Anke Gabriele Rehlinger (née Moos; born 6 April 1976) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who has been the minister-president of Saarland since 25 April 2022. After her party won the 2022 state elections in Saarland, she became the second female minister-president after Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and the first from her party. She was previously the deputy minister president of Saarland from 17 December 2013 until her election by the State Parliament of Saarland as minister-president in 2022.
Anke Rehlinger | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rehlinger in 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President of the Bundesrat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 1 November 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First Vice President | Manuela Schwesig | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Manuela Schwesig | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister-President of the Saarland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 26 April 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Jürgen Barke | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Tobias Hans | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the Social Democratic Party of the Saarland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 10 March 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Pascal Arweiler Jörg Aumann Josephine Ortleb Anne Yliniva-Hoffmann | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General secretary | Christian Petry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Heiko Maas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy Minister-President of the Saarland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 18 December 2013 – 26 April 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister-president | Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer Tobias Hans | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Heiko Maas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Jürgen Barke | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Anke Gabriele Moos 6 April 1976 Wadern, Saarland, West Germany (now Germany) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Social Democratic Party (1998–) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse |
Thomas Rehlinger
(m. 1999; sep. 2022) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence(s) | Nunkirchen, Wadern, Saarland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Saarland University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | anke-rehlinger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early life, education and sports
editRehlinger studied law at Saarland University. As a student, she was successful in field competitions in athletics. Up to today (April 2022)[needs update] she holds the Saarland state record in shot put (16.03 m in Rehlingen on 17 August 1996) as well as the Saarland youth state record in discus throw (49.18 m on 23 September 1995 in Rehlingen).
She successfully competed in the senior track and field German Championships in 2014 and 2015.
Political career
editCareer in state politics
editSince the 2004 state elections, Rehlinger has been a member of the Landtag of Saarland. In parliament, she was the chairwoman of the committee on European affairs (2008–2009) and of the committee on education, cultural affairs and media (2009–2011). From 2011 until 2012, she was her parliamentary group's deputy chairwoman, under the leadership of chairman Heiko Maas.
Between 2012 and 2014, Rehlinger was state minister of justice, consumer protection and environmental affairs in the government of the minister-president of Saarland Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. In 2014, she succeeded Heiko Maas as deputy minister-president and state minister for economic affairs, first under the leadership of Kramp-Karrenbauer (2014–2018) and later Tobias Hans (2018–2022).[1] She was the candidate of SPD in 2017 state elections, but lost against Kramp-Karrenbauer and continued her role in the state government instead.
As one of her state's representatives at the Bundesrat, Rehlinger sat on the committee on labour, integration and social policy, the committee on economic affairs and on the committee on transport.
In March 2018, Rehlinger succeeded Heiko Maas as leader of the SPD in Saarland. At a party convention, she was elected with a majority of 94.5 percent.[2]
Career in national politics
editRehlinger co-chaired the SPD's national conventions in Berlin (2015,[3] 2017,[4] 2019)[5] and Wiesbaden (2018).[6]
In the negotiations to form a coalition government on the national level following the 2017 federal elections, Rehlinger co-chaired the working group on agriculture. Her counterparts were Julia Klöckner and Christian Schmidt. She was also a member of the working group on transport.
