Bodo Ramelow: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|German politician}} |
{{Short description|German politician}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date= |
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}} |
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{{Infobox officeholder |
{{Infobox officeholder |
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| image = 2019-10-27 Wahlabend Thüringen by Sandro Halank–57.jpg |
| image = 2019-10-27 Wahlabend Thüringen by Sandro Halank–57.jpg |
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| caption = Ramelow in 2019 |
| caption = Ramelow in 2019 |
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| name = Bodo Ramelow |
| name = Bodo Ramelow |
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| honorific-suffix = [[Landtag of Thuringia|MdL]] [[Bundesrat of Germany|MdBR]] |
| honorific-suffix = [[Landtag of Thuringia|MdL]] [[Bundesrat of Germany|MdBR]] |
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| office = [[ |
| office = [[Minister-President of Thuringia]] |
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| term_start = 4 March 2020 |
| term_start = 4 March 2020 |
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| term_end = |
| term_end = |
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| deputy = [[Wolfgang Tiefensee]] |
| deputy = [[Wolfgang Tiefensee]]<br />Georg Maier |
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| predecessor = [[Thomas Kemmerich]] |
| predecessor = [[Thomas Kemmerich]] |
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| successor = |
| successor = |
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| term_start1 = 5 December 2014 |
| term_start1 = 5 December 2014 |
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| term_end1 = 5 February 2020 |
| term_end1 = 5 February 2020 |
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| deputy1 = Heike Taubert |
| deputy1 = Heike Taubert |
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| predecessor1 = [[Christine Lieberknecht]] |
| predecessor1 = [[Christine Lieberknecht]] |
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| successor1 = |
| successor1 = Thomas Kemmerich |
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|office2 = [[President of the German Bundesrat|President]] of the [[German Bundesrat|Bundesrat]] |
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| |
|1blankname2 = {{nowrap|[[German Bundesrat#Presidency|First Vice President]]}} |
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| 1blankname2 = {{nowrap|[[President of the German Bundesrat#List of presidents|First Vice President]]}} |
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| 1namedata2 = [[Reiner Haseloff]] |
| 1namedata2 = [[Reiner Haseloff]] |
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| term_start2 = 1 November 2021 |
| term_start2 = 1 November 2021 |
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| term_end2 = |
| term_end2 = 31 October 2022 |
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| predecessor2 = Reiner Haseloff |
| predecessor2 = Reiner Haseloff |
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| successor2 = |
| successor2 = [[Peter Tschentscher]] |
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⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
| term_start3 = 3 November 2009 |
| term_start3 = 3 November 2009 |
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| term_end3 = 5 December 2014 |
| term_end3 = 5 December 2014 |
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| predecessor3 = Dieter Hausold |
| predecessor3 = Dieter Hausold |
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| successor3 = Susanne Hennig-Wellsow |
| successor3 = [[Susanne Hennig-Wellsow]] |
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⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
| term_start4 = 14 November 2001 |
| term_start4 = 14 November 2001 |
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| term_end4 = 17 October 2005 |
| term_end4 = 17 October 2005 |
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{{Collapsed infobox section begin |last=yes |Parliamentary constituencies |
{{Collapsed infobox section begin |last=yes |Parliamentary constituencies |
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|titlestyle=border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}{{Infobox officeholder |embed=yes |
|titlestyle=border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}{{Infobox officeholder |embed=yes |
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| office5 = |
| office5 = Member of the<br />[[Landtag of Thuringia]] |
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| term_start5 = [[2019 Thuringian state election|26 November 2019]] |
| term_start5 = [[2019 Thuringian state election|26 November 2019]] |
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| term_end5 = |
| term_end5 = |
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| successor5 = |
| successor5 = |
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| constituency5 = [[Erfurt III]] |
| constituency5 = [[Erfurt III]] |
