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The former President of Germany, Horst Kohler, who once led the International Monetary Fund and was a strong supporter in Africa, died on Saturday at the age of 81 after a brief illness.
The state’s head Kohaler from 2004 to 2010 died in the early hours in Berlin, surrounded by his family, the German Presidency announced.
President Frank-Walter Steinmier, while paying tribute to Kohaler, said that Germany had “lost a highly respected and highly popular person who had achieved great things for our country and the world.”
In a post on X, Chancellor Olaf Sholaz committed Kohaler as a “committed politician who worked for a fair world throughout his life”.
An economist from training, he was the first German head of the state who was not a career politician.
He was the head of IMF in Washington from 2000 to 2004 before becoming President, and also played other roles in Civil Services and Banking.
He became the state head of Germany, mostly a formal role, then followed by opposition leader Angela Merkel, who went to become a Chancellor.
Steinmier said that when he was elected, the Center-Right CDU party member was “actually unknown”.
Top-Sailing Tabloid Build memorized the news that he was demanding the presidency with the headline “Horst Hu”?
But plain -speaking, unconventional politicians became particularly particularly popular, as he was criticized for the large salary and functioning of financial markets earned by the authorities.
He was selected for a second term in 2009.
But in May the following year, he suddenly resigned in an interview to surprise the country by resigning the comment, where he appeared to add German military deployment to Afghanistan to defend economic interests.
The comments promoted the controversy as there is still great sensitivity in Germany about foreign military missions due to the painful memories of the Nazi era.
– ‘Excellent service’ –
In his speeches, Kohaler often emphasized the strength of Germany and the importance of believing in his people’s energy and creativity.
The married father of two promoted Germany as a “land of thoughts” that would shape his future and serve as a force for good in the world.
When it came into foreign policy, Kohler focused a strong focus on Africa and visited the continent several times.
“He never got tired of pointing to the importance and ability of the African continent for global development,” said on Saturday, former President’s Office head Sven Behanke.
“For him, entangled with Africa seemed not only intelligent and forward looking, but also morally mandatory.”
Before becoming President, he was a prominent economic officer in the 1980s and 90s when Chancellor Helmut Kohal was in power.
He played a central role in the monetary integration of Germany in 1990 – when East East Germany adopted the West German mark.
He also helped in getting ready for the start of the euro.
He was born in 1943 with German parents in German-Quiz Poland. He spent his early years staying in refugee camps, until his family settled in Baden-Wirtetembourg in Ludwigsburg.
After leaving the presidency, Kohalar was the United Nations messenger for Western Sahara from 2017 to 2019, which was in efforts to end the conflict between the United Nations and the Algerian -backed Polisario Front.
He was also a member of a panel established by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in 2012 to advise the global development agenda since 2015.
Merkel, who was a Chancellor from 2005 to 2021, praised Kohrar’s “cheerful, optimistic and fearless” attitude.
“He has given excellent services to Germany,” he said in a statement.
PW-SR/GV
