Lothar de Maizière

Lothar de Maizière (German pronunciation: [də mɛˈzi̯ɛːɐ̯]; born 2 March 1940) is a German christian democratic politician. In 1990, he served as the only democratically elected Prime Minister of the German Democratic Republic, and as such was the last leader of an independent East Germany.

He was born in Nordhausen, Thuringia and studied viola at the Hanns Eisler College of Music in East Berlin from 1959 to 1965. He used to be in the Berlin Symphony Orchestra before he went on to study law (distance learning) at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin from 1969 to 1975.

In March 1990, in East Germany's only free election, he was elected to the Volkskammer as a member of the East German Christian Democratic Union. One month later, he succeeded Hans Modrow as Premier and held this position from April 12 until October 2, 1990; on October 3, the East German state was reunified with the Federal Republic of Germany (from 1949 to 1990, West Germany). As premier he signed the “2+4” treaty which ended the four wartime allied powers' rights and responsibilities in Berlin and Germany, and which preceded the unification. The treaty provided that it would be signed by the four allies and the two Germanys but ratified only by the unified Germany and the allies.

After German reunification he was appointed Minister for Special Affairs in the CDU government of Helmut Kohl, until his resignation on December 17, 1990 amid rumors that he had worked for the East German Stasi.

He belongs to a noble family who, as Huguenots, fled France for asylum in Prussia in the late 17th century. He is a son of the lawyer Clement de Maizière. His uncle Ulrich de Maizière was Inspector General of the (West) German Armed Forces. His cousin Thomas de Maizière is Federal Minister of Defense as of 3 March 2011.

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