Dr. Edmund Stoiber
Official portrait of Dr. Edmund Stoiber
Minister President of Bavaria
In office 28 May 1993 – 30 September 2007
Preceded by	Max Streibl
Succeeded by	Günther Beckstein
Chairman of the Christian Social Union
In office 1998–2007
Preceded by	Theo Waigel
Succeeded by	Erwin Huber
Personal details
Born	Oberaudorf, Germany
Nationality	German
Political party	CSU
Religion	Roman Catholic

Edmund Rüdiger Stoiber (born 28 September 1941) is a German politician, former minister-president of the state of Bavaria and former chairman of the Christian Social Union (CSU). On 18 January 2007, he announced his decision to step down from the posts of minister-president and party chairman by 30 September, after having been under fire in his own party for weeks.^[1]

Early life[link]

Edmund Stoiber was born in Oberaudorf in the district of Rosenheim, Bavaria. Prior to entering politics in 1974 and serving in the Bavarian parliament, he was a lawyer and worked at the University of Regensburg.

Stoiber is Roman Catholic. He is married to Karin Stoiber. They have three children: Constanze (1971), Veronica (1977), Dominic (1980) and five grandchildren: Johannes (1999), Benedikt (2001),Theresa Marie (2005), Ferdinand (2009) and another grandson (2011).

Education and profession[link]

Stoiber attended the Ignaz-Günther-Gymnasium in Rosenheim, where he received his Abitur (high school diploma) in 1961, although he had to repeat one year for failing in Latin.^[2] His mandatory military service was with the Gebirgsdivision mountain infantry division in Mittenwald and Bad Reichenhall and was cut-short due to a knee injury. Following his military service, Stoiber studied political science and then, in the fall 1962 in Munich, law. In 1967 he passed the state law exam and then worked at the University of Regensburg in criminal law and Eastern European law. He was awarded a doctorate of jurisprudence, and then in 1971 passed the second state examination with distinction.

Political career[link]

In 1978 Stoiber was elected secretary general of the CSU, a post he held until 1982/83. From 1982 to 1986 he served as deputy to the Bavarian secretary of the state and then as minister of state from 1982 to 1988. From 1988 to 1993 he served as Minister of the Interior and in May 1993, the Bavarian Landtag (parliament) elected him as minister-president succeeding Max Streibl. As such he served as President of the Bundesrat in 1995/96. In 1998, he also succeeded Theo Waigel as chairman of the CSU.

Chancellor candidacy[link]

In 2002, Stoiber politically out-maneuvered CDU chairwoman, Angela Merkel, and was elected the CDU/CSU's candidate for the office of chancellor, challenging Gerhard Schröder.

In the run up to the 2002 election the CSU/CDU held a huge lead in the opinion polls and Stoiber famously remarked that "...this election is like a football match where it's the second half and my team is ahead by 2–0." However, on election day things had changed. The SPD had mounted a huge comeback, and the CDU/CSU was narrowly defeated (though both the SPD and CDU/CSU had 38.5% of the vote, the SPD was ahead by a small 6,000 vote margin). Gerhard Schröder was re-elected as chancellor by the parliament in a coalition with the Greens. Many commentators fault Stoiber's reaction to the floods in eastern Germany, in the run-up to the election, as a contributory factor in his party's poor electoral result and defeat. In addition, Schröder distinguished himself from his opponent by taking an active stance against the upcoming United States-led Iraq War. His extensive campaigning on this stance was widely seen as swinging the election to the SPD in the weeks running up to the election.

Controversies[link]

Stoiber and Vladimir Putin

Stoiber is known for backing Vladimir Putin and there have been comparisons to Gerhard Schröder. One author called Stoiber a "Moscow's Trojan Horse".^[3][4][5] Vladimir Putin is known to have given Stoiber "extreme forms of flattery" and privileges such as a private dinner at Putin's residence outside Moscow.^[6]

While the conservative wing of the German political spectrum, primarily formed of the CDU and CSU, enjoys considerable support, this support tends to be less extended to Stoiber. He enjoys considerably more support in his home state of Bavaria than in the rest of Germany, where CDU chairwoman Angela Merkel is more popular. This has its reasons: Merkel supports a kind of fiscal conservatism, but a more liberal social policy. Stoiber, on the other hand favors a more conservative approach to both fiscal and social matters, and while this ensures him the religious vote, strongest in Bavaria, it has weakened his support at the national level.

Stoiber, as a minister in the state of Bavaria, is widely known for advocating a reduction in the number of asylum seekers Germany accepts, something that prompted critics to label him xenophobic, anti-Turkish and anti-Islam. In the late 1990s he criticized the incoming Chancellor Schröder for saying that he would work hard in the interest of Germans and people living in Germany. Stoiber's remarks drew heavy criticism in the press. He is a staunch opponent of Turkey's integration into the European Union, claiming that its non-Christian culture would dilute the Union.