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| term_start6 = [[2014 Thuringian state election|14 October 2014]] |
| term_start6 = [[2014 Thuringian state election|14 October 2014]] |
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| term_end6 = 31 March 2015 |
| term_end6 = 31 March 2015 |
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| constituency6 = [[Electoral system of Germany|The Left list]] |
| constituency6 = [[Electoral system of Germany|The Left list]] |
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| successor6 = Iris Martin-Gehl |
| successor6 = Iris Martin-Gehl |
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| term_start7 = [[2009 Thuringian state election|29 September 2009]] |
| term_start7 = [[2009 Thuringian state election|29 September 2009]] |
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| term_end7 = [[2014 Thuringian state election|14 October 2014]] |
| term_end7 = [[2014 Thuringian state election|14 October 2014]] |
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| predecessor7 = |
| predecessor7 = Marion Walsmann |
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| successor7 = |
| successor7 = Marion Walsmann |
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| constituency7 = [[Erfurt III]] |
| constituency7 = [[Erfurt III]] |
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| term_start8 = [[2004 Thuringian state election|8 July 2004]] |
| term_start8 = [[2004 Thuringian state election|8 July 2004]] |
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| term_end8 = 17 October 2005 |
| term_end8 = 17 October 2005 |
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| successor8 = Jörg Kubitzki |
| successor8 = Jörg Kubitzki |
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| constituency8 = [[Erfurt I]] |
| constituency8 = [[Erfurt I]] |
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| term_start9 = [[1999 Thuringian state election|1 October 1999]] |
| term_start9 = [[1999 Thuringian state election|1 October 1999]] |
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| term_end9 = [[2004 Thuringian state election|8 July 2004]] |
| term_end9 = [[2004 Thuringian state election|8 July 2004]] |
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|predecessor9 = ''multi-member district'' |
|predecessor9 = ''multi-member district'' |
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| successor9= ''multi-member district'' |
| successor9= ''multi-member district'' |
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| constituency9 = [[Electoral system of Germany| |
| constituency9 = [[Electoral system of Germany|Party of Democratic Socialism list]] |
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| office10 = [[Member of the German Bundestag|Member]] of the [[Bundestag]] <br /> for [[Thuringia]] |
| office10 = [[Member of the German Bundestag|Member]] of the [[Bundestag]] <br /> for [[Thuringia]] |
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| term_start10 = [[2005 German federal election|18 October 2005]] |
| term_start10 = [[2005 German federal election|18 October 2005]] |
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| successor10 = Frank Tempel |
| successor10 = Frank Tempel |
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|predecessor10 = ''multi-member district'' |
|predecessor10 = ''multi-member district'' |
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| constituency10 = [[Electoral system of Germany| |
| constituency10 = [[Electoral system of Germany|Party of Democratic Socialism list]]{{Collapsed infobox section end}}}} |
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⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
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| death_date = |
| death_date = |
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| death_place = |
| death_place = |
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|children = 2 |
|children = 2 |
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⚫ | |||
|profession = |
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| otherparty = [[Party of Democratic Socialism (Germany)|Party of Democratic Socialism]] {{small|(1999–2007)}} |
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| occupation = {{hlist|Politician|Retail business management assistant|Union secretary}} |
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| residence = [[Erfurt]] |
| residence = [[Erfurt]] and [[Saalburg-Ebersdorf|Saalburg]] |
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| alma_mater = |
| alma_mater = |
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| spouse = {{marriage|Germana Alberti|2006}} |
| spouse = {{marriage|Germana Alberti vom Hofe|2006}} |
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⚫ | |||
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}} |
}} |
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'''Bodo Ramelow''' ({{IPA |
