Germany's Next Finance Minister, 'Bridge-builder' Lars Klingbeil

Source: International Business Times

Co-chairman of the Germany's Social Democratic Party Lars Klingbeil AFP Germany's incoming finance minister Lars Klingbeil is a self-styled political "bridge-builder" whose calm and personable demeanour belies his sharp political instincts. Despite the bruising election loss of his centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), he will control the purse strings of Europe's top economy under conservative chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz. Klingbeil -- who studied political science, sociology and history, not finance -- will wield a spending "bazooka" worth hundreds of billions of euros to rebuild Germany's military and infrastructure, agreed by the outgoing parliament.