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Alexander Dobrindt

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Alexander Dobrindt
MdB
Dobrindt in 2025
Minister of the Interior
Incumbent
Assumed office
6 May 2025
ChancellorFriedrich Merz
Preceded byNancy Faeser (as Minister of the Interior and Community)
Chairman of the CSU Group in the Bundestag
In office
24 October 2017 – 5 May 2025
LeaderVolker Kauder
Ralph Brinkhaus
Friedrich Merz
Preceded byGerda Hasselfeldt
Succeeded byAlexander Hoffmann
Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure
In office
17 December 2013 – 24 October 2017
ChancellorAngela Merkel
Preceded byPeter Ramsauer
Succeeded byChristian Schmidt (acting)
General Secretary of the Christian Social Union
In office
9 February 2009 – 15 December 2013
LeaderHorst Seehofer
Preceded byKarl-Theodor zu Guttenberg
Succeeded byAndreas Scheuer
Member of the Bundestag for Weilheim
Incumbent
Assumed office
17 October 2002
Preceded byMichaela Geiger
Personal details
Born (1970-06-07) 7 June 1970 (age 54)
Peißenberg, Bavaria, West Germany
Political partyCSU (since 1990)
Alma materLudwig Maximilian University of Munich
Websitealexander-dobrindt.de

Alexander Dobrindt (German pronunciation: [alɛkˈsandɐ ˈdoːbʁɪnt]; born 7 June 1970) is a German politician of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) who has been serving as the Federal Minister of the Interior in the government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz since 2025.

From 2017 to 2025, Dobrindt served as the chairman of the CSU Parliamentary Group in the German Bundestag. Between 2013 and 2017, he served as Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure in the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel. Previously, he was the secretary general of the Christian Social Union of Bavaria under the leadership of party chairman Horst Seehofer from 2009.

Early life

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Dobrindt was born in Peißenberg, Bavaria. He graduated from the Weilheim Highschool in 1989 and continued his studies in the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, finishing with a Master of Arts in sociology in 1995.

After obtaining his degree, Dobrindt worked at an engineering company as a financial director from 1996 to 2001 and as a managing director from 2001 to 2005.

Political career

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Dobrindt joined the Junge Union (Junior party of the C.S.U.) in 1986 and 4 years later the Christian Social Union of Bavaria. He has been a member of the German National Parliament (Bundestag) since the 2002 federal elections when he won the direct mandate in the Parliamentary Constituency of Weilheim with 59.4 percent of the votes.[1] Since 2009, he serves as the district-chairman of the CSU in Weilheim-Schongau.

In parliament, Dobrindt served as a member of the Committee on Economic Affairs and Technology between 2005 and 2009. In the negotiations to form a coalition government following the 2013 elections, he was part of the 15-member leadership circle chaired by Merkel, Seehofer and Sigmar Gabriel.

In his capacity as minister, Dobrindt introduced a controversial road toll which forces foreign car drivers to pay up to 130 euros a year for using Germany's Autobahn motorways;[2] the toll was a pet project of his CSU party. He was also in charge of drafting the government's plan to spend almost 270 billion euros (£226.48 billion) to repair and build new roads, railway lines and waterways between 2017 and 2030.[3]

From late 2016, Dobrindt was a member of the German government's cabinet committee on Brexit at which ministers discuss organizational and structural issues related to the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union.[4][5]

Following the 2017 elections, Dobrindt succeeded Gerda Hasselfeldt as head of the Bundestag group of CSU parliamentarians. He leads the joint CDU/CSU group together with his co-chair, CDU-Chairman Friedrich Merz.

Minister for the Interior (2025–present)

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On May 6, 2025, Dobrindt was sworn in as Federal Interior Minister alongside the Merz cabinet. The following day, he ordered the pushback of illegal immigrants at the German border. On May 13, Dobrindt announced a ban on the far-right "Kingdom of Germany" (German: "Königreich Deutschland e.V.") association, which had been stockpiling weapons and had been acting increasingly hostile towards Germany's democratic system. Three members of the association were arrested, among them was its founder, Peter Fitzek.