'''Bodo Ramelow''' ({{IPA|de|ˈboːdo ˈʁaməlo}}; born 16 February 1956) is a German politician who has served since 4 March 2020 as [[Minister-President of Thuringia]], an office he previously held from 2014 to 5 February 2020. He is the first [[Minister President (Germany)|head of a German state government]] to serve non-consecutive terms in office since [[Eberhard Diepgen]], who served twice as [[Governing Mayor of Berlin]] (1984–1989 and 1991–2001). A member of [[The Left (Germany)|The Left]], he previously chaired the party's group in the [[Landtag of Thuringia]]. On 8 October 2021, he was elected to a one-year term as [[President of the German Bundesrat|President of the Bundesrat]]. His term lasted from 1 November 2021 until 31 October 2022. |
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==Political career== |
==Political career== |
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Ramelow was born and raised in [[West Germany]]. He is a trained retail salesman and became an official in [[Ver.di|''Gewerkschaft Handel, Banken und Versicherungen'']] (HBV), the union for trade, bank and insurance employees during the 1980s. He moved to [[Thuringia]], in former [[East Germany]], after the unification of Germany in 1990. There he joined the |
Ramelow was born and raised in [[West Germany]]. He is a trained retail salesman and became an official in [[Ver.di|''Gewerkschaft Handel, Banken und Versicherungen'']] (HBV), the union for trade, bank and insurance employees during the 1980s. He moved to [[Thuringia]], in former [[East Germany]], after the unification of Germany in 1990. There he joined the successor to the SED - the East German Communist Party, the [[Party of Democratic Socialism (Germany)|Party of Democratic Socialism]] (PDS). He was elected to the [[Landtag of Thuringia]] in 1999. He became deputy chairman and in 2001 chairman of the party's parliamentary group in the Landtag (state parliament). |
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In February 2004, Ramelow was elected top candidate of the PDS in the [[2004 Thuringia state election|Thuringian state elections]]. In June 2004 the party gained its best result in Thuringia since [[German unification]] with 26.1% of the votes. Ramelow was re-elected as the PDS chairman in Thuringia. |
In February 2004, Ramelow was elected top candidate of the PDS in the [[2004 Thuringia state election|Thuringian state elections]]. In June 2004 the party gained its best result in Thuringia since [[German unification]] with 26.1% of the votes. Ramelow was re-elected as the PDS chairman in Thuringia. |
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===Illegal observation by the Verfassungsschutz=== |
===Illegal observation by the Verfassungsschutz=== |
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In 2003 it became publicly known that Germany's domestic intelligence service, the [[Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz]], had been observing Ramelow and had opened a file on him because of his alleged contacts with the [[German Communist Party]] (DKP) during the 1980s. Supposedly the observation had stopped following Ramelow's entry into the Landtag in 1999, but in May 2006 the [[Administrative court]] of [[Weimar]] decreed that the Thuringian State Verfassungsschutz had to reveal the file and the stored data. It became known that the federal Verfassungsschutz had observed Ramelow for many years. Ramelow sued the authorities, but in 2010 the [[Federal Administrative Court of Germany]] ruled that the Verfassungsschutz is entitled to observe politicians of the Left Party due to "reasonable suspicion of anti-constitutional activity".<ref>{{cite web |
In 2003, it became publicly known that Germany's domestic intelligence service, the [[Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz]], had been observing Ramelow and had opened a file on him because of his alleged contacts with the [[German Communist Party]] (DKP) during the 1980s. Supposedly the observation had stopped following Ramelow's entry into the Landtag in 1999, but in May 2006 the [[Administrative court]] of [[Weimar]] decreed that the Thuringian State Verfassungsschutz had to reveal the file and the stored data. It became known that the federal Verfassungsschutz had observed Ramelow for many years. Ramelow sued the authorities, but in 2010 the [[Federal Administrative Court of Germany]] ruled that the Verfassungsschutz is entitled to observe politicians of the Left Party due to "reasonable suspicion of anti-constitutional activity".<ref>{{cite web |
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| url=https://www.merkur.de/politik/ramelow-darf-verfassungsschutz-beobachtet-werden-849471.html |
| url=https://www.merkur.de/politik/ramelow-darf-verfassungsschutz-beobachtet-werden-849471.html |
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| title=Verfassungsschutz darf Linke beobachten |
| title=Verfassungsschutz darf Linke beobachten |
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| publisher=[[Münchner Merkur]] |
| publisher=[[Münchner Merkur]] |
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| language=de |
| language=de |
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| access-date=31 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite |
| access-date=31 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |
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| url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/urteil-des-bundesverwaltungsgerichts-verfassungsschutz-darf-ramelow-beobachten-11013310.html |
| url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/urteil-des-bundesverwaltungsgerichts-verfassungsschutz-darf-ramelow-beobachten-11013310.html |
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| title=Verfassungsschutz darf Ramelow beobachten |
| title=Verfassungsschutz darf Ramelow beobachten |
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| first=Mechthild |
| first=Mechthild |
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| last=Küpper |
| last=Küpper |
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| newspaper=Faz.net |
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| date=22 July 2010 |
| date=22 July 2010 |
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| publisher=[[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]] |
| publisher=[[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]] |
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===Minister President of Thuringia=== |
===Minister President of Thuringia=== |
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{{see also| |
{{see also|First Ramelow cabinet|Second Ramelow cabinet}} |
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Following [[2014 Thuringian state election|elections in September 2014]], Ramelow was elected by the Landtag as [[List of Ministers-President of Thuringia|Minister President of Thuringia]] on 5 December 2014 with the support of the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]] and the [[Alliance '90/The Greens|Greens]], which had joined the Left in a coalition. This vote, which Ramelow won in the second round, marked the first time the Left had won the leadership of any of Germany's states since the [[reunification of Germany]] in 1990.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-politics-left-vote/german-state-elects-reform-communist-leader-in-historic-shift-idUSKCN0JJ0SF20141205|title=German state elects reform communist leader in historic shift|first=Erik|last=Kirschbaum|date=5 December 2014|publisher=[[Reuters]]|access-date=31 October 2019}}</ref> |
Following [[2014 Thuringian state election|elections in September 2014]], Ramelow was elected by the Landtag as [[List of Ministers-President of Thuringia|Minister President of Thuringia]] on 5 December 2014 with the support of the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]] and the [[Alliance '90/The Greens|Greens]], which had joined the Left in a coalition. This vote, which Ramelow won in the second round, marked the first time the Left had won the leadership of any of Germany's states since the [[reunification of Germany]] in 1990.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-politics-left-vote/german-state-elects-reform-communist-leader-in-historic-shift-idUSKCN0JJ0SF20141205|title=German state elects reform communist leader in historic shift|first=Erik|last=Kirschbaum|date=5 December 2014|publisher=[[Reuters]]|access-date=31 October 2019}}</ref> |
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Ramelow's government lost its majority in the [[2019 Thuringian state election|2019 state election]], though his party moved into first place for the first time in any German state. Government formation was complicated by the |
Ramelow's government lost its majority in the [[2019 Thuringian state election|2019 state election]], though his party moved into first place for the first time in any German state. Government formation was complicated by the fact that The Left and the far-right [[Alternative for Germany]] (AfD) held a majority between them. All major parties had pledged their opposition to working with AfD, while the [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|CDU]], [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|FDP]], and AfD refused to work with The Left. On 5 February 2020, Ramelow was defeated in the Landtag election for Minister President after AfD voted with the FDP and CDU to elect FDP leader [[Thomas Kemmerich]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Olterman |first1=Philip |title=Outrage as German centre-right votes with AfD to oust Thuringia premier |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/05/centre-right-german-parties-vote-with-afd-to-oust-thuringia-premier-bodo-ramelow |website=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=5 February 2020 |date=5 February 2020}}</ref> After [[2020 Thuringian government crisis|it surfaced]] that Kemmerich may have cooperated with AfD leader [[Björn Höcke]] to win the election, Ramelow published a tweet with a photo of [[Adolf Hitler]] shaking hands with [[Paul von Hindenburg]] during his inauguration as Chancellor alongside a photo of Höcke shaking hands with Kemmerich. The tweet also included a 1930 statement from Hitler about the [[Nazi Party]]'s position as [[kingmaker]] after the 1929 Thuringian election.<ref>{{cite web|title=Germany AfD: Thuringia PM quits amid fury over far right|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51399445|date=6 February 2020|access-date=6 February 2020|work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> On 4 March, Ramelow was again elected as Minister President by the Landtag due to the abstentions of the CDU and FDP. After the vote, he refused to shake the hand of Björn Höcke, leader of the Thuringian AfD.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.dw.com/en/left-party-politician-bodo-ramelow-wins-key-german-state-vote/a-52635758|title=Left party politician Bodo Ramelow wins key German state vote|publisher=Deutsche Welle|date=4 March 2020}}</ref> |