During the run-up to the German general election in 2005, which was held ahead of schedule, Stoiber created controversy through a campaign speech held in the beginning of August 2005 in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. He said, "I do not accept that the East [of Germany] will again decide who will be Germany's chancellor. It cannot be allowed that the frustrated determine Germany's fate." People in the new federal states of Germany (the former German Democratic Republic) were offended by Stoiber's remarks. While the CSU attempted to portray them as "misinterpreted", Stoiber created further controversy when he claimed that "if it was like Bavaria everywhere, there wouldn't be any problems. Unfortunately, not everyone in Germany is as intelligent as in Bavaria." The tone of the comments was exacerbated by a perception by some within Germany of the state of Bavaria as "arrogant".

Many, including members of the CDU, attribute Stoiber's comments and behavior as a contributing factor to the CDU's losses in the 2005 general election. He was accused by many in the CDU/CSU of offering "half-hearted" support to Angela Merkel, with some even accusing him of being reluctant to support a female candidate from the East. (This also contrasted unfavorably with Merkel's robust support for his candidacy in the 2002 election.) He has insinuated that votes were lost because of the choice of a female candidate. He came under heavy fire for these comments from press and politicians alike, especially since he himself lost almost 10% of the Bavarian vote – a dubious feat in itself as Bavarians tend to consistently vote conservatively. Nonetheless, a poll has suggested over 9% may have voted differently if the conservative candidate was a man from the West, although this does not clearly show if such a candidate would have gained or lost votes for the conservatives.

He was slated to join Angela Merkel's cabinet as Economics minister. However, on 1 November 2005, he announced his decision to stay in Bavaria.

On 18 January 2007, he announced his decision to stand down from the posts of minister-president and party chairman by 30 September, after having been under fire in his own party for weeks.

European Union[link]

In February 2004 Edmund Stoiber became a candidate of Jaques Chirac and Gerhard Schröder for the presidency of the European Commission but he decided not to run for this office. In November 2007 Edmund Stoiber accepted to direct the High Level Group of the European Union tasked with reducing European Union bureaucracy.

Outside politics[link]

Stoiber is a keen football fan and he serves as Co-Chairman on the Advisory Board of FC Bayern Munich. Before the 2002 election FC Bayern General Manager Uli Hoeneß expressed his support for Stoiber and the CSU. Football legend, former FC Bayern President and DFB Vice-President, Franz Beckenbauer, on the other hand, showed his support for Stoiber by letting him join the German national football team on their flight home from Japan after the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

In his youth, he played for local football side BCF Wolfratshausen.^[7]

Honours and awards[link]

• 1984: Bavarian Order of Merit
• 1996: Karl-Valentin-Orden
• 1996: Grand Order of King Dmitar Zvonimir
• 1999: Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Romania
• 2000: Order against the deadly seriousness
• 2002: Commander of the Legion of Honour
• 2003: Officer of the Ordre national du Québec
• 2004: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
• 2005: Large Gold Medal with Ribbon for Services to the Republic of Austria
• 2006: Grand Cross of Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
• 2007: Large Gold Medal of the province of Upper Austria
• 2009: Merit of the State of Baden-Württemberg

See also[link]

• List of Minister-Presidents of Bavaria

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Edmund Stoiber

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: de:Edmund Stoiber

• Official website (German)
• Stoiber quotes (in German) (critic)
• Stoiber and the East – Deutsche Welle
• Parlazzo Media Awards – Nomination 2007 – 10 Minutes – 10 Minuten (in German)

v t e Presidents of the Bundesrat (Federal Council) Karl Arnold • Hans Ehard • Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf • Reinhold Maier • Georg August Zinn • Peter Altmeier • Kai-Uwe von Hassel • Kurt Sieveking • Willy Brandt • Wilhelm Kaisen • Franz-Josef Röder • Franz Meyers • Kurt Georg Kiesinger • Georg Diederichs • Helmut Lemke • Klaus Schütz • Herbert Weichmann • Franz-Josef Röder • Hans Koschnick • Heinz Kühn • Alfons Goppel • Hans Filbinger • Alfred Kubel • Albert Osswald • Bernhard Vogel • Gerhard Stoltenberg • Dietrich Stobbe • Hans-Ulrich Klose • Werner Zeyer • Johannes Rau • Franz Josef Strauss • Lothar Späth • Ernst Albrecht • Holger Börner • Walter Wallmann • Björn Engholm • Walter Momper • Henning Voscherau • Alfred Gomolka • Berndt Seite • Oskar Lafontaine • Klaus Wedemeier • Edmund Stoiber • Erwin Teufel • Gerhard Schröder • Hans Eichel • Roland Koch • Kurt Biedenkopf • Kurt Beck • Klaus Wowereit • Wolfgang Böhmer • Dieter Althaus • Matthias Platzeck • Peter Harry Carstensen • Harald Ringstorff • Ole von Beust • Peter Müller • Jens Böhrnsen

v t e Ministers-President of the Free State of Bavaria Revolutionary period (1918-1919) Kurt Eisner Martin Segitz (acting) Weimar period (1919-1933) Johannes Hoffmann Gustav Ritter von Kahr Graf von Lerchenfeld-Köfering Eugen von Knilling Heinrich Held Nazi period (1933-1945) Ludwig Siebert Paul Giesler Modern Bavaria (since 1945) Fritz Schäffer Wilhelm Hoegner Hans Ehard Wilhelm Hoegner Hanns Seidel Hans Ehard Alfons Goppel Franz Josef Strauss Max Streibl Edmund Stoiber Günther Beckstein Horst Seehofer

