Oskar Lafontaine
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| Oskar Lafontaine | |
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Mayor of Saarbrücken
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| In office 1976 – 1985 |
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| Preceded by | Fritz Schuster |
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| Succeeded by | Hans-Jürgen Koebnick |
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Primeminister of Saarland
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| In office 1985 – 1998 |
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| Preceded by | Werner Zeyer |
| Succeeded by | Reinhard Klimmt |
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Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
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| In office 1995 – 1999 |
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| Preceded by | Rudolf Scharping |
| Succeeded by | Gerhard Schröder |
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German Minister of Finance
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| In office 1998 – 1999 |
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| Preceded by | Theodor Waigel |
| Succeeded by | Hans Eichel |
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Chairman of the The Left
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office June 16, 2007 |
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| Born | September 16, 1943 Saarlouis-Roden, Germany |
| Nationality | German |
| Political party | The Left |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Oskar Lafontaine (IPA: [ˈlafɔntɛn]; born September 16, 1943 in Saarlouis-Roden) is a left-wing German politician, former Primeminister of Saarland and current chairman of the Left Party.
Lafontaine is among the most prominent critics of neoliberal politics in Germany. His views and remarks have made him a polarizing figure; most Germans are either fond of his politics or disdain them. Some have compared Lafontaine to Edmund Stoiber; both are close to the fringes of the German political mainstream, but come from opposite ends of the political spectrum.
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[edit] Political rise
He rose to prominence locally as mayor of Saarbrücken and became more widely known as a critic of chancellor Helmut Schmidt's support for the NATO plan to deploy Pershing II missiles in Germany. From 1985 to 1998 he served as prime minister of the Saarland. In this position he struggled to conserve the industrial base of this state which was based on steel production and coal mining with subsidies, and served as President of the Bundesrat in 1992/93.
[edit] Chancellor candidacy
In the German federal election of 1990, he was the SPD's Chancellor candidate. The party was defeated due to the national euphoria following the reunification. During the campaign he was attacked with a knife by a mentally deranged woman after a speech in Cologne. His carotid artery was slashed and he remained in a critical condition for several days.
[edit] Political comeback
At the "Mannheim convention" in 1995, he was elected chairman of the SPD in a surprise move, replacing Rudolf Scharping. He was mainly responsible for bringing the whole political weight of the SPD to bear against Helmut Kohl and his CDU party, rejecting bipartisan cooperation that had characterized German politics for many years. Lafontaine argued that any help given to Kohl would only lengthen his unavoidable demise.
After this strategy gave the SPD an unexpectedly clear victory at the polls in September 1998, he was appointed Federal Minister of Finance in the first government of Gerhard Schröder.
[edit] Minister of Finance
During his short tenure as Minister of Finance, Lafontaine was a main bogeyman of UK Eurosceptics, because among other things he had called for the prompt tax harmonisation of the European Union, the result of which would have been an increase in UK taxes. On March 11, 1999, he resigned from all his official and party offices, claiming "lack of cooperation" in the cabinet had become unbearable. More recently, he has become known for his attacks against the current German government in the tabloid Bild-Zeitung which is generally considered conservative.
[edit] Leaving the SPD/Formation of the Left Party
On May 24, 2005 Lafontaine left the SPD. After two weeks of speculation it was announced on June 10 that he would run as the lead candidate for the Left Party (Die Linkspartei), a coalition of the Labor and Social Justice Party (WASG), which is based in western Germany, and the Left Party.PDS , which is the successor to the East German communist party[1]. He joined the WASG on June 18, 2005 and was selected to head their list for the 2005 Federal Election in North Rhine-Westphalia on the same day. Moreover he also unsuccessfully contested the Saarbrücken constituency. Nevertheless, the result of the Linkspartei in the Saarland was by far the best in any of the federal states in the West of Germany.
In 2007, when the new Left Party was founded as a merger between Left Party.PDS and WASG, he became chairman together with Lothar Bisky,
[edit] Criticisms of Lafontaine
An article by Lafontaine on Erich Honecker, state and party leader of the GDR and a Saarländer like him, in the magazine Der Spiegel was criticised as laudatory by many observers. In the late 80s and early 90s he tarnished his left-wing credentials with a plea for pro-business policies and a call for the reduction of the influx of Germans from Eastern Europe and asylum-seekers.
[edit] Education and private life
He has a twin brother called Hans after their father Hans Lafontaine, who whas a baker and died in World War II before their birth. He and his brother grew up in extreme poverty. He studied physics at the Bonn University and the Saarland University from 1962 to 1969.
Lafontaine is married to Christa Müller who leads a campaign against genital mutiliation in Africa. They have a son, Carl Maurice, born 1997. Oskar Lafontaine is a Roman Catholic. [2]
In contrast to his public socialist political ideology, Lafontaine lives in a manor like house, commonly known as the "palace of social justice" (Palast der sozialen Gerechtigkeit). [3]
[edit] External links
- (German) www.die-linke.de - The German Left Party
- (German) Oskar Lafontaine Information on the website of the parliamentary group Die Linke.
| Preceded by Fritz Schuster |
Mayor of Saarbrücken 1976 – 1985 |
Succeeded by Hans-Jürgen Koebnick (SPD) |
| Preceded by Rudolf Scharping |
Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany 1995 – 1999 |
Succeeded by Gerhard Schröder |
| Preceded by Werner Zeyer (CDU) |
Minister president of Saarland 1985 – 1998 |
Succeeded by Reinhard Klimmt (SPD) |
| Preceded by Theodor Waigel (CSU) |
German Minister of Finance 1998 – 1999 |
Succeeded by Hans Eichel (SPD) |
| Preceded by Roland Claus |
chairman of the parliamentary group Left Party 2005 – present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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| Persondata | |
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| NAME | Lafontaine, Oskar |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | German politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 16, 1943 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Saarlouis-Roden, Germany |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
