A Parliamentary State Secretary (Parlamentarischer Staatssekretär, PStS) is a member of the Bundestag given a portfolio to assist a Minister with running a government ministry.
The position is roughly analogous to deputy ministers.
[1] The position was first introduced in 1967 to help younger politicians gain experience for future ministerial roles.
[2] In 2021, there were 36 parliamentary state secretaries in the Merkel IV Cabinet.
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