v t e Ministers of Interior of Bavaria Maximilian Graf von Montgelas Friedrich Karl Graf von Thürheim Josef Ludwig Graf von Armansperg Eduard von Schenk Johann Baptist von Stürmer Ludwig, Prince of Oettingen-Wallerstein Karl (von) Abel Anton von Fischer Johann Baptist von Zenetti Franz von Berks Gottlieb Friedrich Freiherr von Thon-Dittmer Gustav Freiherr von Lerchenfeld Moritz von Weigend Hermann von Beisler Theodor von Zwehl August Lothar Graf von Reigersberg Max Ritter von Neumayr ... Karl August Fischer (interim) Josef Seifried Willi Ankermüller Wilhelm Hoegner August Geislhöringer Otto Bezold Alfons Goppel Heinrich Junker Bruno Merk Alfred Seidl Gerold Tandler Karl Hillermeier August Lang Edmund Stoiber Günther Beckstein Joachim Herrmann

v t e Members of the Bavarian Staatskanzlei Edmund Stoiber Wilhelm Vorndran Johann Böhm Herbert Huber Erwin Huber Kurt Faltlhauser Erwin Huber Eberhard Sinner

• 1996: Karl-Valentin-Orden
• 2000: Order against the deadly seriousness

• 2007: Large Gold Medal of the province of Upper Austria
• 2009: Merit of the State of Baden-Württemberg

Gerhard Schröder
Chancellor of Germany
In office 27 October 1998 – 22 November 2005
President	Roman Herzog Johannes Rau Horst Köhler
Deputy	Joschka Fischer
Preceded by	Helmut Kohl
Succeeded by	Angela Merkel
Leader of the Social Democratic Party
In office 12 March 1999 – 21 March 2004
Preceded by	Oskar Lafontaine
Succeeded by	Franz Müntefering
President of the Bundesrat
In office 11 January 1997 – 27 October 1998
Preceded by	Erwin Teufel
Succeeded by	Hans Eichel
Prime Minister of Lower Saxony
In office 21 June 1990 – 27 October 1998
Preceded by	Ernst Albrecht
Succeeded by	Gerhard Glogowski
Personal details
Born	(1944-04-07) 7 April 1944 (age 68) Mossenberg, Germany
Political party	Social Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Eva Schubach (1968–1972) Anne Taschenmacher (1972–1984) Hiltrud Hampel (1984–1997) Doris Köpf (1997–present)
Alma mater	University of Göttingen
Religion	Lutheran
Signature

Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder (commonly rendered Schroeder)([ˈɡɛɐ̯haɐ̯t fʁɪts kʊʁt ˈʃʁøːdɐ] ( listen); born 7 April 1944) is a German politician, and was Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), he led a coalition government of the SPD and the Greens. Before becoming a full-time politician, he was a lawyer, and before becoming Chancellor he served as Premier of Lower Saxony (1990–1998). Following the 2005 federal election, which his party lost, after three weeks of negotiations he stood down as Chancellor in favour of Angela Merkel of the rival Christian Democratic Union. He is currently the chairman of the board of Nord Stream AG, after having been hired as a global manager by investment bank Rothschild.

Early career[link]

Schröder was born in Mossenberg, today an outlying centre of Blomberg, in what is now North Rhine-Westphalia. His father, Fritz Schröder, a lance corporal in the Wehrmacht, was killed in action in World War II in Romania on 4 October 1944, a few months after Gerhard's birth. His mother Erika worked as an agricultural laborer so that she could support herself and her two sons.

Schröder completed an apprenticeship in retail sales in a Lemgo hardware shop from 1958 to 1961 and subsequently worked in a Lage retail shop and after that as an unskilled construction worker and a sales clerk in Göttingen whilst studying at night school so as to gain a high school diploma. He did not have to do military service because his father had died in the war.^[1] In 1966, Schröder secured entrance to a university, passing the Abitur exam at Westfalen-Kolleg, Bielefeld. From 1966 to 1971 he studied law at the University of Göttingen. From 1972 onwards, Schröder served as an assistant at the university. In 1976, he passed his second law examination, and he subsequently worked as a lawyer until 1990.

Among his more controversial cases, Schröder helped founding member of the Baader-Meinhof terrorist group Horst Mahler secure an early release from prison and the permission to practice law again in Germany.^[2]

Schröder joined the Social Democratic Party in 1963. In 1978 he became the federal chairman of the Young Socialists, the youth organisation of the SPD. He spoke for the dissident Rudolf Bahro, as did President Jimmy Carter, Herbert Marcuse and Wolf Biermann. In 1982 he wrote an article on the idea of a red/green coalition for a book at Olle & Wolter, Berlin, which later appeared in "Die Zeit". SPD and SI Chairman, Chancellor Willy Brandt, who reviewed Olle & Wolter at that time, had just asked for more books on the subject. In 1980 Gerhard Schröder was elected to the German Bundestag, and wore a sweater to parliament instead of the traditional suit. He became chairman of the SPD Hanover district. In 1985, Schröder met the GDR leader Erich Honecker during a visit to East Berlin.

