Sigmar Gabriel
| Sigmar Gabriel | |
|---|---|
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| Leader of the Social Democratic Party | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 13 November 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Franz Müntefering |
| Minister of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety | |
| In office 22 November 2005 – 27 October 2009 |
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| Chancellor | Angela Merkel |
| Preceded by | Jürgen Trittin |
| Succeeded by | Norbert Röttgen |
| Prime Minister of Lower Saxony | |
| In office 15 December 1999 – 4 March 2003 |
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| Preceded by | Gerhard Glogowski |
| Succeeded by | Christian Wulff |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 September 1959 Goslar, West Germany (now Germany) |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party |
Sigmar Gabriel (born 12 September 1959) is a German politician currently chairing the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).
Contents |
Life and career [edit]
The son of divorced parents (a public worker and a nurse), Gabriel was a high school teacher by profession before he went into politics.
On 15 December 1999, after the resignation of Gerhard Glogowski, who had succeeded Gerhard Schröder in office, Gabriel became Minister-President of Lower Saxony and served until 4 March 2003. After being voted out of office, he became the SPD's "Representative for Pop Culture and Pop Discourse" from 2003 to 2005, for which he was bestowed the nickname Siggi Pop.[1] From 2005 to 2009 he was the Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety in the first cabinet of Angela Merkel (CDU).
He has promoted the International Renewable Energy Agency. He called the speeches of Thilo Sarrazin, his party colleague who wrote critically about immigration, "verbal violence". Gabriel also once called Israel an "Apartheid-Regime".[2]
Following the SPD's defeat in the federal election of 2009, Franz Müntefering resigned from the position of party chairman of the Social Democratic Party. Gabriel was nominated as his successor and was elected on 13 November 2009.[3] He was re-elected as party chairman for a further two years at the SPD party conference in Berlin on 5 December 2011, receiving 91.6% of the vote.[4]
Personal life [edit]
Gabriel was married to Munise Demirel, with whom he has a daughter, but the couple divorced. He has been in a relationship with dentist Anke Stadler since 2008. They were married in a private ceremony in mid-August 2012, four months after their daughter Marie was born. Gabriel took parental leave, during the first months of the child's infancy.[5]
References [edit]
- ^ Wir sind nicht aus Versehen Opposition?, Die Zeit, 02/07/2010; >2003 wurde Gabriel SPD-Beauftragter für "Popkultur und Popdiskurs" – was ihm den Spitznamen "Siggi Pop" eintrug<
- ^ Jerusalem Post 15/03/2012.
- ^ Spiegel Online 11/13/2009.
- ^ "Wind unter den Flügeln der Sozialdemokratie". Retrieved 2011-12-06.
- ^ "SPD-Chef wird Vater mit 52". Retrieved 2012-08-17.
External links [edit]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Gerhard Glogowski |
Prime Minister of Lower Saxony 1999–2003 |
Succeeded by Christian Wulff |
| Preceded by Jürgen Trittin |
Minister of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety 2005–2009 |
Succeeded by Norbert Röttgen |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Franz Müntefering |
Leader of the Social Democratic Party 2009–present |
Incumbent |
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