Villy Søvndal

Villy Søvndal ( born April 4, 1952 in Linde at Struer ) is a Danish politician of the Socialist People's Party, which he represented from 1994 to 2014 in the Folketing. From 2005 to 2012, he was chairman of the party. From 3 October 2011 to 12 December 2013, he was Foreign Minister of his country.

Life

Villy Søvndal was born as the son of the small farmer Peter Søvndal and his wife Agnes. In 1969, he earned a high-school diploma, two years later the HF examination, which corresponds approximately to the college entrance. He spent two more years at the Vestbirk Musikhøjskole before he graduated from 1976 to 1980 a teaching degree in Kolding. He worked there until 1992 as a teacher. Since 1982, he also served as a municipal councilor and ran in 1984 for the first time for his party to Parliament the Folketing. 1986 and 1991/92 he moved for each few weeks as substitutes to the Folketing, but could not defend the mandate at the next elections. Since August 1, 1994 he has been properly elected representative.

He was elected chairman of his party in 2005. The previously relatively inconspicuous politician whose name can be also interpreted as " Schlaftal " said recognition acquired across party lines. He is regarded as a good rhetorician. During his tenure, the political line was reformed, and the party turned largely on their previous EU-critical line from.

In the early general election in 2007 his party was able to more than double its mandate and was 13% fourth-strongest force in parliament. In the Region Syddanmark, traditionally a stronghold of Venstre, Søvndal reached this most personal votes of all candidates. In the general election in 2011 his party suffered losses to hit 9 % and 16 seats. Nevertheless, it was enough for a center-left coalition, has brought in the Søvndal his party for the first time in government and assumed the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs himself.

In September 2012, Søvndal announced its withdrawal from the party chairmanship. A cabinet reshuffle in December 2013, he took an opportunity to minister and deputy's mandate to give up. Previously, he and his wife shortly after struggling with health problems, which is why Søvndal had already been on leave since the end of October had.

Søvndal is since 2011 married to Heidi Perto and father of three children.