In 1986, Schröder was elected to the parliament of Lower Saxony and became leader of the SPD group. After the SPD won the state elections in June 1990, he became Premier of Lower Saxony as head of an SPD-Greens coalition; in this position, he also won the 1994 and 1998 state elections.

In federal politics[link]

Following his election as Minister-President in 1990, Schröder became a member of the board of the federal SPD. In 1997 and 1998 he served as President of the Bundesrat, but he left office on 27 October, three days before his term expired, when he became Chancellor as head of an SPD-Green coalition. At the 22 September 2002 general elections, he secured another four-year term, with a narrow nine-seat majority (down from 21).

After the resignation of Oskar Lafontaine as SPD Chairman in March, 1999, in protest at Schröder's adoption of a number of what Lafontaine considered "neo-liberal" policies, Schröder took over his rival's office as well. In February, 2004, he resigned as chairman of the SPD. Franz Müntefering succeeded him as chairman.

On 22 May 2005, after the SPD lost to the Christian Democrats (CDU) in North Rhine-Westphalia, Gerhard Schröder announced he would call federal elections "as soon as possible". A motion of confidence was subsequently defeated in the Bundestag on 1 July 2005 by 151 to 296 (with 148 abstaining), after Schröder urged members not to vote for his government in order to trigger new elections.

"SPD - Trust in Germany": Schröder in Esslingen.

The 2005 German federal elections were held on 18 September. After the elections, neither Schröder's SPD-Green coalition nor the alliance between CDU/CSU and the FDP led by Angela Merkel achieved a majority in parliament, but the CDU/CSU had a stronger popular electoral lead by one percentage point. Since the SPD had been trailing the CDU by more than 15 points only weeks before the election, this outcome was a surprise and was mainly attributed to Schröder's charisma and prowess as a campaigner;^{[citation needed]} polls consistently showed that he was much more popular with the German people than Merkel.^{[citation needed]} On election night, both Schröder and Merkel claimed victory and chancellorship, but after initially ruling out a grand coalition with Merkel, Schröder and Müntefering entered negotiations with her and the CSU's Edmund Stoiber. On 10 October, it was announced that the parties had agreed to form a grand coalition. Schröder agreed to cede the chancellorship to Merkel, but the SPD would hold the majority of government posts and retain considerable control of government policy.^[3] Merkel was elected chancellor on 22 November.

On 11 October, Schröder announced that he would not take a post in the new Cabinet and, in November, he confirmed that he would leave politics as soon as Merkel took office. On 23 November 2005, he resigned his Bundestag seat. Subsequently, he joined Ringier AG,^[4] the publisher of some of the leading newspapers and magazines in Switzerland and Europe, as a Zurich-based political consultant and lobbyist.

On 14 November, at the SPD conference in Karlsruhe, Schröder urged members of the SPD to support the proposed coalition, saying it "carries unmistakably, perhaps primarily, the imprint of the Social Democrats". Many SPD members had previously indicated that they supported the coalition, which would have continued the policies of Schröder's government, but had objected to Angela Merkel replacing him as Chancellor. The conference voted overwhelmingly to approve the deal.^[5]

Chancellorship[link]

Domestic policies[link]

In its first term, Schröder's government decided to phase out nuclear power, fund renewable energies, institute civil unions which enabled same-sex partners to enter into a civil union, and liberalize naturalization law. Most voters associated Schröder with the Agenda 2010 reform program, which included cuts in the social welfare system (national health insurance, unemployment payments, pensions), lowered taxes, and reformed regulations on employment and payment.

After the 2002 election, the SPD steadily lost support in opinion polls. Many increasingly perceived Schröder's Third Way program to be a dismantling of the German welfare state. Moreover, Germany's high unemployment rate remained a serious problem for the government. Schröder's tax policies were also unpopular; when the satirical radio show The Gerd Show released Der Steuersong, featuring Schröder's voice (by impressionist Elmar Brandt) lampooning Germany's indirect taxation with the lyrics "Dog tax, tobacco tax, emissions and environmental tax, did you really think more weren't coming?", it became Germany's 2002 Christmas No. 1 chart hit and sold over a million copies.

The fact that Schröder served on the Volkswagen board (a position that came with his position as minister-president of Lower Saxony) and tended to prefer pro-car policies led to him being nicknamed the "Auto-Kanzler" (car chancellor).

Foreign policy[link]

Schröder with then President of Russia Vladimir Putin in Moscow on 9 May 2005

Gerhard Schröder attending Quadriga awards ceremony with Boris Tadić

Schröder sent forces to Kosovo and to Afghanistan as part of NATO operations. Until Schröder's Chancellorship, German troops had not taken part in combat actions since World War II. With Germany having a long experience with terrorism itself, Schröder declared solidarity with the United States after the September 11 terrorist attacks. When Schröder left office Germany had 2,000 troops in Afghanistan, the largest contingent from any nation other than the United States, Britain, France, Canada and after 2 years Afghanistan.

