Helmut Kasimier

Helmut Kasimier ( born October 17, 1926 in Breslau, † April 16, 2013 in Hannover ) was a German politician ( SPD). Kasimier was from 1963 to 1986 Member of the Parliament of Lower Saxony; 1967 to 1974 he was chairman of the SPD faction in the parliament and of the state election in 1974 to the end of the social-liberal coalition in February 1976 in Lower Saxony Minister of Finance.

Life and career

Kasimier was born the son of a bricklayer foreman. After attending primary school, he completed a commercial apprenticeship in wholesale. He was then drafted into the army and took 1944/45, as a soldier in World War II in part. In April 1945, he suffered a war wound, was initially taken to a hospital in Lübeck and later transferred from there to Hanover.

Kasimier initially worked as a laborer in the construction industry, then worked as a newspaper packer and worked as a clerk in the wholesale later. After joining the SPD, he worked from 1948 as party secretary. In 1963 he was elected to Parliament. After his retirement from active politics, he was a member of the Broadcasting Norddeutscher Rundfunk ( NDR).

Policy

Kasimier joined the SPD in 1947 and worked from 1948 to 1963 as party secretary in Hanover. He was sub-district chairman since 1947 and was elected district chairman of the Young Socialists in Hanover later.

Kasimier was 1952-1963 Councillor of the City of Hannover. It was in 1963 elected to the parliament of Lower Saxony and was there from 1967 to 1974 chairman of the SPD parliamentary group. Kasimier was appointed as Minister of Finance in led by Prime Minister Alfred Kubel government of Lower Saxony on 10 July 1974. After the recovery, for reasons of age resignation of the Prime Minister he should take his successor in office in January 1976. Although the social-liberal coalition with 78 MPs had a thin majority of one vote, failed his choice of dissenting votes from the SPD / FDP coalition. Instead closed to vote for him, he was on 14 January 1976 the ranks of the social-liberal government coalition only 75 votes, while the CDU opposition candidate Ernst Albrecht drew 77 delegates to his side. Since the vote for no candidate gave the required majority, the election was repeated a day later. This time, Albrecht received even one more vote, while for Kasimier voted only 74 MPs and he withdrew from the election.

With a new candidate, the Federal Construction Minister Karl Ravens, the SPD tried on February 6, 1976 a third attempt and failed again to the lack of voices from the social-liberal coalition, while Albrecht was elected by 79 votes to the Prime Minister; the SPD and FDP had in the opposition despite the "official " majority in the parliament. Kasimier personally stepped down at the end of the SPD / FDP government on 13 February 1976 the Minister of Finance. In 1977, the FDP formed a coalition with the CDU, which the new government was a parliamentary majority.