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In February 2020, Ramelow was criticized because a tweet from the year 2012 surfaced where he posted a photograph of the Soviet Premier [[Joseph Stalin]] and commented "Comrade Stalin ;-)".<ref>Gensing, Patrick (12 February 2020)."[https://www.tagesschau.de/faktenfinder/genosse-stalin-ramelow-101.html "Ramelow-Tweet von 2012 - Wirbel um den "Genossen Stalin"]. ''[[Tagesschau (German TV series)|Tagesschau]]''. Retrieved 12 February 2020. In German Ramelow commented: "Genosse Stalin ;-)".</ref> |
In February 2020, Ramelow was criticized because a tweet from the year 2012 surfaced where he posted a photograph of the Soviet Premier [[Joseph Stalin]] and commented "Comrade Stalin ;-)".<ref>Gensing, Patrick (12 February 2020)."[https://www.tagesschau.de/faktenfinder/genosse-stalin-ramelow-101.html "Ramelow-Tweet von 2012 - Wirbel um den "Genossen Stalin"]. ''[[Tagesschau (German TV series)|Tagesschau]]''. Retrieved 12 February 2020. In German Ramelow commented: "Genosse Stalin ;-)".</ref> |
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⚫ | During the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Germany]], Ramelow became one of Germany's most prominent critics of [[COVID-19 lockdowns|lockdowns]]. Under Ramelow, Thuringia was the first state to lift restrictions following the first wave,<ref name="guinea">{{cite news|url=https://www.dw.com/en/thuringia-germanys-coronavirus-guinea-pigs/a-53559295|title=Thuringia: Germany's coronavirus guinea pigs?|date=25 May 2020|access-date=15 February 2021|newspaper=Deutsche Welle|first=Kate|last=Brady}}</ref> and Ramelow resisted lockdown measures requested by Angela Merkel during the second wave in late Autumn and the run-up to Christmas.<ref name="hat recht">{{cite news|url=https://www.n-tv.de/politik/Ramelow-fordert-richtigen-Lockdown-article22277354.html|title= Ramelow fordert "richtigen Lockdown"|date=8 January 2020|access-date=15 February 2021|newspaper=n-tv}}</ref> In January 2021, as Thuringia became Germany's worst affected state, Ramelow announced that he regretted this decision and now supported a hard lockdown.<ref name="hat recht"/> |
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On 4 March, Ramelow was again elected as Minister President by the Landtag due to the abstentions of the CDU and FDP. After the vote, he refused to shake the hand of Björn Höcke, leader of the Thuringian AfD.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.dw.com/en/left-party-politician-bodo-ramelow-wins-key-german-state-vote/a-52635758|title=Left party politician Bodo Ramelow wins key German state vote|publisher=Deutsche Welle|date=4 March 2020}}</ref> |
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Following the results of [[2024 Thuringian state election]] on 1 September 2024, Ramelow lost his position as minister president of Thuringia.{{cn|date=September 2024}} |
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==Honours== |
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⚫ | During the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Germany]], Ramelow became one of Germany's most prominent critics of [[COVID-19 lockdowns|lockdowns]]. Under Ramelow, Thuringia was the first state to lift restrictions following the first wave,<ref name="guinea">{{cite news|url=https://www.dw.com/en/thuringia-germanys-coronavirus-guinea-pigs/a-53559295|title=Thuringia: Germany's coronavirus guinea pigs?|date=25 May 2020| |
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* [[File:GER Bundesverdienstkreuz 6 GrVK Stern Band.svg|60px]] 2023 Grand Cross of the [[Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]]<ref name="Der Bundespräsident 2023 g585">{{cite web | title=Rede: Ordensverleihung an Ministerpräsidenten | website=[[Der Bundespräsident]] | date=23 November 2023 | url=https://www.bundespraesident.de/SharedDocs/Reden/DE/Frank-Walter-Steinmeier/Reden/2023/11/231124-OV-MP-Laender.html | language=de | access-date=24 November 2023}}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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*{{IMDb name|2937227}} |
*{{IMDb name|2937227}} |
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{{s-bef|before=[[Reiner Haseloff]]}} |
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{{s-ttl|title=[[President of the German Bundesrat|President of the Bundesrat]]|years=2021–2022}} |
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{{s-aft|after=[[Peter Tschentscher]]}} |
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{{s-end}} |
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{{Current Germany states Minister Presidents}} |
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{{Ministers-President of Thuringia}} |
