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Serap Güler | |
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.jpg) Güler in 2024 | |
| Member of theBundestag | |
| Assumed office 26 September 2021 | |
| Constituency | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Member of theLandtag of North Rhine-Westphalia | |
| In office 13 May 2012 – 26 September 2021 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1980-07-07)7 July 1980 (age 45) |
| Political party | CDU (since 2009) |
| Alma mater | University of Duisburg-Essen |
Serap Güler (born 7 July 1980)[1] is a German politician of theChristian Democratic Union (CDU) who has been serving as aMember of the German Bundestag since 2021, representing theLeverkusen – Cologne IV district.
In addition to her work in parliament, Güler has been serving asMinister of State at theFederal Foreign Office in thegovernment ofChancellorFriedrich Merz since 2025.[2]
Güler grew up as the child ofTurkish guest workers in Germany. After training as a hotel manager, she graduated incommunication studies andGerman studies fromUniversity of Duisburg-Essen.[3]
Upon graduation, Güler worked as advisor to State Minister for Generations, Family, Women and IntegrationArmin Laschet and State Minister of HealthBarbara Steffens [de].[4]
Güler was elected to theLandtag of North Rhine-Westphalia in the2012 North Rhine-Westphalia state election; at the time, she was her parliamentary group’s first member of Turkish origin.[5] From 2012 until 2017, she served as her parliamentary group’s spokesperson on integration.
In 2015, Güler was part of a CDU working group on a reform of Germany’slegislation on immigration, chaired byArmin Laschet.[6][7] Together withThomas Strobl,Peter Hintze,Michael Kretschmer,David McAllister,Christina Schwarzer [de] andAnnette Widmann-Mauz, she co-chaired the CDU’s 2015 national convention inKarlsruhe.[8]
Following the2017 state elections, Güler was appointed State Secretary of Integration at the State Ministry for Children, Families, Refugees, and Integration, in thecabinet ofMinister-President Armin Laschet.[9] In the negotiations to form afourth coalition government underChancellorAngela Merkel following the2017 federal elections, she was part of the working group on migration policy, led byVolker Bouffier,Joachim Herrmann andRalf Stegner.
In the2021 German federal election, Güler contestedLeverkusen – Cologne IV but came second toKarl Lauterbach. She was elected to theBundestag on thestate list.[10] She has since been serving on the Defence Committee.[11] She also joined a study commission set up to investigate the entire period of German involvement in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2021 and to draw lessons for foreign and security policy in future.[12]
Since 2022, Güler has been serving as deputy chair – alongsideMario Voigt – of a working group in charge of drafting the CDU’s newparty platform, under the leadership ofCarsten Linnemann.[13]
In the negotiations to form acoalition government under the leadership ofMinister-President of North Rhine-WestphaliaHendrik Wüst following the2022 state elections, Güler was part of her party’s delegation.[14]
In the2025 German federal election, Güler was adirect candidate inCologne I and achieved 23.6% of thefirst vote narrowly coming second toSanae Abdi who got 24.9%.[15]
Since April 2025, Güler has been the chairwoman of the CDU in Cologne; she is the first woman to hold that position.[16]
Güler is a part of the social wing of the CDU, and is a member of theChristian Democratic Employees' Association.[17]
As a practising Muslim, Güler opposes abortion.[18] She opposes children being forced to wearhijab.[19]
Güler is a critic of President of TurkeyRecep Tayyip Erdoğan.[20]
Media related toSerap Güler at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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| People | |
