Hannelore Kraft facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hannelore Kraft MdL MdBR a. D.
Kraft in 2017
Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia
In office 14 July 2010 – 27 June 2017
Deputy	Sylvia Löhrmann
Preceded by	Jürgen Rüttgers
Succeeded by	Armin Laschet
President of the Bundesrat
In office 1 November 2010 – 31 October 2011
Deputy	Jens Böhrnsen
Preceded by	Jens Böhrnsen
Succeeded by	Horst Seehofer
Leader of the Social Democratic Party in North Rhine-Westphalia
In office 20 January 2007 – 14 May 2017
Deputy	Marc Herter Elvan Korkmaz
Preceded by	Jochen Dieckmann
Succeeded by	Michael Groschek
Deputy Leader of the Social Democratic Party
In office 13 November 2009 – 14 May 2017
Leader	Sigmar Gabriel Martin Schulz
Preceded by	Andrea Nahles
Succeeded by	Natascha Kohnen
Minister of Science and Research of North Rhine-Westphalia
In office 12 November 2002 – 31 May 2005
Minister-President	Peer Steinbrück
Preceded by	Gabriele Behler
Succeeded by	Andreas Pinkwart
Minister of Federal and European Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia
In office 24 April 2001 – 12 November 2002
Minister-President	Wolfgang Clement
Preceded by	Detlev Samland
Succeeded by	Wolfram Kuschke
Member of the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia for Mülheim I (Mülheim an der Ruhr II – Essen VII; 2000–2005)
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 June 2000
Preceded by	Constituency established
Personal details
Born	Hannelore Külzhammer (1961-06-12) 12 June 1961 (age 64) Mülheim an der Ruhr, West Germany
Political party	Social Democratic Party
Alma mater	Comprehensive University of Duisburg
Signature
Website	www.hannelore-kraft.de

Hannelore Kraft (born on June 12, 1961) is a German politician. She was the Minister-President (like a state governor) of North Rhine-Westphalia, a large state in Germany, from 2010 to 2017. She was the first woman to lead this state's government. She was also the third woman to become a head of a state government in Germany. From November 2010 to October 2011, she was the President of the Bundesrat, which is like the upper house of Germany's parliament. She was the first woman to hold this important position too.

Early Life and Education

Hannelore Kraft was born in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany. Her father was a streetcar driver and her mother was a ticket collector. After finishing school in 1980, she trained to be a bank clerk.

In 1982, she started studying economics at the University of Duisburg-Essen. She also studied for a year at King's College London in 1986 and 1987. She finished her university studies in 1989.

Career in Politics

Starting Her Career

From 1989 to 2001, Hannelore Kraft worked as a consultant. She was also a project manager at a company called ZENIT GmbH. This company focused on innovation and technology.

Joining Politics

Kraft joined the SPD in 1994. She became interested in politics after facing challenges. For example, she found it hard to find a place for her son in a nursery.

In 2000, she was elected to the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia. This is the state parliament. She represented different areas in Mülheim and Essen.

From 2001 to 2005, she held important roles in the state government. She was the Minister for Federal and European Affairs. Later, she became the Minister for Science and Research.

Leading the SPD in North Rhine-Westphalia

In 2005, the SPD party lost the state election. After this, Kraft was chosen to lead the SPD group in the state parliament. This made her the leader of the opposition.

In 2007, she became the chairperson of the SPD in North Rhine-Westphalia. In 2009, she was also elected as one of the four vice-chairs of the national SPD party. This showed her growing importance in German politics.

First Term as Minister-President (2010-2012)

In the state election on May 9, 2010, her party and the CDU had almost the same number of seats. Kraft formed a minority government with the SPD and the Green Party. This meant they did not have a full majority of seats.

On July 14, 2010, Kraft was elected Minister-President. She was supported by the SPD and the Greens. Her government was called the "invitation coalition." For almost two years, she led the state without a full majority. She had to get support from other parties for her plans.

In October 2010, Kraft became the President of the Bundesrat. This was a very important role. She was the first woman to hold this position.

In 2012, her government faced a challenge. Their budget plans did not pass. This led to an early election.

Second Term as Minister-President (2012-2017)

The election in 2012 was a success for Kraft. Her SPD-Green coalition won a clear majority. This allowed her to continue as Minister-President.

After this election, Hannelore Kraft became very popular. Many people thought she might become the next Chancellor of Germany. However, she decided to stay in her home state. She wanted to finish her five-year term there.

In 2013, Kraft was part of the SPD team that worked with Angela Merkel's party. They formed a new German government. Kraft played a key role in energy discussions. She supported the coal industry, which is important in her state.

In 2014, her government planned to spend a record amount of money. They also aimed to reduce the state's debt. Kraft often spoke out against Merkel's strict spending policies.

In March 2014, Kraft welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to Duisburg. This city was the final stop on a railway line connecting Europe and Asia.

After her party lost the state elections in 2017, Kraft left her role as Minister-President. She remained a member of the state parliament. She also joined the supervisory board of RAG AG, a large company. In 2020, she announced she would not run for election again in 2022.

Political Views

Energy Policy

In 2012, Kraft focused on investing in renewable energy. She wanted more than 30 percent of electricity in North Rhine-Westphalia to come from renewable sources by 2025. She also called for lower electricity costs for consumers.

Kraft was against hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. This is a method to extract oil and natural gas. She stated that there would be no fracking for unconventional natural gas in North Rhine-Westphalia while she was governor. She also pushed for stricter rules on fracking.

Tax Evasion

Early in her time as Minister-President, Kraft focused on stopping tax evasion. This is when people illegally avoid paying taxes. In 2013, she helped block a tax agreement with Switzerland. She felt it was too easy on people who dodged taxes.

Immigration

In 2015, when Angela Merkel allowed many asylum seekers to come to Germany, Kraft noted its impact. She said this decision encouraged thousands of migrants to head to Germany. North Rhine-Westphalia took in about one-fifth of these new arrivals.

Relations with France

Kraft worked to strengthen ties between Germany and France. She co-chaired the German-French Friendship Group. This group included members from both countries' parliaments.

In 2014, she attended a memorial for Armistice Day in France. She was there with French President François Hollande and other officials. This marked 100 years since the start of World War I.

In March 2015, Kraft joined Merkel, Hollande, and the Prime Minister of Spain at the crash site of Germanwings Flight 9525. Many of the passengers on the plane lived in North Rhine-Westphalia. She also attended a memorial service in Haltern for students and teachers who died in the crash.

Other Roles and Memberships

Hannelore Kraft has been involved with many organizations.

Company Boards

• RAG AG, Member of the supervisory board (since 2017)

Non-profit Organizations

• Stiftung Duisburg 24.7.2017, Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2018)
• Heinz Kühn Foundation, chairwoman of the Board of Trustees
• Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation, Member of the Board
• Deutsches Museum, Member of the Board
• Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Member of the Board
• German Children and Youth Foundation (DKJS), Member of the Board
• North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences, Humanities and the Arts, Member of the Board
• IG Metall, Member (since 1995)

Awards

• 2007 – Ehrenring des Rheinlandes
• 2010 – Order of Merit of North Rhine-Westphalia
• 2012 – Marie-Juchacz-Plakette
• 2018 – Great Cross with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

Personal Life

Hannelore Kraft is married and has one son. She was formerly Catholic but later became a Protestant. She joined the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland.

See also

In Spanish: Hannelore Kraft para niños