Along with French President Jacques Chirac and many other world leaders, Schröder spoke out strongly against the 2003 invasion of Iraq and refused any military assistance in that enterprise. Schröder's stance caused political friction between the U.S. and Germany, in particular because he used this topic for his 2002 election campaign. Schröder's stance set the stage for alleged anti-American statements by members of the SPD. The parliamentary leader of the SPD, Ludwig Stiegler, compared U.S. President George W. Bush to Julius Caesar while Schröder's Minister of Justice, Herta Däubler-Gmelin, likened Bush's foreign policy to that of Adolf Hitler. Schröder's critics accused him of enhancing, and campaigning on, anti-American sentiments in Germany. Since his 2002 re-election, Schröder and Bush rarely met and their animosity was seen as a widening political gap between the U.S. and Europe. Bush stated in his memoirs that Schröder initially promised to support the Iraq war but changed his mind with the upcoming German elections and public opinion strongly against the invasion, to which Schröder responded saying that Bush was “not telling the truth”.^[6]

On 1 August 2004, the 60th anniversary of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, he apologised to Poland for "the immeasurable suffering" of its people during the conflict. He was the first German chancellor to be invited to an anniversary of the uprising.

In addition to a friendly relationship with Jacques Chirac, Schröder cultivated close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an attempt to strengthen the "strategic partnership" between Berlin and Moscow, including the opening of a gas pipeline from Russian Andrew Marino-Pipelines over the Baltic Sea exclusively between Russia and Germany (see "Gazprom controversy" below). Schröder was criticized in the media, and subsequently by Angela Merkel, for calling Putin a "flawless democrat" on 22 November 2004, only days before Putin prematurely congratulated Viktor Yanukovich during the Orange Revolution.^[7] Only a few days after his chancellorship, Schröder joined the board of directors of the joint venture. Thus bringing about new speculations about his prior objectivity. In his memoirs Decisions: My Life in Politics, Schröder still defends his friend and political ally, and states that "it would be wrong to place excessive demands on Russia when it comes to the rate of domestic political reform and democratic development, or to judge it solely on the basis of the Chechnya conflict."^[8]

Schröder has criticised some European countries' swift decision to recognise Kosovo as an independent state after it declared independence in February 2008. He believes the decision was taken under heavy pressure from the U.S. government and has caused more problems, including the weakening of the so-called pro-EU forces in Serbia.^[9]

In August 2008, Schröder laid the blame for the 2008 South Ossetia war squarely on Mikhail Saakashvili and "the West", hinting at American foreknowledge and refusing to criticize any aspect of Russian policy which had thus far come to light.^[10]

Personal life[link]

Gerhard and Doris Schröder at the 300th anniversary of Saint Petersburg celebrations on 30 May 2003

Schröder has been married four times:

• Eva Schubach (married 1968, divorced 1972);
• Anne Taschenmacher (married 1972, divorced 1984);
• Hiltrud Hampel ("Hillu"; married 1984, divorced 1997);
• Doris Köpf (married 1997).

Schröder's four marriages have earned him the nickname "Audi Man", a reference to the four-ring symbol of Audi motorcars. Another nickname is "The Lord of the Rings".^[11][12]

Doris Köpf has a daughter, Klara, born in 1991, from a previous relationship with a television journalist. She lives with the couple. In July 2004, Schröder and Köpf adopted a child named Viktoria from St. Petersburg in Russia. In 2006, they adopted another child from St. Petersburg, Gregor.^[13]

When not in Berlin, Schröder lives in Hanover.

Schröder identifies himself as a member of the Evangelical Church in Germany, but does not appear to be religious. He did not add the optional phrase So wahr mir Gott helfe ("so help me God") when sworn in as chancellor for his first term in 1998^[14] and accused the deeply religious former US President George W. Bush of 'hearing voices'.

Schröder's plans after leaving office as Chancellor and resigning his Bundestag seat include resuming his law practice in Berlin and writing a book. He will also be retained by the Swiss publisher Ringier AG as a consultant. He rents an apartment in Berlin while retaining his primary residence in Hanover. As a former Chancellor, he is entitled to a permanent office, also situated in Berlin. He has also spent time improving his English language skills.^[15]

Criticism and controversies[link]

Gazprom[link]

As Chancellor, Gerhard Schröder was a strong advocate of the Nord Stream pipeline project, which aims to supply Russian gas directly to Germany, thereby bypassing transit countries. The agreement to build the pipeline was signed two weeks before the German parliamentary election. On 24 October 2005, just a few weeks before Schröder stepped down as Chancellor, the German government guaranteed to cover 1 billion euros of the Nord Stream project cost, should Gazprom default on a loan. However, this guarantee had never been used.^[16] Soon after stepping down as chancellor, Schröder accepted Gazprom's nomination for the post of the head of the shareholders' committee of Nord Stream AG, raising questions about a potential conflict of interest. German opposition parties expressed concern over the issue, as did the governments of countries over whose territory gas is currently pumped.^[17] In an editorial entitled Gerhard Schroeder's Sellout, the American newspaper The Washington Post also expressed sharp criticism, reflecting widening international ramifications of Schröder's new post.^[18] Democrat Tom Lantos, chairman of the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, likened Schröder to a "political prostitute" for his recent behaviour.^[19] In January 2009, the Wall Street Journal reported that Schröder would join the board of the oil company TNK-BP, a joint venture between oil major BP and Russian partners.^[20]