{{Ministers-President of Thuringia}} |
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[[Category:People from Osterholz]] |
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[[Category:The Left (Germany) politicians]] |
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[[Category:Members of the Bundestag for Thuringia]] |
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[[Category:Party of Democratic Socialism (Germany) politicians]] |
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[[Category:Members of the Bundestag 2005–2009]] |
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[[Category:Members of the Bundestag for The Left]] |
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[[Category:Presidents of the German Bundesrat]] |
Latest revision as of 10:44, 21 September 2024
Bodo Ramelow | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Minister-President of Thuringia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Assumed office 4 March 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Deputy | Wolfgang Tiefensee Georg Maier | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Thomas Kemmerich | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 5 December 2014 – 5 February 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Deputy | Heike Taubert | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Christine Lieberknecht | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Thomas Kemmerich | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
President of the Bundesrat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 1 November 2021 – 31 October 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
First Vice President | Reiner Haseloff | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Reiner Haseloff | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Peter Tschentscher | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Leader of The Left in the Landtag of Thuringia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 3 November 2009 – 5 December 2014 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Dieter Hausold | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Susanne Hennig-Wellsow | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Leader of the Party of Democratic Socialism in the Landtag of Thuringia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 14 November 2001 – 17 October 2005 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Gabi Zimmer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Dieter Hausold | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | 16 February 1956 Osterholz-Scharmbeck, Lower Saxony, West Germany (now Germany) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Political party | The Left (since 2007) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other political affiliations | Party of Democratic Socialism (1999–2007) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse |
Germana Alberti vom Hofe
(m. 2006) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Residence(s) | Erfurt and Saalburg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Website | bodo-ramelow | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bodo Ramelow (German pronunciation: [ˈboːdo ˈʁaməlo]; born 16 February 1956) is a German politician who has served since 4 March 2020 as Minister-President of Thuringia, an office he previously held from 2014 to 5 February 2020. He is the first head of a German state government to serve non-consecutive terms in office since Eberhard Diepgen, who served twice as Governing Mayor of Berlin (1984–1989 and 1991–2001). A member of The Left, he previously chaired the party's group in the Landtag of Thuringia. On 8 October 2021, he was elected to a one-year term as President of the Bundesrat. His term lasted from 1 November 2021 until 31 October 2022.
Political career
[edit]Ramelow was born and raised in West Germany. He is a trained retail salesman and became an official in Gewerkschaft Handel, Banken und Versicherungen (HBV), the union for trade, bank and insurance employees during the 1980s. He moved to Thuringia, in former East Germany, after the unification of Germany in 1990. There he joined the successor to the SED - the East German Communist Party, the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS). He was elected to the Landtag of Thuringia in 1999. He became deputy chairman and in 2001 chairman of the party's parliamentary group in the Landtag (state parliament).
In February 2004, Ramelow was elected top candidate of the PDS in the Thuringian state elections. In June 2004 the party gained its best result in Thuringia since German unification with 26.1% of the votes. Ramelow was re-elected as the PDS chairman in Thuringia.
Starting in June 2005, Ramelow was chief negotiator during unification talks between the PDS and WASG, a unification that resulted in the new party The Left. In September 2005 he was elected deputy chairman of The Left in the Bundestag. In the Thuringia state election in September 2009 he led The Left to become the second biggest party with 27.4% of the votes, making him a competitor for the post of minister president.
