Biography of Joachim Gauck

Joachim Gauck

Joachim Gauck (born January 24, 1940) is the President of Germany, was elected on March 18, 2012. A former Lutheran pastor, he became famous as a civil rights activist in the anti-communist East Germany.
During the Peaceful Revolution, he was the founder of the opposition movement New Forum in East Germany, which have an impact on the fall of the Soviet-backed dictatorship of the German Socialist Unity Party (SED). In 1990 he served as a member of the People's Assembly only freely elected to the Alliance 90. After German reunification, he was elected by the Bundestag as the first federal commissioner for the Stasi Archives, serving 1990-2000. As a Federal Commissioner, he gained recognition as the "Stasi hunters" and "tireless advocate of pro-democracy," exposing the crimes of the former communist political police.


He was nominated as a candidate of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance '90 / The Greens for the President of Germany in the 2010 election, but narrowly lost to Christian Wulff, the candidate of a coalition government. However, his nomination was met with significant approval from the population and the media; Der Spiegel described him as "President of the better and Bild called it" the president of the liver. After Christian Wulff has resigned, Gauck elected as President from 1228 with 991 votes in the elections in the Federal Convention of 2012, as a non-partisan consensus candidate of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Christian Social Union (CSU), Free Democratic Party (FDP ), Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Alliance '90 / The Greens.


Gauck political life was greatly influenced by the fate of his family and grew up in the totalitarian communist East Germany, his father suffered five years in the Soviet Gulag and families face discrimination in the East Germany.Gauck is a signatory to the founder of Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism, together with Václav Havel and Another statesman, and the Declaration on Crimes of Communism. He called for increased awareness of the evil of communism in Europe, communist criminal prosecution, and to eliminate the need for legitimacy of the communist era. He has written about the concentration camp as Soviet era NKVD Special Camp No. 1, the crimes of communism, and political oppression in East Germany, and contributed to The Black Book of Communism. Gauck accused of crimes of communist neglect the political left. His book Freedom 2012. A petition calling for the defense of freedom and human rights around the world.

He has been described by Chancellor Angela Merkel as "a true teacher of democracy" and "senior adviser to freedom, democracy, and justice.The Wall Street Journal described him as" the last of the breed: the leaders of the protest movement behind the Iron Curtain who later led the country them after 1989.


Since 2003, he has become chairman of the association Gegen Vergessen - Für Demokratie ("Fight the Forgotten - For Democracy"), and he served on the Board of Management of the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia 2001-2004 he has. received numerous awards, including Hannah Arendt Prize 1997 ....



So Joachim Gauck Elected President of Germany

Former East German pro-democracy activist Joachim Gauck was elected president of Germany after the majority of MPs vote on Sunday (3/18/2012).

72 year-old man received support from the major parties of 1232 and received 991 votes cast, according to the German parliament speaker Norbert Lammert.

Gauck is a former pastor who opposed the communist regime of East Germany and became head of the federal agency that oversees intelligence Germany post-reunification East Germany in 1990.

Gauck almost cried armpit he received the vote that made the new head of state. German president is largely ceremonial position, but considered to hold a very important moral role.

"I accept this task. After traveling a tortuous politics of the 20th century, I accept it with gratitude as one who finally and unexpectedly finds his home again and able to participate in a democratic society in the last 20 years," said Gauck when giving speech before members of parliament.

"Surely I will not be able to meet all expectations," he said. "But one thing I can promise: I would say yes with all the ability and heart to perform your responsibilities entrusted to me."

Gauck has no political affiliation at all but succeeded in getting support from main parties in the country after his predecessor, Christian Wulff, resigned last month due to a corruption scandal.

When Gauck nominated, German Chancellor Angela Merkel described the Gauck as a "teacher of true democracy". Gauck into opposition from the candidate's support for Merkel, Wulff, two years ago. Merkel's junior coalition partner in urging him to accept the nomination Gauck in this second attempt.

Last week, Merkel said Germany should be proud of their new president, elected by "the results are very convincing."

Merkel, who also came from East Germany, added that the election demonstrated the success of German reunification Gauck. "We also can be a little proud of it," said Merkel, adding progress must still be done to ensure the territory of the former East Germany has caught up with the prosperity of the West achieved.