Günther Beckstein

Infobox Officeholder
honorific-prefix = Dr.
name = Günther Beckstein
honorific-suffix =

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imagesize =
small

caption = Günther Beckstein in June 2007
order =
office = Minister President flag|Bavaria
term_start = 9 October 2007
term_end =
predecessor = Edmund Stoiber
successor =
office2 = Interior Minister flag|Bavaria
term_start2 = 17 June 1993
term_end2 = 9 October 2007
predecessor2 = Edmund Stoiber
successor2 = Joachim Herrmann
primeminister2 = Edmund Stoiber
birth_date = birth date and age|1943|11|23
birth_place = Hersbruck, Germany
death_date =
death_place =
nationality = German
party = CSU
spouse = Marga Beckstein
partner =
relations =
children =
residence =
alma_mater =
occupation =
profession = Lawyer
religion = Christian Protestant


website =
footnotes =

Günther Beckstein (IPA-de|ˈɡʏntɐ ˈbɛkʃtaɪn) (born November 23, 1943 in Hersbruck, Germany) is a Bavarian CSU politician and since October 9, 2007 Minister-President of Bavaria. He is well known for his outspoken views on law and order.

On 1 October 2008, following the Bavarian state elections of 28 September, where his party lost its absolute majority for the first time in 46 years, Beckstein resigned from his post. [ [http://www.sueddeutsche.de/bayern/656/312570/text/ Beckstein bereut Nähe zu Stoiber] Sueddeutsche Zeitung, published: 2 October 2008, accessed: 3 October 2008]

Life

After graduating from High School at the "Willstätter Gymnasium" in Nuremberg in 1962, he studied law at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. He's holding a Ph.D. from Erlangen-Nürnberg University. In 1975, he wrote his dissertation " _de. Der Gewissenstäter im Strafrecht und Strafprozessrecht" ("The Delinquent of Conscience in Criminal Law and Trial Law") which lead to his Ph.D. Between 1971 and 1978, he worked as a lawyer.

Beckstein has been married to Marga Beckstein, a teacher, since 1973. They have three children: Ruth, Frank and Martin. Minister-President Beckstein and his wife are residents of Nürnberg-Langwasser. He is a Protestant and an active church member.cite web |url=http://www.bundestag.de/mdb/bio/B/becksgu0.html |title=Official Bundestag website |accessdate=2008-05-10 |last= |first= |coauthors= |date= |work= |publisher=]

Political career

Beckstein started his political career as the district chairman of the Junge Union Nürnberg-Fürth (1973–1978) and then became vice chairman of the CSU district association Nürnberg-Fürth-Schwabach. In 1991, he acceded its chairmanship

A member of the Bavarian State Parliament, the "Landtag", for the CSU since 1974, he became State Secretary at the Bavarian Ministry of Interior (" _de. Bayerisches Staatsministerium des Innern") in 1988. In 1993, he became the Interior Minister of Bavaria, succeeding Edmund Stoiber. In 2001, he was elected to the post of Deputy Minister-President of Bavaria.

Beckstein won seat in the "Bundestag" in the 2005 German federal elections but did not take up this position, preferring to stay in state politics.

After Minister-President Edmund Stoiber had announced on January 18, 2007 to resign from his post in the autumn of 2007, the CSU Landtag fraction came to the arrangement for Beckstein to succeed Stoiber, after a power struggle with Erwin Huber,cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Günther Beckstein Sworn in as new Bavarian Premier |url=http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2813376,00.html |work=Deutsche Welle |publisher= |date=2007-10-09 |accessdate=2008-05-10 ] selecting him with a vast majority. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Beckstein nominated for Minister President of Bavaria |url=http://www.lermanet.com/cisar/germany/070800.html |work= |publisher= |date=2007-08-01 |accessdate=2008-05-10 ] On October 9, the Bavarian "Landtag" elected him as the new Minister-President by a majority of 122 of the 178 votes cast.

His rise to the post of Bavarian prime minister is something of a novelty in the state as he is from Franconia—the northern half of Bavaria—and a Protestant. Traditionally, though not exclusively, Bavarian prime ministers have been from Altbayern—the south—and Catholics.

Views

* Beckstein is an outspoken critic of the Church of Scientology. [ [http://www.lermanet.com/cisar/germany/070800.html Beckstein warns of Scientology's tutoring offensive] Constitutional Protection Report for Bavaria, Unauthorized translation, August 2007, accessed: 10 May 2008]
* He is a staunch supporter of Israel and has warned in the past of the danger of right-wing extremism and antisemitism. He has received the "Jerusalem Prize" of the " _de. Zionistische Organisation in Deutschland" ("Zionistin Organisation of Germany") in July 2006 for his efforts. [ [http://www.wzo.org.il/doingzionism/about_us/activity.asp?id=337 Dr. Guenther Beckstein Recipient of the Jerusalem Prize in Germany] World Zionist Organisation, 10 July 2006, accessed: 10 May 2008]
* He has warned repeatedly of the dangers arising from Islamist extremists in Germany and has asked for greater powers for government security departments to deal with those. His was criticized for this by members of the SPD and German Muslims.
* As the head of the Bavarian government, Beckstein has the final say on whether Hitler's "Mein Kampf" can be published in Germany, since Bavaria holds the copyrights. Beckstein has so far disallowed any form of publication of the book in Germany, fearing, it would fuel right-wing extremism. [ [http://dialoginternational.typepad.com/ A New Critical Edition of Mein Kampf?] Dialog International, German-American opinion, 5 May 2008, accessed: 10 May 2008]
* Beckstein caused controversy in the run-up to Oktoberfest by declaring that people who drink two Maß of beer over several hours are fit to drive.

External links

* [http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2813376,00.html Günther Beckstein Sworn in as new Bavarian Premier] "Deutsche Welle" article on Günther Beckstein
* [http://www.gavagai.de/zitat/politik/HHC26.htm Website with quotes of Günther Beckstein] (in German)

ources

* [http://www.bayern.de/Guenther-Beckstein-.261/index.htm Official Bavarian government website - Günther Beckstein biography] (in German)
* [http://www.bayern.landtag.de/lebenslauf/lebenslauf_555500000083.html Günther Beckstein's curriculum vitae at the official website of the Bavarian Landtag] (in German)

References