 years, 80 days|Olaf Scholz|||
|-|**Tino Chrupalla** **Alice Weidel**|style="background:;"||data-sort-value="AfD"|Alternative for Germany (AfD)|6 May 2025|||Friedrich Merz|||

## Infobox (official post)

- **post**: Leader
- **body**: the Opposition
- **incumbent**: Tino Chrupalla
Alice Weidel
- **incumbentsince**: 6 May 2025
- **member of**: Bundestag
- **termlength**: While parliamentary leader of the largest party not in government
- **inaugural**: Kurt Schumacher
- **formation**: 7 September 1949
- **salary**: €127,100.40 (2023)