Johannes Singhammer: Vice-President of the Bundestag © DBT/Melde

Johannes Singhammer of the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) was elected as Vice-President of the German Bundestag on 22 October 2013. He was born on 9 May 1953 in Munich, is a Catholic and a father of six. He has been a Member of the Bundestag since 1994 and is the directly elected representative of München-Nord constituency. Singhammer joined the Christian Social Union (CSU) in 1972 as a schoolboy, before completing his Abitur (higher-education entrance qualification). He was the county chairman of the Munich branch of the Young Union (youth section of the CDU/CSU) from 1980 to 1984.

Lawyer in the Bavarian state ministries

After passing the second state examination in law at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich in 1981, Singhammer began his career on the administrative council of Munich, the Bavarian state capital.

In 1986, he moved to the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior and from 1990 was head of division responsible for fundamental policy issues at the Bavarian State Ministry for Regional Development and the Environment.

Deputy chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group

After being elected to the German Bundestag, Singhammer initially served on the Commission for Children’s Concerns. From 1998 to 2002, he was spokesman on labour and social policy for the Bundestag group of CSU parliamentarians, and from 2002 to 2005 he was its spokesman on economic and social policy. From 2005 to 2009, he was spokesman on family affairs, youth, women and senior citizens for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group.

In November 2009, Singhammer was appointed deputy chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag responsible for health, food, agriculture, and consumer protection.