Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was born on August 9, 1962, in Völklingen, Germany. She is a German politician who served as Minister-President of Saarland from 2011 to 2018, Chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 2018 to 2021, and Federal Minister of Defence from 2019 to 2021. Known by the initials "AKK," she became the first woman in Germany to serve as a state interior minister in 2000 and the first female Minister-President of Saarland in 2011. Following her departure from federal politics, she continued working with educational and political foundations. On December 19, 2025, she was elected Chairwoman of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, officially taking office on January 1, 2026.

Early Life and Education

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, born Annegret Kramp, was born on August 9, 1962, in Völklingen, Saarland, Germany. She grew up in Püttlingen with five siblings. Her father was the principal of a special education school, while her mother was a homemaker. She was raised in a Roman Catholic family.

She attended primary school in Püttlingen before continuing her education at the Marie-Luise-Kaschnitz-Gymnasium in Völklingen, where she completed her secondary education in 1982.

In 1982, she began studying law and political science at the universities of Trier and Saarbrücken. She graduated in 1990 with a Magistra Artium degree in political science and public law.

Early Political Career

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer joined the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in 1981, before completing her secondary education.

In 1984, she was elected to the Püttlingen Municipal Council, beginning her career in local politics. Between 1985 and 1988, she served on the Saarland executive committee of the Young Union (Junge Union), the youth organization associated with the CDU.

From 1991 to 1998, she worked as a policy and planning adviser for the Saarland branch of the CDU.

In March 1998, she briefly entered the German Bundestag as the successor to Klaus Töpfer.

In 1999, she was elected to the Landtag of Saarland, the state's parliament, where she remained a member until February 2018.

Between 1999 and 2000, she served as parliamentary managing director of the CDU parliamentary group in Saarland.

Germany's First Female State Interior Minister

In December 2000, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was appointed Minister of the Interior and Sport of Saarland by Minister-President Peter Müller. With this appointment, she became the first woman to hold the position of interior minister in a German federal state.

In 2004, her responsibilities expanded, and she became Minister of the Interior, Family, Women and Sport.

From 2007 to 2009, she served as Minister of Education, Family, Women and Culture. Between 2009 and 2011, she was Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs, Prevention and Sport.

These ministerial positions involved responsibility for public administration, education, family policy, employment, and social services within Saarland.

Minister-President of Saarland

Following the departure of Peter Müller, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was elected Minister-President of Saarland by the state parliament on August 10, 2011.

She became the first woman to lead the government of Saarland.

After disagreements within the governing coalition, an early state election was held in March 2012. The CDU emerged as the largest party, and Kramp-Karrenbauer formed a grand coalition government with the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).

In the Saarland state election held on March 26, 2017, the CDU received 40.7 percent of the vote, again finishing as the largest party.

Following the election, she formed another coalition government with the SPD and continued serving as Minister-President.

She held the position from August 10, 2011, until February 28, 2018, when she left the state government to take a senior position in federal politics.

CDU General Secretary and Party Chairwoman

In February 2018, German Chancellor and CDU Chairwoman Angela Merkel proposed Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer for the position of CDU General Secretary.

Kramp-Karrenbauer resigned as Minister-President of Saarland and was elected CDU General Secretary on February 26, 2018.

On October 29, 2018, Angela Merkel announced that she would not seek another term as CDU Chairwoman.

Kramp-Karrenbauer entered the leadership contest against Friedrich Merz and Jens Spahn.

At the CDU party congress in Hamburg on December 7, 2018, she defeated Merz in the second round of voting, receiving 517 votes against his 482.

She succeeded Angela Merkel as CDU Chairwoman, while Merkel remained Chancellor of Germany.

Federal Minister of Defence

On July 17, 2019, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was appointed Federal Minister of Defence following the election of Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission.

She joined the federal cabinet led by Chancellor Angela Merkel, becoming responsible for the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) and national defence policy.

During her tenure, she addressed military modernization, defence spending, Germany's role within NATO, and cooperation among European armed forces.

She supported discussions concerning Germany's contribution to international security operations and the development of European defence capabilities.

The withdrawal of German troops from Afghanistan in 2021 also took place during her term as Defence Minister.

Resignation as CDU Chairwoman

On February 10, 2020, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer announced that she would not seek the CDU/CSU nomination for Chancellor in the 2021 federal election and intended to step down as CDU Chairwoman once a successor had been elected.

The announcement followed political disagreements within the CDU, including controversy surrounding the election of a state premier in Thuringia with votes from the CDU, the Free Democratic Party and the Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Her announcement on February 10, 2020, was not an immediate resignation. She continued leading the CDU until a successor was chosen.

On January 16, 2021, Armin Laschet was elected the new CDU Chairman. Kramp-Karrenbauer's leadership formally ended that day.

She continued serving as Germany's Federal Minister of Defence until December 2021.

Departure from Federal Politics

In the German federal election held on September 26, 2021, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer lost her constituency race in Saarland but qualified for a Bundestag seat through the CDU state party list.

However, she and fellow CDU politician Peter Altmaier decided not to take their parliamentary seats, allowing younger party members to enter the Bundestag.

Following the formation of the government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Kramp-Karrenbauer left the Federal Ministry of Defence on December 8, 2021.

She was succeeded by Christine Lambrecht.

Her departure from the cabinet marked the end of her active career in federal government.

Konrad Adenauer Foundation Chairwoman

After leaving federal politics, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer continued participating in political education, social organizations, international policy discussions, and foundation activities.

Since 2015, she has served as President of the German Adult Education Association (Deutscher Volkshochschul-Verband), an organization representing adult education centers throughout Germany.

She has also been involved in organizations addressing transatlantic cooperation, defence policy, social affairs, and international relations.

On December 19, 2025, the general assembly of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung) elected Kramp-Karrenbauer as its new Chairwoman.

She officially assumed the position on January 1, 2026, succeeding Norbert Lammert, the former President of the German Bundestag.

The foundation is politically associated with the CDU and conducts activities relating to civic education, democracy, international cooperation, and political research.

As of November 2026, Kramp-Karrenbauer continues serving as Chairwoman of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

Personal Life and Family

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer married mining engineer Helmut Karrenbauer in 1984.

The couple have three children, born in 1988, 1991, and 1998. The family has lived in Püttlingen, Saarland.

As her political responsibilities increased, her husband reduced his professional activities to take on a greater share of childcare and household responsibilities.

Kramp-Karrenbauer is Roman Catholic and has maintained an association with religious and social organizations.

In Germany, she is commonly known by the initials "AKK," derived from her first name and two surnames.

Major Political Positions

2026–Present – Chairwoman, Konrad Adenauer Foundation
2019–2021 – Federal Minister of Defence of Germany
2018–2021 – Chairwoman, Christian Democratic Union (CDU)
2018 – General Secretary, CDU
2011–2018 – Minister-President of Saarland
2009–2011 – Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs, Prevention and Sport, Saarland
2007–2009 – Minister of Education, Family, Women and Culture, Saarland
2004–2007 – Minister of the Interior, Family, Women and Sport, Saarland
2000–2004 – Minister of the Interior and Sport, Saarland
1999–2018 – Member of the Landtag of Saarland
1998 – Member of the German Bundestag
1984–2000 – Member of Püttlingen Municipal Council
2009–2011 – Member of Püttlingen Municipal Council

Source: Biyografiler.com