Harald Ringstorff facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Harald Ringstorff
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| Minister-President of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | |
| In office 3 November 1998 – 6 October 2008 |
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| Deputy | Helmut Holter |
| Preceded by | Berndt Seite |
| Succeeded by | Erwin Sellering |
| President of Bundesrat | |
| In office 1 November 2006 – 31 October 2007 |
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| President | Horst Köhler |
| Chancellor | Angela Merkel |
| Preceded by | Peter Harry Carstensen |
| Succeeded by | Ole von Beust |
| Minister of Justice of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | |
| In office 3 November 1998 – 19 September 2000 |
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| Minister-President | Harald Ringstorff |
| Preceded by | Rolf Eggert |
| Succeeded by | Erwin Sellering |
| Deputy Minister-President of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | |
| In office 8 December 1994 – 6 May 1996 |
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| Minister-President | Bernd Seite |
| Preceded by | Klaus Gollert |
| Succeeded by | Hinrich Kuessner |
| Minister of Economics and Affairs of European Union of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | |
| In office 8 December 1994 – 6 May 1996 |
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| Minister-President | Bernd Seite |
| Preceded by | Herbert Helmrich (Affairs of European Union) Conrad-Michael Lehment (Economics) |
| Succeeded by | Rolf Eggert (Affairs of European Union) Jürgen Seidel (Economics) |
| Leader of the Social Democratic Party in the Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | |
| In office 6 May 1996 – 3 November 1998 |
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| Preceded by | Gottfried Timm |
| Succeeded by | Volker Schlotmann |
| In office 26 October 1990 – 15 November 1994 |
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| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Gottfried Timm |
| Member of the Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern for Parchim II (Rostock III; 1990–1994) (Social Democratic List; 1994–1998; 2006–2011) |
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| In office 26 October 1990 – 4 October 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Schwarz |
| Member of the Volkskammer for Rostock |
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| In office 5 April 1990 – 2 October 1990 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 25, 1939 Wittenburg, Nazi Germany |
| Died | 19 November 2020 (aged 81) Schwerin, Germany |
| Political party | SPD |
Harald Ringstorff (born September 25, 1939 – died November 19, 2020) was an important German politician. He was a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). From 1998 to 2008, he served as the third Minister-President of the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. This role is similar to a state governor or premier.
Ringstorff led a government made up of different political parties working together. First, he led a group with the SPD and PDS (which later became The Left Party). Then, from 2006, he led a group with the SPD and the CDU. He also held the important position of President of the Bundesrat in 2006 and 2007. The Bundesrat is a council where representatives from Germany's states work together.
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Early Life and Education
Harald Ringstorff was born in Wittenburg, Germany. After finishing high school, which is called Abitur in Germany, he completed his military service. He then went on to study Chemistry at the University of Rostock. In 1969, he earned his Ph.D. degree.
After his studies, Ringstorff worked as a chemist. He worked at the Rostock dockyards, which are places where ships are built and repaired. From 1987 to 1990, he was a director at a company called VEB Kali-Chemie. This was a "people's enterprise" for potash chemistry in East Germany.
Political Career Beginnings
In 1989, Harald Ringstorff helped start the Social Democratic Party in East Germany (GDR). He became a member of the Volkskammer, which was the freely elected parliament of East Germany in 1990.
From 1990 to 2003, he was the leader of the SPD party in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Serving in the State Parliament
Since 1990, Ringstorff was a member of the Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The Landtag is the state parliament, where laws are made for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. He served as the leader of the SPD group in the parliament from 1990 to 1994 and again from 1996 to 1998.
In between these times, he held other important jobs. He was the Minister for Economic and European Affairs. He also served as the Deputy Minister-President in a government that included the SPD and the CDU.
Leading the State Government
In 1998, the SPD party decided to form a coalition government with the PDS party. This was a big decision and caused some debate within the SPD. Harald Ringstorff was then chosen as the Minister-President. His government was re-elected in 2002, showing that people supported his leadership.
After the elections in 2006, he chose to form a new coalition. This time, he partnered with the CDU party. This new partnership gave his government a stronger majority in the parliament.
On August 6, 2008, Harald Ringstorff announced that he would step down as Minister-President. He said it was because of his age. On October 6, Erwin Sellering took over his position. Ringstorff passed away on November 19, 2020.
See also
In Spanish: Harald Ringstorff para niños
