Oskar Lafontaine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Oskar Lafontaine
Lafontaine in 2017
Leader of the Social Democratic Party
In office 16 November 1995 – 12 March 1999
General Secretary	Franz Müntefering Ottmar Schreiner
Preceded by	Rudolf Scharping
Succeeded by	Gerhard Schröder
Leader of The Left
In office 16 June 2007 – 15 May 2010 Serving with Lothar Bisky
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Klaus Ernst
Minister of Finance
In office 27 October 1998 – 18 March 1999
Chancellor	Gerhard Schröder
Preceded by	Theodor Waigel
Succeeded by	Hans Eichel
Minister-President of the Saarland
In office 9 April 1985 – 9 November 1998
Preceded by	Werner Zeyer
Succeeded by	Reinhard Klimmt
President of the Bundesrat
In office 1 November 1992 – 31 October 1993
First Vice President	Berndt Seite
Preceded by	Berndt Seite
Succeeded by	Klaus Wedemeier
Lord Mayor of Saarbrücken
In office 22 January 1976 – 9 April 1985
Preceded by	Fritz Schuster
Succeeded by	Hans-Jürgen Koebnick
Parliamentary constituencies Member of the Landtag of Saarland for Saarlouis In office 23 September 2009 – 25 April 2022 Preceded by multi-member district Succeeded by multi-member district Member of the Bundestag for Saarland (North Rhine-Westphalia; 2005–2009) In office 18 October 2005 – 1 February 2010 Preceded by multi-member district Succeeded by Yvonne Ploetz Member of the Bundestag for Saarbrücken I In office 26 October 1998 – 16 March 1999 Preceded by himself (1994) Succeeded by Gudrun Roos In office 15 November 1994 – 17 November 1994 Preceded by himself (1990) Succeeded by Elke Ferner Member of the Landtag of Saarland for Saarbrücken In office 9 April 1985 – 9 November 1998 Preceded by multi-member district Succeeded by Karin Lawall In office 13 July 1970 – 14 July 1975 Preceded by multi-member district Succeeded by multi-member district
Personal details
Born	(1943-09-16) 16 September 1943 (age 81) Saarlautern, Saarland, Nazi Germany (now Saarlouis, Germany)
Political party	BSW (2023–present)
Other political affiliations	SPD (1966–2005) WASG (2005–2007) The Left (2007–2022) Independent (2022–2023)
Spouses	Ingrid Bachert ​ ​ (m. 1967; div. 1982)​ Margret Müller ​ ​ (m. 1982; div. 1988)​ Christa Müller ​ ​ (m. 1993; div. 2013)​ Sahra Wagenknecht ​ ​ (m. 2014)​
Children	2
Residence	Merzig-Silwingen
Alma mater	Saarland University (Diplom)
Occupation	Politician Publicist Physicist

Oskar Lafontaine was born on September 16, 1943. He is a German politician who has held many important roles. He was the head of the government in the state of Saarland from 1985 to 1998. He also led the Social Democratic Party (SPD) from 1995 to 1999.

In 1998, he became the Minister of Finance for Germany under Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. He later left the SPD and helped create a new political party called The Left. He was a leader of this party from 2007 to 2010.

Early Life and Education

Oskar Lafontaine was born in Saarlautern, which is now called Saarlouis. His father, Hans Lafontaine, was a baker who died during World War II. Oskar grew up with his mother, Katharina, and his twin brother, Hans, in Dillingen.

He went to a Catholic boarding school and then studied physics at the universities of Bonn and Saarland. He finished his studies in 1969. Before becoming a full-time politician, he worked for a company in Saarbrücken.

Family Life

Oskar Lafontaine has been married four times and has two sons. His current wife, whom he married in 2014, is fellow politician Sahra Wagenknecht.

Political Journey

Lafontaine started his political career in his local area. He became the mayor of Saarbrücken in 1976. He became more widely known when he spoke out against a plan to place missiles in Germany.

From 1985 to 1998, he was the Minister-President of the Saarland. This means he was the head of the state government. During this time, he worked hard to protect jobs in industries like steel and coal mining. He also served as the President of the Bundesrat (a part of Germany's parliament) from 1992 to 1993.

Running for Chancellor

Lafontaine election poster from 1990

In 1990, Oskar Lafontaine was the SPD's candidate to become the Chancellor of Germany. This election happened shortly after Germany was reunified. The government already in power was very popular, so it was a difficult election for him to win.

During his election campaign, he was attacked with a knife after a speech. He was seriously injured but recovered.

Leading the SPD and Minister of Finance

In 1995, Lafontaine was chosen as the leader of the SPD. He worked to challenge the government led by Helmut Kohl and his party.

After the SPD won the election in 1998, Lafontaine became the Federal Minister of Finance. He held this important role for about six months. He resigned in March 1999, saying there was a "lack of cooperation" in the government. After leaving, he became a critic of Chancellor Schröder's policies.

Forming The Left Party

In 2005, Oskar Lafontaine left the SPD. He then helped to create a new political party called The Left. This party was formed by combining two smaller parties. One of these was the successor to the ruling party of former East Germany.

In 2007, when The Left party was officially formed, he became one of its co-chairmen. He believed that the economy needed to be more democratic and that workers should have a bigger say in their companies.

Lafontaine continued to be active in politics in Saarland. He was the leader of the opposition in the Saarland parliament from 2012 to 2022. He left The Left party in March 2022, stating it was no longer an "alternative to the politics of social insecurity and inequality."

In 2024, Lafontaine joined a new party called Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW). He spoke at their founding meeting in January 2024.

Works

Oskar Lafontaine has written several books about politics and society. One of his books, published in 2022, is titled Ami, it's time to go!. In this book, he discusses his views on NATO and American influence in German politics.

Images for kids

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  Lafontaine election poster from 1990

See also

In Spanish: Oskar Lafontaine para niños