Defamation lawsuit[link]

In April 2002, Schröder sued the DDP press agency for publishing an opinion of public relations consultant Sabine Schwind saying that he "would be more credible if he didn't dye his gray hair". The court decided to ban the media from suggesting that he colours his hair.^[21] The Chancellor's spokesman said: "This is not a frivolous action taken over whether he does or doesn't dye his hair, but is a serious issue regarding his word." The agency's lawyer said that they could not accept a verdict which "does not coincide with freedom of the press."

Dispute over Estonian war memorial[link]

During a heated dispute between Russia and Estonia in May 2007 over the removal of a Soviet-era war memorial from the centre of the Estonian capital Tallinn to a military cemetery, Schröder defended the Kremlin's reaction. He remarked that Estonia had contradicted "every form of civilised behaviour".^[22] Consequently, the Estonian government cancelled a planned visit by Schröder in his function as chairman of Nord Stream AG.

Schröder's first cabinet (27 October 1998 – 22 October 2002)[link]

Gerhard Schröder with George W. Bush

• Gerhard Schröder (SPD), Chancellor.
• Joschka Fischer (Greens), Vice Chancellor and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
• Bodo Hombach (SPD), Minister for Special Affairs and Chief of the Chancellery.
• Rudolf Scharping (SPD), Minister of Defence.
• Otto Schily (SPD), Minister of the Interior.
• Oskar Lafontaine (SPD), Minister of Finance.
• Herta Däubler-Gmelin (SPD), Minister of Justice.
• Werner Müller, Minister of Economics.
• Walter Riester (SPD), Minister of Labour and Social Affairs.
• Karl-Heinz Funke (SPD), Minister of Food, Agriculture, and Forestry.
• Franz Müntefering (SPD), Minister of Transport and Construction.
• Christine Bergmann (SPD), Minister of Family, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth.
• Andrea Fischer (Greens), Minister of Health.
• Edelgard Bulmahn (SPD), Minister of Education and Research.
• Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul (SPD), Minister of Economic Co-operation and Development.
• Jürgen Trittin (Greens), Minister of Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Security.

Changes

• 18 March 1999: Lafontaine quits the government, Werner Müller fills in as acting Minister of Finance.
• 12 April 1999: Hans Eichel (SPD) succeeds Lafontaine as Minister of Finance.
• 31 July 1999: Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) succeeds Hombach
• 7 October 1999: Reinhard Klimmt (SPD) succeeds Müntefering as Minister of Transport and Construction.
• 20 November 2000: Kurt Bodewig (SPD) succeeds Klimmt as Minister of Transport and Construction.
• 18 January 2001: Renate Künast (Greens) succeeds Funke as Minister of Consumer Protection, Food, and Agriculture. Ulla Schmidt (SPD) succeeds Fischer as Minister of Health.
• 19 July 2002: Peter Struck (SPD) succeeds Scharping as Minister of Defence.
• Däubler-Gmelin was dropped from ministerial duties in Schröder's second chancellorship because of comments comparing US President George W. Bush to Adolf Hitler.

Schröder's second cabinet (22 October 2002 – 21 November 2005)[link]

• Gerhard Schröder (SPD), Chancellor.
• Joschka Fischer (Gr), Vice Chancellor and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
• Peter Struck (SPD), Minister of Defence.
• Otto Schily (SPD), Minister of the Interior.
• Hans Eichel (SPD), Minister of Finance.
• Brigitte Zypries (SPD), Minister of Justice.
• Wolfgang Clement (SPD), Minister of Economics and Labour.
• Renate Künast (Gr), Minister of Consumer Protection, Food, and Agriculture.
• Manfred Stolpe (SPD), Minister of Transport, Construction, and Eastern Reconstruction.
• Renate Schmidt (SPD), Minister of Family, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth.
• Ulla Schmidt (SPD), Minister of Health and Social Affairs.
• Edelgard Bulmahn (SPD), Minister of Education and Research.
• Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul (SPD), Minister of Economic Co-operation and Development.
• Jürgen Trittin (Gr), Minister of Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Security.

