Edmund Stoiber facts for kids
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Edmund Stoiber
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Stoiber in 2010
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| Leader of the Christian Social Union | |
| In office 9 October 1999 – 18 September 2007 |
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| General Secretary | Thomas Goppel Markus Söder |
| Preceded by | Theo Waigel |
| Succeeded by | Erwin Huber |
| Minister-President of Bavaria | |
| In office 28 May 1993 – 30 September 2007 |
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| Deputy | Hans Zehetmair Barbara Stamm Günther Beckstein |
| Preceded by | Max Streibl |
| Succeeded by | Günther Beckstein |
| President of the Bundesrat | |
| In office 1 November 1995 – 31 October 1996 |
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| First Vice President | Johannes Rau |
| Preceded by | Johannes Rau |
| Succeeded by | Erwin Teufel |
| State Minister of the Interior of Bavaria | |
| In office 19 October 1988 – 17 June 1993 |
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| Minister-President | Max Streibl |
| Preceded by | August Richard Lang |
| Succeeded by | Günther Beckstein |
| State Minister and Chief of the State Chancellery of Bavaria | |
| In office 27 October 1982 – 19 October 1988 |
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| Minister-President | Franz Josef Strauß |
| Preceded by | Rainer Keßler |
| Succeeded by | Wilhelm Vorndran |
| Member of the Landtag of Bavaria for Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen, Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen; 1994–2003) (Miesbach; 1974–1994) |
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| In office 12 November 1974 – 17 July 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Anton Staudacher |
| Succeeded by | Martin Bachhuber |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 September 1941 Oberaudorf, Bavaria, Germany |
| Political party | Christian Social Union (1971–) |
| Spouse |
Karin Stoiber
(m. 1968) |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Wolfratshausen |
| Alma mater | Bavarian School of Public Policy Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich University of Regensburg (Dr. iur.) |
| Website |
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Edmund Rüdiger Stoiber (born 28 September 1941) is a German politician. He was the 16th minister-president of the German state of Bavaria from 1993 to 2007. He also led the Christian Social Union (CSU) party during that time.
In 2002, he ran to become Chancellor of Germany. This was a very close election, but he lost to Gerhard Schröder. On 18 January 2007, he announced he would leave his roles as minister-president and party leader.
Contents
Who is Edmund Stoiber?
Early Life and Education
Edmund Stoiber was born in Oberaudorf, a town in the Bavaria region of Germany. This was on September 28, 1941.
Before he started his political career in 1974, he was a lawyer. He also worked at the University of Regensburg.
Stoiber went to the Ignaz-Günther-Gymnasium in Rosenheim. He finished high school in 1961. He then studied political science and law at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
In 1967, he passed his first state law exam. He worked at the University of Regensburg studying criminal law and Eastern European law. He earned a doctorate in law. In 1971, he passed his second state law exam with high marks.
Later in 1971, Stoiber joined the Bavarian State Ministry of Development and Environment.
Political Journey
Early Political Roles
In 1978, Stoiber became the secretary general of the CSU party. He held this important position until 1982 or 1983. In this role, he helped manage the election campaign for Franz-Josef Strauss. Strauss was the first Bavarian leader to try to become Chancellor in the 1980 national elections.
From 1982 to 1986, Stoiber was a deputy to the Bavarian secretary of state. Then, he led the State Chancellery from 1982 to 1988. This office helps the Minister-President manage the state government. From 1988 to 1993, he served as the State Minister of the Interior. This means he was in charge of internal affairs for Bavaria.
Leading Bavaria: Minister-President (1993–2007)
In May 1993, the Landtag of Bavaria (Bavaria's state parliament) chose Stoiber as their Minister-President. He took over from Max Streibl. The Minister-President is like the head of government for the state of Bavaria.
As Minister-President, Stoiber also served as President of the Bundesrat in 1995 and 1996. The Bundesrat is a body where German states work together on national laws. In 1998, he also became the chairman (leader) of the CSU party.
During his 14 years as Bavaria's leader, the state became one of the richest in Germany. Under his leadership, Bavaria sold off over $3 billion worth of state-owned businesses. This money was then used to build new roads and other important structures. It also helped new companies get started. He is known for helping Bavaria become a strong economy in Europe. Many high-tech, engineering, and media companies moved there. This helped reduce unemployment to half the national average.
Running for Chancellor (2002)
In 2002, Stoiber became the candidate for Chancellor for the CDU/CSU parties. He was chosen over Angela Merkel, who was the leader of the CDU party at the time.
Before the 2002 national elections, the CSU/CDU parties were far ahead in the polls. Stoiber famously said the election was like a football match where his team was winning 2-0 in the second half. However, things changed on election day. The SPD made a big comeback. The CDU/CSU was narrowly defeated. Both parties got about 38.5% of the vote, but the SPD won by a very small margin. This was one of the closest elections in modern German history.