Foreign and Security Policy

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Alexander Dobrindt played a key role as the negotiator for the Christian Social Union (CSU) in the discussions surrounding Germany's €100 billion special fund for the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces). He was instrumental in the negotiations leading to a historic amendment to Germany's Basic Law (Grundgesetz), which significantly increases German defense spending and enables the modernization and strengthening of the Bundeswehr.[6] This landmark decision was made in response to growing security challenges in Europe and worldwide, and Dobrindt’s efforts were pivotal in securing the necessary political support for the fund and the constitutional change. His work on this initiative reflected his strong commitment to enhancing Germany's defense capabilities and ensuring the country’s security within NATO and the broader international context.[7]

Alexander Dobrindt is a strong proponent of closer collaboration among conservative parties across Europe, working to ensure that they align on key political issues. Dobrindt places great importance on maintaining a close partnership with key European nations, particularly France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Poland, as part of a broader effort to enhance European unity and security. He is also deeply committed to the security of the Baltic States, recognizing their strategic importance and advocating for their protection within the European and NATO frameworks. Dobrindt has consistently expressed his belief in the importance of robust transatlantic relations, particularly with the United States, which he views as a cornerstone for global stability and security.[1]

Dobrindt maintains a close and supportive relationship with Israel, stating that he sees this as important on both a political and cultural level. He is a vocal opponent of any form of weapons embargo on Israel, stating that this provides Israel with the resources to defend itself.[8]

Other activities

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Corporate boards

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  • KfW, Ex-Officio Member of the Supervisory Board (2014-2017)

Non-profit organizations

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  • ZDF, Member of the Television Board (2009-2014)
  • Akademie für Politische Bildung Tutzing, Member of the Advisory Board[9]
  • Deutsches Museum, Member of the Board of Trustees[10]

Political positions

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In 2013, Dobrindt called LGBT people a "shrill minority" which adopted an odd lifestyle.[11] In June 2017, he voted against Germany's introduction of same-sex marriage.[12]

Personal life

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Dobrindt is a Roman Catholic, was married in Torri del Benaco, Italy in 2009, and has one son.[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Bundestag Archived 2009-09-04 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Markus Wacket and Michael Nienaber (October 30, 2014), Germany's new road toll to cost foreign drivers up to 130 euros Reuters.
  3. ^ Markus Wacket (August 3, 2016), Germany to spend 270 billion euros to fix roads, railways, waterways Reuters.
  4. ^ Joseph Nasr (January 13, 2017), Merkel to chair first Brexit committee meeting next week Reuters.
  5. ^ Readout of the government's press conference on 13 January 2017 Federal Press Office.
  6. ^ Hammerstein, Konstantin von (22 March 2025). "(S+) CSU: Alexander Dobrindt als Schlüsselspieler in Verhandlungen mit Friedrich Merz". Der Spiegel (in German). ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
  7. ^ "Alexander Dobrindt: Investieren, konsolidieren, reformieren! | CSU-Landesgruppe". www.csu-landesgruppe.de (in German). Retrieved 9 April 2025.
  8. ^ "Dobrindt trifft Netanjahu in Israel: Haftbefehl nennt er "bodenlose Dummheit"". t-online (in German). 25 November 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
  9. ^ Board of Trustees and Advisory Board Akademie für Politische Bildung Tutzing.
  10. ^ Board of TrusteesDeutsches Museum.
  11. ^ Dobrindt nennt Homosexuelle eine schrille Minderheit
  12. ^ Diese Unionsabgeordneten stimmten für die Ehe für alle Die Welt, June 30, 2017.
  13. ^ Dobrindt hat geheiratet Münchner Merkur, April 23, 2009.
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