At a SPD national convention in 2019, Rehlinger, with Klara Geywitz, Hubertus Heil, Kevin Kühnert and Serpil Midyatli, was elected as one of the five deputies of the party's co-chairs Saskia Esken and Norbert Walter-Borjans.[7]
In the negotiations to form a so-called "traffic light coalition" of the SPD, the Green Party and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) following the 2021 federal elections, Rehlinger led her party's delegation in the working group on mobility. Her co-chairs from the other parties were Anton Hofreiter and Oliver Luksic.[8]
Rehlinger was nominated by her party as delegate to the Federal Convention for the purpose of electing the president of Germany in 2022.[9]
In October 2023, Rehlinger joined the first joint cabinet retreat of the German and French governments in Hamburg, chaired by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Emmanuel Macron.[10]
On 18 October 2024, she was elected President of the Bundesrat. Her one-year term started on 1 November 2024.[11]
Other activities
editRegulatory bodies
edit- Federal Network Agency for Electricity, Gas, Telecommunications, Post and Railway (BNetzA), member of the advisory board (since 2014)[12]
Corporate boards
edit- Landesbank Saar (SaarLB), ex-officio member of the supervisory board[13]
- VSE AG, ex-officio member of the advisory board
Non-profit organization
edit- Business Forum of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, member of the Political Advisory Board (since 2018)[14]
- Franco-German Institute (DFI), member of the board[15]
- Völklingen Ironworks, ex-officio chairwoman of the supervisory board[16]
- IG Bergbau, Chemie, Energie (IG BCE), member[17]
- German Red Cross, member[18]
Personal life
editFrom 1999 to 2022, Rehlinger was married to Thomas Rehlinger, a medical doctor.[19] In 2008, she gave birth to a son.[20]
References
edit- ^ Saarbrücker Zeitung: Postenwechsel im Saarkabinett (German)
- ^ "Rehlinger zur Landesvorsitzenden der Saar-SPD gewählt". Handelsblatt. 10 March 2018. Archived from the original on 27 March 2022.
- ^ Protokoll des ordentlichen Bundesparteitages 2015, Berlin Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).
- ^ Protokoll des außerordentlichen Bundesparteitages der SPD in Berlin, 19. März 2017 Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).
- ^ Protokoll des ordentlichen Bundesparteitages in Berlin, 2019 Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).
- ^ Protokoll des außerordentlichen Bundesparteitages Wiesbaden, 2018 Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).
- ^ Florian Mayer (6 December 2019), Rehlinger zur Vize-Vorsitzenden gewählt Archived 26 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine Saarländischer Rundfunk.
- ^ Andreas Apetz; Thomas Kaspar (22 October 2021). "Ampel-Koalition: Alle Verantwortlichen, AGs und Themen im Überblick". Frankfurter Rundschau.
- Julia Franz; Joseph Hausner (22 October 2021). "Diese Saarländer verhandeln jetzt über die Ampel – zwei von ihnen treffen direkt aufeinander". Saarbrücker Zeitung. - ^ 17th Federal Convention, 13 February 2022, List of Members Bundestag.
- ^ Sarah Marsh; Andreas Rinke (9 October 2023). "Germany, France hold unprecedented cabinet retreat to oil creaky EU motor". Reuters.
- "Erste deutsch-französische Kabinettsklausur: Zukunftsfragen und Weltpolitik diskutiert" (Press release). Cabinet of Germany. 10 October 2023. - ^ "ANke Rehlinger, Präsidentin des Bundesrates". Der Bundesrat (in German). 18 October 2024.
- ^ Benennung eines Mitglieds für den Beirat der Bundesnetzagentur für Elektrizität, Gas, Telekommunikation, Post und Eisenbahnen Bundesrat, document no. 46/14, 11 February 2014.
- ^ Supervisory Board Landesbank Saar (SaarLB).
- ^ "Bernd Westphal wird neuer Beirats-Vorsitzender beim Wirtschaftsforum der SPD" (Press release). Business Forum of the Social Democratic Party of Germany. 7 June 2018.
- ^ Board Franco-German Institute (DFI).
- ^ "Streit um Gehaltszahlungen geht weiter". Saarländischer Rundfunk (in German). 11 July 2017. Archived from the original on 19 October 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ^ "Ministerin" (in German). Saarland. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ^ State Minister Anke Rehlinger, State Government of Saarland.
- ^ "SPD-Spitzenkandidatin Anke Rehlinger und Ehemann Thomas geben Trennung bekannt". Saarbrücker Zeitung. 25 January 2022.
- ^ "Ein Sohn für SPD-Kreischefin Anke Rehlinger". Saarbrücker Zeitung. 30 December 2008.