| Udo Voigt | |
|---|---|
| Leader of the National Democratic Party of Germany | |
| In office 1996–2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Günter Deckert |
| Succeeded by | Holger Apfel |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 April 1952 Viersen, North-Rhine-Westphalia |
| Political party | National Democratic Party of Germany |
| Alma mater | FH Aachen Munich School of Political Science |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Engineer, soldier |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Germany |
| Service/branch | Luftwaffe |
| Years of service | 1984-2009 |
Udo Voigt [ˈuːdo ˈfoːkt] (born 14 April 1952 in Viersen) is a German politician and former leader of the far-right National Democratic Party of Germany since 1996. He is a former aviation engineer and captain in the German army.[1]
Since the last election in September 2006 Voigt is an elected member of the Berlin municipal government in the Treptow-Köpenick district.[2] Previously he has been unsuccessful at the European Parliament elections and when running for mayor of Saarbrücken.
He joined the NPD, a fascist and nationalist party in 1968 and was elected as Chairman (German: Vorsitzender) in 1996, succeeding Günter Deckert who had been arrested in 1995 and was in prison until 2000 for inciting racial hatred.
On March 13, 2008, Voigt was charged (for at least the second time in his life) with incitement (Volksverhetzung) for distributing racially-charged pamphlets. In 2009 he was given a seven-month suspended sentence and ordered to donate 2,000 Euro to UNICEF.[3] Voigt protested the charge, claiming it was politically motivated.
On November 13, 2011, Voigt was replaced as leader of the NPD by Holger Apfel.[4]
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