Kurt Beck

Kurt Beck ( born February 5, 1949 in Bergzabern ) is a German politician ( SPD). He was from 1994 to 2013 Minister-President of Rhineland- Palatinate. From 2006 to 2008 he was national chairman of his party, from 1993 to 2012 state chairman of the SPD Rhineland -Palatinate, from November 2006 to December 2008 Vice- President of the Socialist International. On January 16, 2013 Beck announced his resignation as Minister -President of Rhineland -Palatinate.

He is currently Chairman of the SPD related Friedrich- Ebert- Foundation, whose chairman in collaboration with Dieter Schulte after the death of Peter Struck.

2.1 Internet Lock
2.2 ZDF State Treaty
2.3 Nürburgring affair
2.4 Hartz IV
2.5 Hochmoselübergang
2.6 unconstitutional affair

Life

Training

Kurt Beck was born as the only child of the mason Oskar Beck and his wife Joan, a housewife, in Bad Bergzabern in the district of Southern Wine Route. Both came from the southern Palatinate Kapsweyer. Beck grew up in Steinfeld on in today's County Southern Wine Route and lives there to this day.

In an interview Beck reported that he had been ostracized as a child due to an atopic disease in his home village. This experience, according to Beck exercised an important influence on his political development.

After visiting 1955 to 1963 the primary school Steinfeld Beck graduated from 1963 to 1966 a training in electronic mechanic (specializing in electronics) at the Army maintenance depot of the Bundeswehr in Bad Bergzabern. In 1967, he was just there as a radio electronics ( Foreman and group leaders ) and thus used as a civilian employee. He was Chairman of the Staff Council Heeresinstandsetzungslogistik in 1968. He was also district youth representatives, the District Council of the personnel Wehrbereichsverwaltung IV in Wiesbaden and a member of the then Union for the Public Services, Transport and Traffic (since 2001: United Services Union ). The military service rendered Beck 1968 until 1969. Between 1969 and 1972 he was again active in his profession and attended night school at the same time at which it acquired in 1971, the average maturity. In 1976 he became a member in 1978 and district staff council chairman at the Territorial Southern Command in Heidelberg. This activity he held until 1985.

Entry into local and national politics

In his youth he was active as a Catholic in the Young Christian Workers. Beck joined the SPD in 1972. Influenced by his statement had him the Godesberg program as well as figures such as German Chancellor Willy Brandt and Wilhelm Dröscher. He was a member of the District Council of Southern Wine Road since 1974. 1989 Beck was elected mayor of the local church Steinfeld. Both offices he gave in 1994.

Since 1979, Beck is as directly elected representative of the constituency 49 ( Southern Wine Route ) Member of the Rhineland- Palatinate Landtag. In the years 1982 to 1985, he was also a social policy spokesman of the SPD parliamentary group, 1985-1991 parliamentary and CEO 1991-1994 Group Chairman.

From 1993 to 2012 was state chairman of the pelvic SPD in Rhineland- Palatinate. In this office he was last confirmed on June 26, 2010 by the National Congress in Idar -Oberstein with 98.4 percent of the delegates' votes. On the SPD state party congress on November 10, 2012 Roger Lewentz succeeded him as State Chairman. For health reasons Kurt Beck was not a candidate again.

Minister President of Rhineland -Palatinate

As the Rhineland-Palatinate Minister Rudolf Sharping moved into federal politics after the election in 1994 as party chairman of the SPD and chairman of the SPD parliamentary group, he suggested Beck, then chairman of the Rhineland-Palatinate SPD parliamentary group, as his successor. Beck was elected prime minister by parliament on 26 October 1994. He was initially based as well as Sharping on a social-liberal coalition.