Awards and honours[link]

• Order of the White Eagle (Poland, 2002)
• Schröder has been awarded honorary doctorates by Tongji University in Shanghai (30 December 2002), St. Petersburg University (June 2003), Marmara University in Istanbul (4 April 2005) and University of Göttingen (14 June 2005).
• honorary citizen of Hanover (24 February 2006)
• Knight Grand Cross of the Grand Order of Queen Jelena 24 April 2007, "for exceptional merit in the recognition of Croatia and the support of Croatia on the road to the EU".
• Quadriga Prize (2007)
• elected a corresponding member of the Department of Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences (28 May 2008)
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Romania

See also[link]

• Politics of Germany

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gerhard Schröder

• Gerhard Schröder's presence on facebook
• (German) Pictures "Spuren der Macht"
• From Ironmonger's Apprentice to Chancellor, Deutsche Welle, July 2005
• Profile: Gerhard Schroeder, BBC News, July 2005
• The Modern Chancellor: Taking Stock of Gerhard Schröder, Der Spiegel Online, October 14, 2005

v t e Chancellors of Germany North German Confederation (1867–1871) Otto von Bismarck German Empire (1871–1918) Otto von Bismarck Leo von Caprivi Prince Chlodwig zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst Bernhard von Bülow Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg Georg Michaelis Georg von Hertling Prince Maximilian of Baden Friedrich Ebert Weimar Republic (1919–1933) Philipp Scheidemann Gustav Bauer Hermann Müller Konstantin Fehrenbach Joseph Wirth Wilhelm Cuno Gustav Stresemann Wilhelm Marx Hans Luther Wilhelm Marx Hermann Müller Heinrich Brüning Franz von Papen Kurt von Schleicher Third Reich (1933–1945) Adolf Hitler Joseph Goebbels Count Schwerin von Krosigk (as Leading Minister) Allied occupation Governors of British, French, American and Soviet occupation zones Federal Republic (1949–) Konrad Adenauer Ludwig Erhard Kurt Georg Kiesinger Willy Brandt Helmut Schmidt Helmut Kohl Gerhard Schröder Angela Merkel

v t e Presidents of the Bundesrat (Federal Council) Karl Arnold • Hans Ehard • Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf • Reinhold Maier • Georg August Zinn • Peter Altmeier • Kai-Uwe von Hassel • Kurt Sieveking • Willy Brandt • Wilhelm Kaisen • Franz-Josef Röder • Franz Meyers • Kurt Georg Kiesinger • Georg Diederichs • Helmut Lemke • Klaus Schütz • Herbert Weichmann • Franz-Josef Röder • Hans Koschnick • Heinz Kühn • Alfons Goppel • Hans Filbinger • Alfred Kubel • Albert Osswald • Bernhard Vogel • Gerhard Stoltenberg • Dietrich Stobbe • Hans-Ulrich Klose • Werner Zeyer • Johannes Rau • Franz Josef Strauss • Lothar Späth • Ernst Albrecht • Holger Börner • Walter Wallmann • Björn Engholm • Walter Momper • Henning Voscherau • Alfred Gomolka • Berndt Seite • Oskar Lafontaine • Klaus Wedemeier • Edmund Stoiber • Erwin Teufel • Gerhard Schröder • Hans Eichel • Roland Koch • Kurt Biedenkopf • Kurt Beck • Klaus Wowereit • Wolfgang Böhmer • Dieter Althaus • Matthias Platzeck • Peter Harry Carstensen • Harald Ringstorff • Ole von Beust • Peter Müller • Jens Böhrnsen

v t e Chairmen of the Social Democratic Party of Germany SPD (1890–1933) Paul Singer / Alwin Gerisch August Bebel / Paul Singer August Bebel / Hugo Haase Hugo Haase / Friedrich Ebert Friedrich Ebert Friedrich Ebert / Philipp Scheidemann Otto Wels / Herman Müller Arthur Crispien / Otto Wels / Herman Müller Arthur Crispien / Otto Wels Arthur Crispien / Otto Wels / Hans Vogel SPD-in-exile (1933–1945) Otto Wels / Hans Vogel Hans Vogel SPD (since 1946) Kurt Schumacher Erich Ollenhauer Willy Brandt Hans-Jochen Vogel Björn Engholm Rudolf Scharping Oskar Lafontaine Gerhard Schröder Franz Müntefering Matthias Platzeck Kurt Beck Franz Müntefering Sigmar Gabriel

v t e Prime Ministers of Lower Saxony Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf Heinrich Hellwege Georg Diederichs Alfred Kubel Ernst Albrecht Gerhard Schröder Gerhard Glogowski Sigmar Gabriel Christian Wulff David McAllister

v t e Presidents of the European Council President-in-Office (1975–2009) Liam Cosgrave · Aldo Moro · Gaston Thorn · Joop den Uyl · James Callaghan · Leo Tindemans · Anker Jørgensen · Helmut Schmidt · Valéry Giscard d'Estaing · Jack Lynch · Francesco Cossiga · Charles Haughey · Pierre Werner · Dries van Agt · Margaret Thatcher · Wilfried Martens · Anker Jørgensen · Poul Schlüter · Helmut Kohl · Andreas Papandreou · François Mitterrand · Garret FitzGerald · Bettino Craxi · Jacques Santer · Ruud Lubbers · Margaret Thatcher · Wilfried Martens · Poul Schlüter · Helmut Kohl · Andreas Papandreou · Felipe González · François Mitterrand · Charles Haughey · Giulio Andreotti · Jacques Santer · Ruud Lubbers · Poul Schlüter · Aníbal Cavaco Silva · John Major · Poul Nyrup Rasmussen · Jean-Luc Dehaene · Andreas Papandreou · Helmut Kohl · Jacques Chirac · Felipe González · Lamberto Dini · Romano Prodi · John Bruton · Wim Kok · Jean-Claude Juncker · Tony Blair · Viktor Klima · Gerhard Schröder · Paavo Lipponen · António Guterres · Jacques Chirac · Göran Persson · Guy Verhofstadt · José María Aznar López · Anders Fogh Rasmussen · Costas Simitis · Silvio Berlusconi · Bertie Ahern · Jan Peter Balkenende · Jean-Claude Juncker · Tony Blair · Wolfgang Schüssel · Matti Vanhanen · Angela Merkel · José Sócrates · Janez Janša · Nicolas Sarkozy · Mirek Topolánek · Jan Fischer · Fredrik Reinfeldt Permanent President (since 2009) Herman Van Rompuy

