Heide Simonis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Heide Simonis
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Simonis in 2009
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Minister-President of Schleswig-Holstein | |
In office 19 March 1993 – 27 April 2005 |
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Deputy | Claus Möller (1993–1996), Rainder Steenblock (1996–2000), Annemarie Lütkes (2000–2005) |
Preceded by | Björn Engholm |
Succeeded by | Peter Harry Carstensen |
Deputy Minister-President of Schleswig-Holstein | |
In office 10 March 1993 – 19 March 1993 |
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Appointed by | Björn Engholm |
Preceded by | Günther Jansen |
Succeeded by | Claus Möller |
Schleswig-Holstein Minister of Finance | |
In office 5 May 1988 – 19 March 1993 |
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Appointed by | Björn Engholm |
Preceded by | Roger Asmussen |
Succeeded by | Claus Möller |
Member of the Bundestag | |
In office 3 October 1976 – 8 June 1988 |
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Member of the Kiel Municipal Council | |
In office 1971–1976 |
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Personal details | |
Born |
Heide Steinhardt
4 July 1943 Bonn, Germany |
Died | 12 July 2023 Kiel, Germany |
(aged 80)
Nationality | Germany |
Political party | Social Democratic Party (SPD) |
Alma mater | University of Kiel, University of Erlangen–Nuremberg |
Heide Simonis ( 4 July 1943 – 12 July 2023) was a German politician and author. She was a member of the SPD. From 1993 to 2005 she served as the minister-president of Schleswig-Holstein. She was the first woman to serve as head of a state government in German history and the only woman to do so in the 20th century.
Education
Simonis earned her high school degree (Abitur) in 1962 in Nürnberg. She then studied Economics and Sociology at the Universities of Erlangen-Nürnberg and Kiel, graduating with a degree in economics in 1967. She worked in different positions after 1967.
Career
Simonis joined the SPD in 1969. She was elected to the German Bundestag in 1976. In 1992, she became a member of the legislature of Schleswig-Holstein. On 19 May 1993, she was elected minister-president of Schleswig-Holstein after her predecessor Björn Engholm resigned due to a scandal. She was the first woman in Germany to rise to this level in politics.
The state election in 1996 saw the SPD representation drop to 39.8% from 46.2% in 1992, but Simonis was able to form a coalition with the Grüne (Greens). In February 2000, at the height of a CDU party financing scandal, the SPD was able to increase its share to 43.1%. Despite basing its 2005 election campaign on Simonis' popularity, the SPD suffered a heavy defeat due to the bad economic situation and dropped to 38.7% (for the first time in almost twenty years behind the CDU).
On 17 March 2005 Simonis failed to be re-elected as minister-president of Schleswig-Holstein in four consecutive ballots by the Schleswig-Holstein Landtag. In the first ballot she received 34 votes and Peter Harry Carstensen (CDU) received 33, while two deputies cast empty votes. Neither Simonis nor Carstensen got the absolute majority (35 votes). In the second and third ballot the candidates received 34 votes each, while one deputy of the alliance of SPD, Greens, and SSW abstained. An unprecedented fourth ballot brought the same result and Simonis stepped down as minister-president of Schleswig-Holstein.
UNICEF
From 2005 until February 2008 Simonis served as chief of the German UNICEF. She resigned from this position due to a scandal related to donations to the organisation that arose during her term.
Personal life
In 1967, Simonis married university professor Udo E. Simonis. Simonis fell ill with Parkinson's disease and died on 12 July 2023 at her home in Kiel.
Awards
- 2014 Honorary citizen of Schleswig-Holstein
- 2018 Willy Brandt Medal
- List of Minister-Presidents of Schleswig-Holstein
See also
In Spanish: Heide Simonis para niños