In the state elections in 1996 the party reached under Beck's leadership 39.8 % of the valid votes. The CDU had received just under one percentage point. In the state elections in 2001, the SPD won again, this time with 44.7 % of the valid votes (CDU: 35.3 %). In the following years, Beck succeeded to increase its popularity considerably in the country considered to be conservative. On 12 November 2005, he was again leading candidate of the SPD. In the state elections in 2006 his party scored 45.6 % of the valid votes, the absolute majority of seats. The result of the CDU had worsened in this election again, and it reached only 32.8 % of the valid votes obtained, while the Greens with a score of only 4.6 % for the first time since 1987, missed a place in the Rhineland-Palatinate Landtag. Becks offer to the FDP ( 8%) to continue the coalition rejected the former coalition partner, so that there was a one-party government of the SPD. In his re-election on 18 May 2006 Beck received 54 votes and thus more than the SPD group has members. During the one-party government of the SPD between 2006 and 2011 occurred in several extramarital affairs and scandals, which are attributed partly Beck himself. Here are Castle Hotel and the Nürburgring affair mentioned.

Was in the regional elections on 27 March 2011 for the Beck 6 November 2010 set up as a top candidate, the proportion of the SPD went by almost 10 points to 35.7 % of the vote. However, despite the loss of the absolute majority they could maintain its position as the strongest force in front of the CDU and nearly went up a coalition government with the Greens. With the voices of Beck coalition was re-elected on 18 May 2011 for a second five -year term as prime minister from the Rhineland-Palatinate Landtag.

Beck is regarded as close to the people politicians who enjoys reaching out to people. During his reign of education and social policy have been established, among other all-day schools and a free kindergarten year in the area, the unemployment rate in Rhineland- Palatinate fell to around 7% - the third lowest value in Germany.

Beck was from 1 November 2000 to October 31, 2001 as scheduled Federal President. Since the resignation of Edmund Stoiber as Bavarian Minister-President on 9 October 2007 Beck was up to his resignation, the senior incumbent prime minister in Germany.

Resignation

In September 2012, Kurt Beck announced his resignation as Prime Minister of the Federal State of Rhineland -Palatinate. At the same time Malu Dreyer was announced as his successor.

On January 16, 2013 Beck resigned and Malu Dreyer was elected as his successor. The seat in Parliament gave Beck on February 5, 2013, his 64th birthday, back. Two days earlier he had been formally proclaimed by the SPD parliamentary group.

Party leader and parliamentary elections in 2009

Since 2003, Beck was only under Gerhard Schröder, then under Franz Müntefering and then deputy under the Brandenburg Minister President Matthias Platzeck federal chairman of the SPD. After Platzeck had stepped down for health reasons the party chairmanship, Beck took over on April 10, 2006 the office as acting and was also nominated by the Bureau as the only candidate for the ordinary party chairmanship. His final choice was made on a special party conference on 14 May 2006. Since November 7, 2006 Beck was also Vice President of the Socialist International.

The question of a chancellor candidate for the 2009 federal election, which was put to him as party leader again, Beck held outwards always open. But is known by Cablegate, that in the Rhineland-Palatinate State Chancellery as early as February 2007, a potential candidacy was prepared. On September 7, 2008 Beck said at the party conclave after there Frank -Walter Steinmeier was announced as the leading candidate for the parliamentary elections in 2009, has resigned as a federal party chairman. Beck commented, in a press release that he did not see himself " a result of targeted false information" to the chancellor candidacy Steinmeier by the press in a position to continue to " exercise the necessary authority " means the Board with the. The party chairman was then initially provisionally adopted by Steinmeier, to Franz Müntefering was elected at a party congress of the SPD in October to Beck's successor.

Other activities

Broadcasting Commission of the countries, Chairman (1994-2013)
ZDF Board of Directors, Chairman ( since 1999)
Wine Brotherhood of the Palatinate
Friedrich- Ebert- Foundation, Chairman ( since 2013)

Since July 2013 Beck has been working as a member of an advisory body for the pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim.

Private

Beck married in 1968, the hairdresser Roswitha Starck, a year later his only son Stefan Beck was born.

Positions and criticism

Internet blocking

As in 2010 failed the controversial Youth Media Protection State Treaty, which had been largely worked out by the Rhineland-Palatinate State Chancellery, Beck threatened by the adoption of blocking orders for Internet services by the child protection authorities in the country.

ZDF State Treaty

Against the background of a non-renewal of the expiring contract of Nikolaus Brender, the former ZDF - Chief Editor, Beck complained repeatedly to the high influence of politics on personnel decisions of the sender. In early 2011 gave the State of Rhineland -Palatinate in this context an application for judicial ZDF State Treaty with the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe, which is present there from November 2013 to negotiate.

