Berlin  - Germany has passed the past 60 years with just eight "chancellors" - the head of government, and broadly equivalent to prime minister.

The incumbent, Angela Merkel, is the first-ever female chancellor. She and her seven predecessors have all belonged to either the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) or the Social Democratic Party (SPD).

A chancellor is appointed by the Bundestag parliament and heads a large government department, the Chancellery, which oversees cabinet and the intelligence services.

The West German office of chancellor continued without any changes when Germany was re-unified in 1990, with the five states which had been under communist rule entering the federation.

The CDU has had the upper hand in Germany with chancellors Konrad Adenauer, Ludwig Erhard and Kurt Georg Kiesinger at the head of varying coalitions from 1949 to 1969, again from 1982 to 1998 under Helmut Kohl, and with Merkel since 2005.

Social Democrats Willy Brandt and Helmut Schmidt held office from 1969 to 1982 and Gerhard Schroeder from 1998 to 2005.

Kiesinger's chancellorship from 1966 to 1969, and Merkel's were "grand coalitions" between the Christian Democratic alliance (CDU/CSU) and the SPD, Germany's two main party blocs.

Of the smaller parties, the Free Democrats (FDP) have formed governments with both the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats. The Greens were in coalition just once, with two terms alongside the Social Democrats under Schroeder.

Kohl was Germany's longest-serving post-war chancellor, holding office for 16 years.

Three chancellors - Adenauer, Erhard and Brandt - resigned.

Kiesinger, Kohl and Schroeder lost office as a result of general elections. Schmidt was toppled by the parliamentary vote of no-confidence that brought Kohl to power. (dpa)