Franz Müntefering

Franz Müntefering
Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
In office October 18, 2008 – November 13, 2009
Preceded by	Kurt Beck
Succeeded by	Sigmar Gabriel
Vice-Chancellor of Germany
In office November 22, 2005 – November 21, 2007
Preceded by	Joschka Fischer
Succeeded by	Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Minister of Labour and Social Affairs
In office November 22, 2005 – November 21, 2007
Preceded by	Wolfgang Clement
Succeeded by	Olaf Scholz
Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
In office March 21, 2004 – November 15, 2005
Preceded by	Gerhard Schröder
Succeeded by	Matthias Platzeck
Minister of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs
In office October 27, 1998 – September 29, 1999
Preceded by	Eduard Oswald
Succeeded by	Reinhard Klimmt
Born	16 January 1940 (1940-01-16) (age 69) Neheim, Germany
Nationality	German
Political party	SPD
Relations	Michelle Schumann
Occupation	Industrial manager, politician
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Franz Müntefering (help·info) (born 16 January 1940) is a German politician and industrial manager. He was Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) from 18 October 2008 to 13 November 2009, a position he already held from 2004 to 2005. He was Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, as well as Vice-Chancellor, from 2005 to 2007.

Biography

He was born in Neheim (now part of Arnsberg) and joined the SPD in 1966. He was a member of the Bundestag from 1975 to 1992 and again since 1998; from 1995 to 1998 he was a member of the Landtag (state parliament) of North Rhine-Westphalia.

He was Bundesgeschäftsführer (executive director) of the national SPD from 1995 to 1998, and after holding briefly the post of Minister of Transportation and Construction in the first cabinet of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, he was the first to hold the new post of SPD General Secretary from 1999 to 2002, and thereafter became leader of the SPD fraction in the Bundestag. In February 2004 he was designated to succeed Schröder as party chairman in March 2004.

In April 2005, Müntefering criticized the market economy of Germany and proposed more state involvement to promote economic justice. In this speech, he described private equity firms as "locusts". He subsequently published a "locust list" of companies, which he circulated within the SPD.^[1] This began a debate which has dominated the national news, being the subject of front-page articles and covered on the main television news broadcasts nearly every day. Müntefering's suggestions have been criticized by employers and many economists, but have met with popular support (up to 75% in some opinion polls).

On 31 October 2005, Müntefering's favoured candidate for Secretary General of the SPD, Kajo Wasserhövel, was defeated by the left-wing candidate Andrea Nahles in a preliminary internal election. Müntefering subsequently announced his intention to resign as SPD Chairman, and was succeeded by Matthias Platzeck at the next party convention on 15 November 2005. Platzeck resigned from this position in April 2006, and his successor was Kurt Beck.

Müntefering became Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and Vice-Chancellor in the cabinet of Angela Merkel on 22 November 2005. After two years in those posts, Müntefering's spokesman said on 13 November 2007 that Müntefering would resign from them later in the month. The decision was said to be based on "purely familial reasons".^[2] Later in the day, Müntefering said that he would leave his positions in the government on 21 November attributing his decision to the illness of his wife, Ankepetra, who was suffering from cancer.^[3] Upon leaving office on November 21, 2007, he was replaced as Vice-Chancellor by Frank-Walter Steinmeier and as Minister of Labor by Olaf Scholz, both of whom are also members of the SPD.^[4]

Müntefering's wife Ankepetra died on 31 July 2008. Following her death, Müntefering decided to return to active politics and was elected Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany on October 18, 2008.^[5] On 7 September 2008, Kurt Beck resigned as SPD Chairman, and Müntefering succeeded Beck in that post.^[5][6]

Following the SPD's abysmal results in the federal election of 2009, Müntefering resigned from the position of party chairman of the Social Democratic Party.

References

External links

• Biography by German Bundestag

v • d • e Chairmen of the Social Democratic Party of Germany SPD (1890–1933) Paul Singer / Alwin Gerisch · August Bebel / Paul Singer · August Bebel / Hugo Haase · Hugo Haase / Friedrich Ebert · Friedrich Ebert · Friedrich Ebert / Philipp Scheidemann · Otto Wels / Herman Müller · Arthur Crispien / Otto Wels / Herman Müller · Arthur Crispien / Otto Wels · Arthur Crispien / Otto Wels / Hans Vogel SPD-in-exile (1933–1945) Otto Wels / Hans Vogel · Hans Vogel SPD (since 1946) Kurt Schumacher · Erich Ollenhauer · Willy Brandt · Hans-Jochen Vogel · Björn Engholm · Rudolf Scharping · Oskar Lafontaine · Gerhard Schröder · Franz Müntefering · Matthias Platzeck · Kurt Beck · Franz Müntefering

v • d • e Transport Ministers of the Federal Republic of Germany Eberhard Wildermuth • Fritz Neumayer • Victor-Emanuel Preusker • Paul Lücke • Ewald Bucher • Bruno Heck • Lauritz Lauritzen • Hans-Jochen Vogel • Karl Ravens • Dieter Haack • Oscar Schneider • Gerda Hasselfeldt • Irmgard Schwaetzer • Klaus Töpfer • Eduard Oswald • Franz Müntefering • Reinhard Klimmt • Kurt Bodewig • Manfred Stolpe • Wolfgang Tiefensee • Peter Ramsauer