Nürburgring affair

In March 2010, Beck stated in the parliamentary committee of inquiry to affair of the failed private financing of leisure and tourism facilities at the Nurburgring: "At that time I had to pull the ripcord because the deadline for the cash flow has not been met ." The forced by his former finance minister Ingolf Deubel funding model had failed, as repeatedly failed to pay the private investors. Approximately half a billion euros were since Becks Appointed in 1994 by the State of Rhineland -Palatinate to the circuit whose value was invested in 2013 estimated at 120 million euros. Beck promised that the project would cost taxpayers a single euro.

On July 18, 2012 said Beck, the Nürburgring will go into bankruptcy. The country has among other things, a guarantee amounting to 254 million euros, which was granted the state and now insolvent Nürburgring GmbH, vouch. Beck asked the parliament at a conference convened on August 1, 2012 Special Session to apologize. On August 23, 2012, the CDU parliamentary group applied for a vote of no confidence. The majority of the SPD and the Greens in the parliament rejected the no-confidence motion on 30 August 2012.

On February 19, 2013 Beck testified as a witness in Nürburgring process. He admitted political mistakes and made the Great Depression to the problems of race track responsible.

Hartz IV

In 2006, Beck recommended a Hartz IV recipients: " If you wash and shave, you can also find a job. " In the same year, he spoke in favor of the introduction of a community service requirement for Hartz IV recipients. Beck said the " general for reasonable. " When the mayor of a small town he had even " paint railings or stairs can return " also able-bodied welfare recipients.

Hochmoselübergang

Beck supported the construction of a controversial 270 million euro high- Moselle bridge at Ürzig in Moselle section between Bernkastel-Kues and Traben -Trarbach as part of the expansion of B 50

Breach of the constitution affair

As part of the selection procedure, the President of the Higher Regional Court of Koblenz the provincial government, particularly the Minister of Justice Heinz Georg Bamberger, was certified by the Federal Administrative Court, a breach of the constitution. Beck said the minister his confidence and claimed, contrary to the reasoning of the Court of the Federal Administrative Court, " Bamberger acted in accordance with the existing conflicting jurisdiction." The after the state elections in 2011, announced by the red-green state government closure of the Higher Regional Court of Koblenz was considered by opposition and media as a reaction to this affair. The Administrative Court of Koblenz decided on 26 July 2011 that the location of the OLG - President must be filled despite the planned closure within four weeks. Otherwise, a fine of 10,000 euros was threatened. The continuing media pressure and resistance from the population prompted the State Government to be assessed on the angedachte reform by an expert commission. The Expert Commission came to its analysis to the conclusion that no significant savings were achieved, and therefore, recommended to refrain from the merger.

Cabinets

Cabinet Beck I
Cabinet Beck II
Cabinet Beck III
Cabinet Beck IV
Cabinet Beck V

Honorary appointments and awards

Holger Börner - Medal of the SPD ( 2013)
Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2004)
Grand Cross of the Star of Romania ( 2001)
Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor
Grand Cross of the Order of Merit Pro Merito Melitensi of the Sovereign Order of Malta
Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters of the French Republic
Honorary citizen of the French partner Burgundy (2012 )
Honorary Master of the Palatine Crafts ( 1997)
Pig's stomach Medal of Schiffer 's Town Carnival and Dance Sports Society Schlotte (1998)
Order Pälzer Krischer of the Ludwigshafen Carnival Association Rheinschanze (2002)
MUT - Price for political action in favor of mentally ill people of the Human Mind-boggling eV - Association for Public Relations in Psychiatry, Leipzig ( 2003)
First Shrove Order " We are just a carnival club " of the first FSV Mainz 05 ( 2003)
SME Award of the Union of Medium-Sized Enterprises ( 2005)
Order of Merit of the Senate of the Republic of Chile
Honorary citizen of the Opole Voivodeship, Poland
Honorary doctorate from the Francis Marion University in South Carolina ( USA)
Honorary citizen of the southern Chinese province of Fujian
Commandeur in the wine brotherhood Chevaliers du Tastevin, France
Member of the Board of Trustees of student life Help

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