Gerhard Schröder was re-elected as Chancellor. Many people thought Stoiber's response to the floods in eastern Germany before the election hurt his chances. Also, Schröder strongly spoke out against the upcoming Iraq War. This position was seen as helping him win the election.
Later Political Career
After the 2002 election, Stoiber led the CSU to a big victory in the 2003 Bavarian state elections. They won 60.7% of the votes, which was a huge win for a German party in any state.
From 2003 to 2004, Stoiber helped lead a group to reform how power is shared between the federal government and the states in Germany. In 2004, he was considered for the presidency of the European Commission, but he decided not to run.
Stoiber had hoped to run for Chancellor again, but Angela Merkel secured the nomination. In 2005, she won the general election. Stoiber was expected to become the Economics Minister in Merkel's government. However, he decided to stay in Bavaria.
Criticism grew within his party because of his decision. On 18 January 2007, he announced he would step down as Minister-President and party chairman by September 30. Günther Beckstein became the new Minister-President. Erwin Huber became the new party chairman. Both Beckstein and Huber resigned after the 2008 state elections. In that election, the CSU's votes dropped, and they had to form a coalition government for the first time since 1966.
Life After Politics
After leaving German politics in 2007, Stoiber became a special adviser to the European Commission President José Manuel Barroso. He led a group that looked at how to reduce administrative burdens (too much paperwork and rules). This group was even nicknamed the "Stoiber Group." He held this role until late 2015.
Since 2007, Stoiber has also worked as a lawyer. He has held various positions on boards and advisory councils. These include:
- Member of the Board of Trustees for the Bundesliga Foundation (football).
- Chairman of the Advisory Board for Deloitte Germany.
- Member of the Supervisory Board for FC Bayern Munich.
Political Views
Foreign Policy
As Minister-President, Stoiber traveled to many countries, including China, Israel, India, and South Korea.
In 2002, Stoiber supported the United States' policy towards Iraq. He was against war but wanted weapons inspectors to go to Iraq to avoid conflict. He also criticized German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer for his strong criticism of the U.S. position.
Stoiber is known for supporting Vladimir Putin. Some people have compared his relationship with Putin to that of Gerhard Schröder.
European Integration
Stoiber was a bit unsure about Germany joining the Euro currency. In 1997, he suggested delaying Europe's currency union for five years. He also strongly opposed Turkey joining the European Union. He believed Turkey's culture would change the Union too much.
However, Stoiber has also said he is a "good European." He supports a common EU foreign policy and even a single European army. In 1993, he said he wanted a simple confederation where individual nations keep their main power, especially in internal matters.
Economic Policy
Stoiber is known for his conservative approach to both money matters and social issues. This helped him gain support in Bavaria, where religious votes are strong.
In 2005, Stoiber helped convince Novartis, a Swiss pharmaceutical company, to move its Sandoz headquarters to Munich. This was a big win for Bavaria, helping it become a center for pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.
During his time as Minister-President, Stoiber pushed for a high-speed magnetic-levitation train link from Munich's main station to its airport. This project was very expensive. After he left office, the German government stopped the plans in 2008 because of the high costs.
Domestic Policy
Stoiber was known for wanting to reduce the number of asylum seekers Germany accepted. Some critics called him xenophobic and anti-Turkish. In the late 1990s, he criticized Chancellor Gerhard Schröder for saying he would work for both Germans and people living in Germany.
In 1995, a court ruled that a Bavarian law requiring a crucifix in every classroom was against the constitution. Stoiber said he would not immediately order the removal of crucifixes. He argued they didn't have to be removed if parents in a school all agreed to keep them.
During his 2002 election campaign, Stoiber said he would not ban same-sex marriages. This was a policy he had strongly disagreed with when it was first introduced by the Schröder government.
Media Policy
Stoiber strongly supported changes in German law to give more power to private TV channels. In 1995, he called for getting rid of Germany's public television service, ARD. He wanted to make its regional services simpler.
Personal Life
Stoiber is Roman Catholic. He is married to Karin Stoiber. They have three children: Constanze, Veronica, and Dominic. They also have five grandchildren.
Stoiber is a big football fan. He played for a local football team, BCF Wolfratshausen, when he was younger. He is a member of the Supervisory Board of FC Bayern Munich (the professional football team). He also chairs the Advisory Board of the FC Bayern Munich club.
Before the 2002 election, Uli Hoeneß, the general manager of FC Bayern, supported Stoiber. Football legend Franz Beckenbauer also showed his support by letting Stoiber fly with the Germany national football team after the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Awards and Honors
Edmund Stoiber has received many awards for his work and service. Some of them include:
- 1984: Bavarian Order of Merit
- 1996: Karl Valentin Order
- 2002: Commander of the Legion of Honour (from France)
- 2004: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- 2005: Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Sash for Services to the Republic of Austria
- 2006: Grand Cross of Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
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See also
- List of minister-presidents of Bavaria
