Franz Müntefering
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Franz Müntefering
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Minister of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs
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| In office 1998 – 1999 |
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| Preceded by | Eduard Oswald |
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| Succeeded by | Reinhard Klimmt |
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Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
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| In office 2004 – 2005 |
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| Preceded by | Gerhard Schröder |
| Succeeded by | Matthias Platzeck |
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| In office 2005 – 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Joschka Fischer |
| Succeeded by | Frank-Walter Steinmeier |
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| In office 2005 – 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Wolfgang Clement |
| Succeeded by | Olaf Scholz |
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| Born | January 16, 1940 Neheim, Germany  |
| Nationality | German |
| Political party | SPD |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Franz Müntefering (born January 16, 1940) is a German politician. He was Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) from 2004 to 2005, and is expected to assume that post again in 2008. He was Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, as well as Vice-Chancellor, from 2005 to 2007.
[edit] Biography
He was born in Neheim (now part of Neheim-Hüsten) and joined the SPD in 1966. He was a member of the Bundestag from 1975 to 1992 and again since 1998; from 1995 to 1998 he was a member of the Landtag (state parliament) of North Rhine-Westphalia.
He was Bundesgeschäftsführer (executive director) of the SPD from 1995 to 1998, and after holding briefly the post of Minister of Transportation and Construction in the first cabinet of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, he was the first to hold the new post of SPD General Secretary from 1999 to 2002, and thereafter became leader of the SPD fraction in the Bundestag. In February 2004 he was designated to succeed Schröder as party chairman in March 2004.
In April 2005, Müntefering criticized the market economy of Germany and proposed more state involvement to promote economic justice. In this speech, he described private equity firms as "locusts". He subsequently published a "locust list" of companies, which he circulated within the SPD [1]. This began a debate which has dominated the national news, being the subject of front-page articles and covered on the main television news broadcasts nearly every day. Müntefering's suggestions have been criticized by employers and many economists, but have met with popular support (up to 75% in some opinion polls).
On October 31, 2005, Müntefering's favoured candidate for Secretary General of the SPD, Kajo Wasserhövel, was defeated by the left-wing candidate Andrea Nahles in a preliminary internal election. Müntefering subsequently announced his intention to resign as SPD Chairman, and was succeeded by Matthias Platzeck at the next party convention on November 15, 2005. Platzeck resigned from this position in April 2006, and his successor was Kurt Beck.
Müntefering became Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and Vice-Chancellor in the cabinet of Angela Merkel on November 22, 2005. After two years in those posts, Müntefering's spokesman said on November 13, 2007 that Müntefering would resign from them later in the month. The decision was said to be based on "purely familial reasons".[1] Later in the day, Müntefering said that he would leave his positions in the government on November 21, attributing his decision to the illness of his wife, Ankepetra, who was suffering from cancer.[2] Upon leaving office on November 21, 2007, he was replaced as Vice-Chancellor by Frank-Walter Steinmeier and as Minister of Labor by Olaf Scholz, both of whom are also members of the SPD.[3]
Müntefering's wife Ankepetra died on July 31, 2008. Following her death, Müntefering decided to return to active politics and took part in SPD campaigning.[4] On September 7, 2008, Kurt Beck resigned as SPD Chairman, and Müntefering was planned to succeed Beck in that post.[4][5]
[edit] References
- ^ "German Labor Minister Müntefering to Resign", Deutsche Welle, November 13, 2007.
- ^ Andreas Cremer and Brian Parkin, "Muentefering, Vice-Chancellor Under Merkel, Quits", Bloomberg.com, November 13, 2007.
- ^ "Merkel defends record as Germany's tense governing coalition hits 2-year mark", Associated Press (International Herald Tribune), November 21, 2007.
- ^ a b Judy Dempsey, "German foreign minister picked to challenge Merkel", International Herald Tribune, September 7, 2008.
- ^ "German SPD party reshuffles leadership, with eye on election", Xinhua, September 7, 2008.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Gerhard Schröder |
Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany 2004–2005 |
Succeeded by Matthias Platzeck |
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| Preceded by Joschka Fischer |
Vice Chancellor of Germany 2005-2007 |
Succeeded by Frank-Walter Steinmeier |
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| Persondata | |
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| NAME | Müntefering, Franz |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | German politician and former chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 16, 1940 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Neheim (now part of Arnsberg), Germany |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
