More light, more shade has never been a politician alone in a party. Yet Guido Westerwelle always remained one thing: a nice guy.
It was one of those typical moments for Guido Westerwelle. He had given an opportunity to write a bitter comment on his party leadership. It must have been the peak period of the decline of old FDP. Sometime in late 2010, early 2011, ie. He makes speeches, in which he also calls in the world: “Do not buy me the cutting off!” Writes essays in which he brings Hartz IV recipients with “late Roman decadence” in connection.
In the middle of this stage an event at the Thomas Dehler House FDP party headquarters. Journalists are there FDP politician. Westerwelle goes from table to table. He smiles, has a kind word for everyone. How are the wife, the kids? Honest interest. He takes time. Even the commentator who has panned his policy again. No bad word from Westerwelle, no dig.
Once the spotlight was off, set aside the cameras, the microphones decoupled, he was immediately easy Guido Westerwelle, just a nice guy. It would never have occurred to his mind, to be resentful, to take political attacks which corner also always personal. Attack and defense were part of the political business. And hardly anyone knew the business as well as he
Former Secretary of State A life in pictures
More light and shadow as all others
His great political career began as a regicide. They ended up with his own downfall. He gave the party the highest victory in their history. And rode the party in its deepest crisis. A crisis that culminated in the FDP 2013 crash flew out of the Bundestag.
More light, more shade has never been a politician alone in a party.
On December 27, born in 1961 in Bad Honnef and grew up in Bonn, Westerwelle studied in his home city law. He became attorney at his father, in the middle of Bonn Nordstadt, a problem neighborhood. Others were there perhaps been rather SPD. Westerwelle it moved to the FDP. In 1980 he is shortly after the age of majority member. Two years later, he is National Chairman of the Young Liberals. He stays there for eight years and then changes in the Federal Executive of the party.
party chief Klaus Kinkel recognizes the talent of speech talented young man. With 33 years Kinkel makes him the party general secretary. Kinkel’s successor Wolfgang Gerhardt accepts Westerwelle 1995. Unsuspecting that Westerwelle would overthrow him six years later.
At that time, the FDP shrank from election to election to himself. Eleven percent in 1990 followed by 6.9 percent in 1994 and 6.2 percent in 1998. The FDP was suddenly in the opposition. In Bonn and later in Berlin ruled reds and the Republic aired through properly. An unfamiliar role for the party Front. The FDP has shaped the policy of the Federal Republic for decades from the role of a governing party, a total of 39 years. Just as the Union after the war times had an absolute majority, and in the time of the grand coalition under Kurt Georg Kiesinger she sat on the opposition benches.
With Wolfgang Gerhardt a reboot was not at this stage after 1998 to make , Westerwelle has seen. With Gerhardt, the FDP was no longer on the cutting edge. Westerwelle attacked backstage after the party chairmanship and prepared the putsch. He was considered a young and fresh. Each man could number in the party to three, realized that Westerwelle was the greatest political talent that the FDP has produced for a long time.
Westerwelle won. Gerhardt withdrew. On 4 May 2001 Westerwelle was elected the new party leader. Even then it was clear: The Office is more to him than a new item. It is calling.
your Forum your condolence for Guido Westerwelle
The former Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle is dead. He died at the age of 54 of complications from leukemia disease. How do you remember the former FDP chairman?
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