400. Which ministerial office does the State of Lower Saxony not have?

Answer options

1. Minister of Justice
2. Foreign Minister
3. Minister of Finance
4. Minister of the Interior

Explanation

The Länder do not have a Foreign Minister, because external affairs are, under Article 32 of the Basic Law (Grundgesetz, GG), primarily the responsibility of the Federation; the Federation also holds exclusive legislative power over foreign affairs pursuant to Article 73(1) no. 1 GG. Although the Länder may, with the Federal Government’s consent, conduct relations with foreign states in matters within their competence, this does not entail creating their own foreign ministries. By contrast, justice, finance, and interior are standard Land portfolios arising from Länder statehood (Arts. 30, 70 GG) and the organization of Land governments such as in Lower Saxony.