CDU names Johann Wadephul for foreign minister role

As efforts to form a government continue following Germany’s early elections, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has named its candidate for the position of Foreign Minister.

According to an announcement made at the CDU’s small party conference on April 28, Johann Wadephul, 62, deputy chairman of the Bundestag CDU/CSU alliance responsible for foreign and security affairs, was nominated as the candidate for Foreign Minister. This decision was announced by prospective Chancellor and CDU leader Friedrich Merz.

A Christian Democrat holding the position of German Foreign Minister will happen after a break of nearly 60 years.

In recent decades, this role has typically belonged to the Social Democratic Party (SPD) or the Greens. Annalena Baerbock, who advocated for a “feminist foreign policy” for the past four years, was also from the Greens.

At the conference, CDU representatives also announced the names of other ministerial candidates for some of the ten total cabinet seats the alliance is expected to receive.

On the same day, delegates approved the text of the coalition agreement reached with the SPD. The SPD is expected to approve the agreement on April 30.

The names of the SPD’s ministerial candidates will be announced on May 5, one day before Merz is officially confirmed as Chancellor by the Bundestag.

Germany’s regular elections were scheduled for September 2025. However, disagreements during budget negotiations among the parties forming the ruling “traffic light” coalition (SPD, Greens, Free Democratic Party—FDP) in Autumn 2024 led to the coalition’s collapse.

In December, the Bundestag passed a vote of no confidence against the Olaf Scholz government, paving the way for early elections.

The early election was held on February 23. The election was won by the Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) alliance with 28.6% of the vote.

Chancellor Scholz’s party, the SPD, achieved its worst result in history with 16.4% (in the 2021 election, the SPD was the leading party with 25.7%).

Support for the other partners in the “traffic light” coalition also fell: the Greens received 11.6% of the vote, losing 33 seats in the Bundestag, while the FDP failed to cross the 5% election threshold.

The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, however, secured second place for the first time with 20.8% of the vote.

The CDU/CSU and SPD agreed on forming a government on April 9 and presented the draft coalition agreement. The two alliances hold a total of 328 seats in the Bundestag; this number is above the 316 seats required for a majority.

Wadephul’s career

Johann Wadephul was born in 1963 in the city of Husum (Schleswig-Holstein state) on the North Sea coast.

After graduating from high school in Meldorf, he joined the CDU’s youth organization and served four years as a contract soldier in the Bundeswehr.

He then studied law at Christian Albrecht University in Kiel and completed his doctorate in 1996.

Until 2009, he worked as a lawyer in the field of health and social law while simultaneously pursuing his political career.

From 1997 to 2000, he served as the General Secretary of the CDU in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, then for two years as the state organization chairman. In 2006, he became the chairman of the CDU district organization in the Rendsburg-Eckernförde municipality.

Wadephul first entered the Bundestag in 2009 and initially served on the social affairs and European Union (EU) committees.

He began focusing on foreign policy issues after the 2013 elections; he joined the Foreign Affairs Committee (dealing with Middle East issues) and became a substitute member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Following the 2017 parliamentary elections, Wadephul was appointed deputy chairman of the CDU/CSU alliance in the Bundestag, focusing on defense, foreign policy, and security issues.

In the most recent Bundestag term, Wadephul held the same position and was also the chairman of the German-South Caucasus parliamentary group and the head of the German delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

He was a member of the management board of the German-Russian public forum Petersburg Dialogue, which was dissolved by Berlin’s decision after Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine began.

Indeed, his official website lists him as the “liquidator” of the Petersburg Dialogue.

Following the start of the military intervention, Wadephul condemned Russia’s actions and advocated for a reassessment of Germany’s Russia policy.

He proposed establishing a special commission for this purpose. Wadephul explained his idea by asking, “Were we too naive? Did we assess the situation correctly?”

In January of this year, Wadephul became a victim of Russian pranksters Vovan and Lexus, who spoke on behalf of Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian Presidential Administration.

During the conversation, the politician indicated he was open to sending long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine (while Scholz consistently opposed this step, Merz took the opposite position).

However, he admitted that sending a German military contingent to Ukraine was not possible due to complex legal procedures and a lack of public support.

Following the attack in the Sumy oblast on April 13, the debate in Germany about sending Taurus missiles reignited.

Wadephul said he hoped to reach an agreement with the Social Democrats on this matter and stated, “Friedrich Merz confirmed his readiness to use Taurus as a means of pressure on Russia. This is an important signal.”

Possible changes in Germany’s foreign policy

The magazine Stern emphasized that it expects Germany’s position on the international stage to strengthen during Wadephul’s tenure.

Wadephul commented on the sidelines of a meeting regarding the presentation of the coalition agreement, stating, “In recent years, the Foreign Ministry saw itself as a kind of corrective body. That should no longer be the case.”

This statement was perceived as a reference to Baerbock, who was often accused of lecturing other states in her communication.

Journalists speculate that this means the feminist foreign policy agenda will likely take a backseat during Wadephul’s term.

The newspaper Welt, on the other hand, describes the new Foreign Minister as a “tough team player,” implying his close ties with Merz.

The newspaper describes him by saying, “He is a team player, not a solo act, extremely loyal and sometimes too inconspicuous for someone who will represent Germany for the next four years,” adding that key decisions on foreign policy issues will be made in the Chancellery rather than the Foreign Ministry.

Wadephul has made preparatory visits to European capitals. On April 24, he met with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in London; this meeting took place one day after consultations on a resolution involving representatives from the US, Ukraine, and Europe. On April 11, he had traveled to Paris.

As the newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) noted, representatives of the outgoing and prospective German governments are working in close cooperation on issues related to the resolution in Ukraine.

Wadephul stated to the newspaper, “Intensive coordination is underway to form a common position among Germany, France, England, Ukraine, and the US. The goal is for the US to begin negotiations with Moscow with this common position.”

In an interview with Deutschlandfunk recently, Wadephul stated that normalization of relations with Moscow is not possible as long as Germany continues to be subjected to “Russia’s hybrid attacks,” but he also admitted that “it is necessary to sit down at the negotiating table with Russia.”

In an interview with FAZ, Wadephul expressed the view that the Kremlin wants to dominate all of Eastern Europe and emphasized, “Therefore, Germany’s freedom is being defended today in Donbass.”

Regarding relations with the US, Wadephul, like Merz, is considered a convinced transatlanticist.

In a statement to Welt about Donald Trump’s radical tariff policy, the prospective minister pointed out the necessity of negotiating with Washington and added, “At the same time, we must state that we can defend ourselves if negotiations do not go smoothly.”

Wadephul expressed his belief that under the new administration, the US stands by NATO. However, he assessed that some recent Washington statements were “worrying” and did not align with the spirit of cooperation among true allies.

In the same interview, Wadephul expressed the view that Germany should prepare for greater strategic independence. Wadephul continued, “There are many reasons for Europe to be sovereign.”

On the other hand, the magazine Politico states that Germany’s new Foreign Minister will pursue a foreign policy in strategic alignment with Washington and Paris in an environment where the US is increasingly distancing itself from Europe.

However, according to the magazine’s assessment, under Wadephul, Berlin will insist on tighter control over Chinese investments in critical sectors and closer coordination among EU countries in the areas of technology export and infrastructure protection.

Consequently, German industry, which has close ties with China, will need to shift from commercial diplomacy to an economic policy primarily focused on security.

CDU leader Friedrich Merz’s official appointment as German Chancellor will take place on May 6; his candidacy needs to be approved by the Bundestag and then confirmed by the federal president.