Joschka Fischer

Joseph Martin "Joschka" Fischer (born April 12, 1948 in Gerabronn, Baden-Württemberg) has been the German foreign minister and Vice Chancellor in the Red-Green coalition since 1998. He is a leading figure in the German Green Party and was the party's standard bearer in the 2002 election campaign, which saw an increase in votes and seats for the Greens. According to opinion polls http://www.tagesthemen.de/aktuell/meldungen/0,1185,OID2020828_TYP6_THE2020794_NAV3332916~1260572~2020794_REF1_BAB,00.html, he was the most popular politician in Germany for most of the red-green coalition government's duration. He was the frontrunner for the 2005 election, too.

Historic First

From 1983 to 1985, Fischer was a member of the German Parliament for the Green party. In 1985, he became Minister for the Environment in the German province of Hessen in the first provincial Red/Green coalition in Germany ever (1985-1987). Fischer caused something of a stir in political circles, when he appeared at his swearing-in ceremony wearing sports shoes. Aforesaid shoes are now on display in the German Historic Museum in Bonn.

Related Topics:
1983 - 1985 - German Parliament - Hessen - 1987 - German Historic Museum - Bonn

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He returned as Minister for the Environment of Hessen province again from 1991 to 1994, and, later on, became co-chairman of the Greens parliamentary party in the Bundestag, the lower house of Germany's federal parliament. During his years in opposition, Fischer was respected for his oratory, as well as for the charisma he exuded on the political stage. For a large part of the 1990s, with the Social Democrats languishing in the opinion polls, Fischer was referred to as the "real" Leader of the Opposition. He leveraged this status into political success, as he moved the erstwhile left Green Party to the centre ground of German politics, paving the way for participation in the nation's federal government.

Related Topics:
Minister - Environment - 1991 - 1994

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~