Roland Koch
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| Roland Koch | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1999 |
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| Preceded by | Hans Eichel |
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| Born | March 24, 1958 Frankfurt am Main, Germany |
| Nationality | German |
| Political party | CDU |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Roland Koch (born March 24, 1958 in Frankfurt am Main) is a German politician and acting Minister-President of Hesse. He took office on April 7, 1999, immediately becoming President of the Bundesrat, completing the term begun by his predecessor as Minister President, Hans Eichel.
In 1979 Koch became the youngest person to hold the office of chairmain of the CDU in Main-Taunus county. From 1983 until 1987 he was vice-chair of the federal youth organization of the CDU. In 1985 he completed his studies to become a lawyer.
Until 1993 Koch was a city council member in his hometown of Eschborn. He was also a member of the Main-Taunus district council and parliamentary leader of the local CDU group from 1989 until 1997. In 1987 he got elected to the legislature of Hesse, where he became vice-chair of the CDU parliamentary group in 1991 and in 1993 its chair. Since 1998 he has also been chair of the Hessian state party.
Koch is seen as a rhetorically gifted politician; critics have accused him of populism.[1] In the state elections in 1999, the CDU began collecting signatures to document the resistance in the population to plans of the federal government to make dual citizenship easier for foreigners to obtain. Because some people viewed this action as "collecting signatures against foreigners", they tried to portray this campaign as "xenophobic"[citation needed]. Koch was able to win the election and displace the incumbent, Hans Eichel.
In November 2006 Koch was elected vice-chairman of the CDU.
Prior to the Hesse state election of 2008 Koch was once again accused of using xenophobic tactics by pledging to get tough on youth crime, which is concentrated among immigrant and minority groups. In the course of the election he lost his party's majority in the Hessian Parliament and it is unclear whether he will be able to remain Minister President following the period of government formation.
His father Karl-Heinz Koch was also a politician in Hesse. Koch and his wife Anke have two sons. He is Roman Catholic.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Sueddeutsche Zeitung online [1] "Most brutal populism" - Hesse Prime Minister Roland Koch faces a spate of criticism on his statements about foreign teenage criminals
- ^ Bundesrat Roland Koch
[edit] External links
- Homepage of Roland Koch (German)
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| Preceded by Hans Eichel (SPD) |
Minister-President of Hesse 1999 – present |
Incumbent |
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