Manfred Kanther facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Manfred Kanther
Federal Minister of the Interior
In office 7 July 1993 – 26 October 1998
Preceded by	Rudolf Seiters
Succeeded by	Otto Schily
Personal details
Born	(1939-05-26) 26 May 1939 (age 86) Schweidnitz
Political party	CDU (1958–)
Occupation	Stadtoberrechtsrat

Manfred Kanther was born on May 26, 1939. He is a German politician who believes in conservative ideas. From 1993 to 1998, he served as the Minister of the Interior for Germany. He has been a member of the CDU political party since 1958.

Early Life and Education

Manfred Kanther was born in a place called Schweidnitz, which is in Silesia. After finishing high school in 1958, he went to university. He studied law in the cities of Marburg and Bonn. He completed his law studies in 1966.

While he was a student, he joined a student club. This club was called Corps Guestphalia Marburg. Today, it is known as Corps Guestphalia et Suevoborussia Marburg. From 1967 to 1970, Mr. Kanther worked in Plettenberg. He held a position there as a senior legal officer for the city.

Manfred Kanther is married and has six children.

Political Career

Manfred Kanther was a member of the state parliament in Hesse. He served there from 1974 until 1993. In July 1993, he left the Hessian state parliament. He then became the Minister of the Interior for Germany. He took over this important role from Rudolf Seiters.

During his time as Minister, he made some important decisions. He ordered a ban on the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). This was because of attacks against Turkish buildings. He also worked on issues related to violence from a group called the Red Army Faction. Mr. Kanther was also against people having dual citizenship.

In 1994, he was chosen to be a member of the Bundestag. The Bundestag is like Germany's main parliament. He represented the area of Hanau. The government led by Helmut Kohl was re-elected. This meant Mr. Kanther continued his role as Minister of the Interior.

He helped make changes to policies for people seeking asylum. He also introduced a rule for foreign minors under sixteen. They needed a special visa to enter Germany. In 1998, he was again elected to the Bundestag.

Manfred Kanther stepped down from the Bundestag in January 2000. This was due to a financial issue involving his political party in Hesse. Later, in 2005, a court in Wiesbaden dealt with the matter. The court decided on a penalty for him. However, a higher court reviewed this decision in 2006. The case was sent back for more hearings. Eventually, his penalty was changed to a fine of €54,000.