Illegal observation by the Verfassungsschutz
[edit]In 2003, it became publicly known that Germany's domestic intelligence service, the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, had been observing Ramelow and had opened a file on him because of his alleged contacts with the German Communist Party (DKP) during the 1980s. Supposedly the observation had stopped following Ramelow's entry into the Landtag in 1999, but in May 2006 the Administrative court of Weimar decreed that the Thuringian State Verfassungsschutz had to reveal the file and the stored data. It became known that the federal Verfassungsschutz had observed Ramelow for many years. Ramelow sued the authorities, but in 2010 the Federal Administrative Court of Germany ruled that the Verfassungsschutz is entitled to observe politicians of the Left Party due to "reasonable suspicion of anti-constitutional activity".[1][2]
This ruling was overturned in 2013 by the Federal Constitutional Court, which decided that the monitoring had been illegal. It stated that monitoring lawmakers may be acceptable, but only in exceptional circumstances, "if there is an indication that a legislator has abused his or her mandate in the fight against the democratic constitutional order, or actively or aggressively fought against that order." The court found no grounds to suspect Ramelow, who is considered one of the more moderate voices within his party.[3] The decision was widely seen as a major victory for Ramelow's party as well.[4]
Minister President of Thuringia
[edit]Following elections in September 2014, Ramelow was elected by the Landtag as Minister President of Thuringia on 5 December 2014 with the support of the Social Democratic Party and the Greens, which had joined the Left in a coalition. This vote, which Ramelow won in the second round, marked the first time the Left had won the leadership of any of Germany's states since the reunification of Germany in 1990.[5]
Ramelow's government lost its majority in the 2019 state election, though his party moved into first place for the first time in any German state. Government formation was complicated by the fact that The Left and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) held a majority between them. All major parties had pledged their opposition to working with AfD, while the CDU, FDP, and AfD refused to work with The Left. On 5 February 2020, Ramelow was defeated in the Landtag election for Minister President after AfD voted with the FDP and CDU to elect FDP leader Thomas Kemmerich.[6] After it surfaced that Kemmerich may have cooperated with AfD leader Björn Höcke to win the election, Ramelow published a tweet with a photo of Adolf Hitler shaking hands with Paul von Hindenburg during his inauguration as Chancellor alongside a photo of Höcke shaking hands with Kemmerich. The tweet also included a 1930 statement from Hitler about the Nazi Party's position as kingmaker after the 1929 Thuringian election.[7] On 4 March, Ramelow was again elected as Minister President by the Landtag due to the abstentions of the CDU and FDP. After the vote, he refused to shake the hand of Björn Höcke, leader of the Thuringian AfD.[8]
In February 2020, Ramelow was criticized because a tweet from the year 2012 surfaced where he posted a photograph of the Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin and commented "Comrade Stalin ;-)".[9]
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, Ramelow became one of Germany's most prominent critics of lockdowns. Under Ramelow, Thuringia was the first state to lift restrictions following the first wave,[10] and Ramelow resisted lockdown measures requested by Angela Merkel during the second wave in late Autumn and the run-up to Christmas.[11] In January 2021, as Thuringia became Germany's worst affected state, Ramelow announced that he regretted this decision and now supported a hard lockdown.[11]
Following the results of 2024 Thuringian state election on 1 September 2024, Ramelow lost his position as minister president of Thuringia.[citation needed]
Honours
[edit]- 2023 Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany[12]
References
[edit]- ^ "Verfassungsschutz darf Linke beobachten". dpa (in German). Münchner Merkur. 21 July 2010. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
- ^ Küpper, Mechthild (22 July 2010). "Verfassungsschutz darf Ramelow beobachten". Faz.net (in German). Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
- ^ "Court rules against monitoring of Left party politician Ramelow". Deutsche Welle. 9 October 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ^ Donahue, Patrick (9 October 2013). "German Court Rules Spying on Left Party Lawmaker is Illegal". Bloomberg. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ^ Kirschbaum, Erik (5 December 2014). "German state elects reform communist leader in historic shift". Reuters. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
- ^ Olterman, Philip (5 February 2020). "Outrage as German centre-right votes with AfD to oust Thuringia premier". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
- ^ "Germany AfD: Thuringia PM quits amid fury over far right". BBC News. 6 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ "Left party politician Bodo Ramelow wins key German state vote". Deutsche Welle. 4 March 2020.
- ^ Gensing, Patrick (12 February 2020).""Ramelow-Tweet von 2012 - Wirbel um den "Genossen Stalin". Tagesschau. Retrieved 12 February 2020. In German Ramelow commented: "Genosse Stalin ;-)".
- ^ Brady, Kate (25 May 2020). "Thuringia: Germany's coronavirus guinea pigs?". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
- ^ a b "Ramelow fordert "richtigen Lockdown"". n-tv. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
- ^ "Rede: Ordensverleihung an Ministerpräsidenten". Der Bundespräsident (in German). 23 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
External links
[edit]- 1956 births
- Living people
- People from Osterholz
- Members of the Bundestag for Thuringia
- Members of the Landtag of Thuringia
- Ministers-president of Thuringia
- Party of Democratic Socialism (Germany) politicians
- Members of the Bundestag 2005–2009
- Members of the Bundestag for The Left
- Presidents of the German Bundesrat