Overview

• Reem Alabali-Radovan, 35, has been appointed Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development in Friedrich Merz’s incoming government.
• Her nomination reflects the SPD’s focus on generational renewal, diversity, and gender balance, with six of nine SPD ministerial posts held by women.
• Alabali-Radovan’s migration background, as the daughter of Iraqi refugees, and her tenure as Integration and Antiracism Commissioner shape her policy priorities.
• She began her political career in 2021 and retained her Bundestag seat via the SPD party list after losing her direct mandate earlier this year.
• The coalition contract between the SPD and CDU is finalized, with Merz’s chancellorship set to be formalized on May 6.