Oskar Lafontaine

Oskar Lafontaine (born September 16, 1943 in Saarlouis-Roden) is a left-wing German politician who was a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) until May 24, 2005 when he quit the party. He studied physics at the University of Saarbrücken and from 1974 to 1985 was that city's mayor. He was known as an outspoken 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. 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.

Related Topics:
September 16 - 1943 - Saarlouis - Left-wing - German - Politician - Social Democratic Party (SPD) - May 24 - 2005 - Physics - Saarbrücken - 1974 - 1985 - Chancellor - Helmut Schmidt - NATO - Pershing II - 1998 - Saarland - Steel - Coal mining - Subsidies - Erich Honecker - GDR - Magazine - Der Spiegel - Asylum

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In 1990 he was candidate for chancellorship of the SPD in the federal elections, where the party suffered a tremendous defeat due to the national euphoria following the reunification. During the campaign he was attacked with a knife by a mentally deranged woman after a speach in Cologne. His carotid artery was slashed and he remained in a critical condition for several days. In 1993 the press reported alleged contacts of Lafontaine to the red-light milieu of Saarbrücken. This motivated him to formulate the most repressive press law of all the German länder. 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.

Related Topics:
1990 - Reunification - Cologne - Carotid artery - 1993 - Mannheim - 1995 - Rudolf Scharping - Helmut Kohl - CDU

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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. 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 right wing .

Related Topics:
1998 - Federal Minister of Finance - Gerhard Schröder - Bogeyman - Eurosceptic - Tax harmonisation - European Union - March 11 - 1999 - Tabloid - Bild-Zeitung - Right wing

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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 Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) , which is the successor to the East German communist partyhttp://news.ft.com/cms/s/2dce77e4-da15-11d9-b071-00000e2511c8.html. 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.

Related Topics:
May 24 - 2005 - June 10 - Left Party - Labor and Social Justice Party (WASG) - Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) - East German - June 18 - 2005 Federal Election - North Rhine-Westphalia - Saarbrücken

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Lafontaine is married to Christa Müller who leads a campaign against genital mutiliation in Africa. They have a son, Carl Maurice, born 1997.

Related Topics:
Genital mutiliation - Africa

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