This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the German Wikipedia. (December 2008) Don't speak German? Click here to read a machine-translated version of the German article. Click [show] on the right to review important translation instructions before translating. Google's machine translation is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. After translating, {{Translated|de|Heiner Geißler}} must be added to the talk page to ensure copyright compliance. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

Heiner Geißler
Heiner Geißler, 1978
Born	(1930-03-03) March 3, 1930 (age 82) Oberndorf am Neckar, then Free People's State of Württemberg, Germany
Nationality	Germany
Known for	Federal Ministers for Youth, Family and Health 1982 – 1985

Heiner Geißler (born March 3, 1930) is a German politician with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party.

Geißler studied law and philosophy in Munich and Tübingen, where he graduated in 1960.

Geißler was German minister for youth, family and health from 1982 to 1985 (so far the only male head of the ministry), and also general secretary of the CDU from 1977 to 1989. From being a conservative right-winger until the early 1990s, Geißler has become increasingly leftist in his views as far as social policy and globalization are concerned. In 2007 he announced he had become a member of attac network,^[1] this happened weeks before the 2007 G8 summit, which Germany, holding the 2007 G8 presidency, was hosting. Geißler himself said that his joining of attac has to be seen in the context of the upcoming G8 summit.^[2]

References[link]

External links[link]

Media related to Heiner Geißler at Wikimedia Commons

• Website
• ccoaler:How Geissler led a party intern attack vs. Helmut Kohl

This article about a German politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (December 2010)

Dieter Hallervorden, 2008

Dieter "Didi" Hallervorden (born September 5, 1935, Dessau, Anhalt) is a German comedian, comic actor, singer and cabaret artist.

Biography[link]

Dieter Hallervorden's mother was a physician's assistant and his father a graduate engineer employed by German aircraft maker Junkers. His siblings are called Renate and Margot. Dieter Hallervorden has two children (Dieter Hallervorden Jr. and Nathalie Hallervorden) from the marriage to Rotraud Schindler and one child (Johannes) from his current wife Elena Blume.

Dieter Hallervorden Jr. appeared in the movies Darf ich Sie zur Mutter machen (1968) and Die Hochzeitsreise (1969) and had some scenes in Nonstop Nonsens (1974–1980). Nathalie Hallervorden co-starred in the TV series Die Nervensäge (1985–1986) and had a brief appearance together with her parents in Nonstop Nonsens. Hallervorden's first wife, Rotraud Schindler, co-starred in several TV shows and some movies.

Hallervorden starred as a bumbling, Clouseau-like detective in the German television show Die Didi-Show. The show was dubbed into English, retitled Didi's Comedy Show, and shown in various countries.

An Afrikaans-subtitled version of the comedy sketch-show, Nonstop Nonsens (1975), starring Hallervorden, was broadcast in South Africa in the early 1980s under the title Grapjas Didi (tr. Didi the Joker or alternately Didi the Prankster). Also a Spanish-dubbed version was also distributed for Latin America under the name Las Locuras de Didí (The Madnesses of Didi).

Since 1988 Dieter Hallervorden lives in Trégastel (France) in the castle (French) Château de Costaérès.

Filmography[link]

TV shows[link]

Awards[link]

• 1981 Bambi (for his role in Nonstop Nonsens)
• 1996 Telestar (Best Host in "Verstehen Sie Spaß?")
• 2003 Deutscher Comedypreis (Honorary Award)
• 2005 Bayerischer Kabarettpreis (Honorary Award)
• 2006 Honorary Citizen of the German city Dessau

References[link]

• "Dieter Hallervorden - Jahrgang 1935" (in German). MITTELDEUTSCHER RUNDFUNK. 2009-04-05. http://www.mdr.de/kriegskinder/6200031.html. Retrieved 2010-12-07. 
• Anke Ziemer. "Prominente Alumni: Dieter Hallervorden" (in German). Freie Universität Berlin. http://www.fu-berlin.de/alumni/erinnerungen/prominente_alumni/hallervorden0205/index.html. Retrieved 2010-12-07. 

External links[link]

• More info and some videos (in German)
• Official site of the German Hallervorden DVD-Distributor (with forum)
• Dieter Hallervorden at the Internet Movie Database