Horst Seehofer

      Horst Seehofer
      12-07-17-landtagsprojekt-bayern-RalfR-001.jpg
      President of the Bundesrat
      In office
      1 November 2011 – 31 October 2012
      Preceded by Hannelore Kraft
      Succeeded by Winfried Kretschmann
      Minister-President of Bavaria
      Incumbent
      Assumed office
      27 October 2008
      Deputy Martin Zeil
      Preceded by Günther Beckstein
      Chairman of the Christian Social Union
      Incumbent
      Assumed office
      25 October 2008
      Preceded by Erwin Huber
      Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection
      In office
      22 November 2005 – 27 October 2008
      Chancellor Angela Merkel
      Preceded by Renate Künast
      Succeeded by Ilse Aigner
      Federal Minister of Health
      In office
      6 May 1992 – 26 October 1998
      Chancellor Helmut Kohl
      Preceded by Gerda Hasselfeldt
      Succeeded by Andrea Fischer
      Personal details
      Born (1949-07-04) 4 July 1949 (age 63)
      Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany
      Political party Christian Social Union
      Spouse(s) Karin Seehofer
      Religion Roman Catholic
      Website Official website

      Horst Lorenz Seehofer (born 4 July 1949) is a German politician (CSU). He served as the Federal Minister for Health and Social Security from 1992 to 1998 and as the Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection in the cabinet of Angela Merkel from 2005 to 2008. In October 2008 he became chairman of the CSU and Minister-President of Bavaria.[1]

      He is married to Karin Seehofer.

      Federal Minister and Member of the Bundestag

      He has been a member of the Lower House of the German Parliament (Bundestag) in Germany since 1980. Horst Seehofer was Federal Minister for Health and Social Security from 1992 to 1998 in the cabinet of Helmut Kohl. He then became assistant chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group of the Bundestag in October 1998. Because of his disagreement with flat-rate contributions (Gesundheitsprämie) to the federal health insurance he resigned from his post on 22 November 2004 but remained the assistant chairman of the CSU and kept his mandate. Since joining the Bundestag Horst Seehofer has kept his mandate as a directly elected delegate (Direktkandidat) from his Constituency Ingolstadt. At the 2005 federal election he received 65.9 percent of the votes in his district. Seehofer was appointed Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection in the cabinet of Angela Merkel and stayed in office from 2005 to 2008.

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      Minister-President in Bavaria

      After his party lost more than 17% of the popular vote in the Bavarian state elections of 2008, incumbent Minister-President Günther Beckstein and Chairman of the CSU, Erwin Huber, announced their resignations.[2][3] Seehofer was quickly proposed as their successor. At a party convention on 25 October he was affirmed as the new Chairman of the CSU with 90% of the votes, and on 27 October he was elected Minister-President by the Landtag with votes from the Free Democratic Party, forming the first coalition government in Bavaria since 1962.

      During the term 2011–2012, Seehofer served as President of the German Bundesrat. As such, he acted as acting head of state between Christian Wulff's resignation on 17 February 2012[4][5][6][7][8] and the election of Joachim Gauck on 18 March 2012.

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      References

      1. ^ "Germany's Seehofer, Merkel Ally, Elected Bavarian State Premier". Bloomberg. 2008-10-27. Retrieved 2011-07-09. 
      2. ^ "Bavaria's CSU leader quits after election blow". Reuters. 2008-09-30. Retrieved 2011-07-09. 
      3. ^ "Second CSU leader quits, raising risks for Merkel". Reuters. 2008-10-01. Retrieved 2011-07-09. 
      4. ^ "Bundesratspräsident nimmt Befugnisse des Bundespräsidenten wahr". Bundesrat. 2012-02-17. Retrieved 2012-02-17. 
      5. ^ "President Wulff resigns". The Local. Retrieved 17 February 2012. 
      6. ^ "Staatsoberhaupt Seehofer" (in German). Süddeutsche Zeitung. 2012-02-18. Retrieved 2012-03-20. 
      7. ^ "Horst Seehofer ist kommissarisches Staatsoberhaupt" (in German). Welt Online. 2012-02-17. Retrieved 2012-03-20. 
      8. ^ "Porträt: Seehofer kommissarisches Staatsoberhaupt" (in German). Zeit Online. 2012-02-17. Retrieved 2012-03-20. 
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      External links

      Political offices
      Preceded by
      Gerda Hasselfeldt
      Federal Minister of Health
      1992–1998
      Succeeded by
      Andrea Fischer
      Preceded by
      Renate Künast
      Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection
      2005–2008
      Succeeded by
      Ilse Aigner
      Preceded by
      Günther Beckstein
      Minister-President of Bavaria
      2008–present
      Incumbent
      Preceded by
      Hannelore Kraft
      President of the Bundesrat
      2011–2012
      Succeeded by
      Winfried Kretschmann
      Party political offices
      Preceded by
      Erwin Huber
      Chairman of the Christian Social Union
      2008–present
      Incumbent
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      Last modified on 21 February 2013, at 17:57