Was 81 years old
German former Federal President Horst Köhler dead
The former German Federal President Horst Köhler is dead. He died on Saturday morning at the age of 81 after a short, serious illness, as announced by the Office of the Federal President in Berlin.
Köhler, a Christian Democrat, was first elected head of state in 2004. He resigned unexpectedly in May 2010, just one year after his re-election with the votes of the then governing parties CDU and FDP.
"A stroke of luck for our country"
In a letter of condolence to his widow Eva Luise Köhler, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier paid tribute to the deceased as "a stroke of luck for our country". He emphasized: "We can only be deeply grateful that we were able to experience Horst Köhler as the ninth President of the Federal Republic of Germany. He has given a great deal to this country."
Köhler was the first time that no party politician had assumed the highest office in the state. The economics graduate began his career as a civil servant in the German Ministry of Economics in 1976 and, after various other positions, became State Secretary in the Ministry of Finance led by Theo Waigel (CSU) in 1990. Among other things, Köhler was Germany's chief negotiator for the Maastricht Treaty on European Monetary Union.
Surprising resignation
Köhler's surprising resignation was also a first in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany. It was triggered by an interview on Deutschlandradio Kultur, which Köhler had given on his flight home after visiting German soldiers in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan. In it, he justified foreign deployments of the German Armed Forces with the protection of German economic interests. Critics accused him of justifying the Afghanistan mission, which Köhler denied. He saw his office irreparably damaged by the criticism and drew the consequences.
In terms of domestic policy, Köhler repeatedly caused surprises - and resentment in the government camp. In 2006, for example, he refused to sign the law on the privatization of air traffic control and later the Consumer Protection Act. The decision in 2005 to dissolve the Bundestag and call new elections was constitutionally sensitive. Prior to this, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (SPD) had tabled a vote of confidence in the Bundestag with the aim of losing it.
UN special envoy for Western Sahara conflict
At an international level, Köhler was primarily concerned with Africa, both as head of the IMF and even more so as Federal President. He persistently campaigned for an equal partnership with the neighboring continent. He remained faithful to this even after leaving the highest office of state - including as UN Special Representative for the Western Sahara conflict from 2017 to 2019.
In his letter of condolence, Federal President Steinmeier recalled that Köhler was virtually unknown to a wider public when he was elected head of state in 2004, but quickly gained a great deal of recognition and sympathy.
"Was far ahead of his time"
"It was above all his approachability, his infectious laughter and his optimism, his belief in the strength of our country and in the energy and creativity of its people that won him so many hearts," Steinmeier wrote. "But it was also his often clear and by no means always comfortable admonitions and speeches that brought him recognition." Köhler had "often rendered outstanding services to our country".
Steinmeier emphasized Köhler's advocacy of fair dealings with Africa - "the continent to which his heart belonged and which he knew so well". Köhler was deeply convinced that Europe had to put aside its colonial ways of thinking and treat African countries as equal partners in order to tackle global challenges together with them. "He was way ahead of his time," Steinmeier wrote.
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