Peter Müller (politician)

Peter Müller
Peter Müller
Minister-President of the Saarland
In office
5 September 1999 – 10 August 2011
Preceded by Reinhard Klimmt
Succeeded by Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer
Personal details
Born September 25, 1955
Illingen, Saar Protectorate
Nationality German
Political party CDU
Alma mater University of Bonn
University of Saarbrücken
Profession Jurist

Peter Aloysius Müller (born 25 September 1955 in Illingen, Saar Protectorate) is a German politician belonging to the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). From 1999 to 2011, he has held the position of Premier (Ministerpräsident) of the state of Saarland, serving as President of the Upper House of Germany's federal parliament, the Bundesrat from 1 November 2008 to 1 November 2009.[1] In December 2011, Müller was elected as judge of German Bundesverfassungsgericht.

Education and Career

After sitting the Abitur (German final exams) in 1974 at the Realgymnasium in Lebach, Müller studied jurisprudence and politics in the Bonn and Saarbrücken. He sat for the two required State Examinations in Law, the first in 1983, and the second in 1986. From then until 1994, he served as a judge at the district court of Saarbrücken, as well as a research fellow for Saarland University.

Political party

Müller is a member of the CDU. Since 1995, he has been the chairman of the CDU in Saarland. He is also a part of the CDU's informal internal party, the "Jungen Wilden" (Young Turks), as well as being a member of the "Andenpakt" (Andes Pact). On 17 August 2005 the then Chancellor-candidate Angela Merkel chose Müller to be a member of her shadow cabinet as a prospective minister of economics and trade.

Saarland Legislative Assembly

Since 1990, Müller has been a Member of the Legislative Assembly (Landtag) of Saarland. From 1994 through 1999, he was the Leader of the CDU in the Assembly, hence also serving as Leader of the Opposition.

With the Federal Election of 2005, he obtained a federal party ticket in Saarland. However, on 26 November 2005 he decided not to take up his post as a Member of Parliament (Bundestag). He was succeeded by Hermann Scharf.

Public Offices

After the CDU received 45.5% of the votes, a narrow majority government, he became Premier of Saarland. On 3 September 2004 the CDU was able to expand upon its advantage in the parliament elections. In 2009, he formed a so-called Jamaica coalition with the liberal FDP and the Greens before leaving office in 2011, supposedly to accept an appointment to the Federal Constitutional Court.

Awards and Distinctions

In 2003 Peter Müller was given the Premier of the Year (Ministerpräsident des Jahres) Award in Berlin for the years 2000 to 2002 for his article "Initiative Neue Soziale Marktwirtschaft" (New Social Free Market Initiative), which was published in the economic magazine WirtschaftsWoche.

Family

Peter Müller and his wife Astrid have three children.

References

  1. ↑ "Präsidenten des Bundesrates seit 1949". Deutscher Bundesrat (in German). Retrieved 10 November 2008.

External links