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Heide Simonis

Heide Simonis (German: [ˈhaɪdə ziˈmoːnɪs]; 4 July 1943 – 12 July 2023) was a German author and politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). She was minister of finance in Schleswig-Holstein from 1988 until 1993, when she became minister-president of Schleswig-Holstein. She was the first woman to serve as head of a state government in German history and the only woman to do so in the 20th century, serving until 2005. As of September 2023, she is also the longest serving former female minister-president of a German state (11 years, 343 days).

Heide Simonis
Simonis in 2009
Minister-President of Schleswig-Holstein
In office
19 March 1993 – 27 April 2005
Preceded byBjörn Engholm
Succeeded byPeter Harry Carstensen
Schleswig-Holstein Minister of Finance
In office
5 May 1988 – 19 March 1993
Preceded byRoger Asmussen
Succeeded byClaus Möller
Member of the Bundestag
In office
3 October 1976 – 8 June 1988
Personal details
Born
Heide Steinhardt

(1943-07-04)4 July 1943
Bonn, Greater German Reich
Died12 July 2023(2023-07-12) (aged 80)
Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Political partySocial Democratic
Education

Early life and education

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Born Heide Steinhardt in Bonn on 4 July 1943,[1] she was the oldest of three sisters.[2] She had asthma as a young child and therefore spent time in children's homes from age three.[3] She completed school with the Abitur in 1962 in Nürnberg.[1] She then studied economics and sociology at the universities of Erlangen-Nürnberg and Kiel, graduating with a degree in economics in 1967.[1][4] She worked in different positions after 1967, beginning as a lecturer at the University of Lusaka in Zambia.[1] She worked with her husband for an advisory panel of the WHO in Japan on health development.[5] She later worked as vocational counsellor at the employment office of Kiel.[2]

Career

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National politics

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Simonis joined the SPD in 1969.[1][4] She was elected to the German Bundestag in 1976,[1] representing the Rendsburg-Eckernförde district, as then the youngest member of the parliament.[4]

State politics

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Simonis in 2011

In 1988, Simonis was appointed minister of finance in Schleswig-Holstein by minister-president Björn Engholm.[1][4] In the 1992 state elections, she became a member of the legislature of Schleswig-Holstein.[1]

On 19 May 1993, Simonis was elected minister-president of Schleswig-Holstein after her predecessor Engholm resigned due to a scandal.[4] She was the first woman in Germany to rise to this level in government. For her first cabinet, she kept almost all of Engholm's ministers.[6]

The 1996 state elections saw the SPD representation drop to 39.8% from 46.2% in 1992, but Simonis was able to form a coalition with the Greens.[4] In the 2000 state elections, at the height of a Christian Democratic Union's donations scandal, the SPD was able to increase its share to 43.1%. At the time, the result was also seen as marking a victory for Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who had campaigned ardently in support of Simonis.[7]

Despite basing its campaign for the 2005 elections on Simonis' popularity, the SPD suffered a heavy defeat due to the bad economic situation and its support dropped to 38.7% (for the first time in almost twenty years behind the CDU). On 17 March 2005, Simonis failed to be re-elected as minister-president of Schleswig-Holstein in four consecutive ballots by the Schleswig-Holstein Landtag.[8] In the first ballot she received 34 votes and Peter Harry Carstensen (CDU) received 33, while two deputies cast empty votes. Neither Simonis nor Carstensen got the absolute majority (35 votes). In the second and third ballots the candidates received 34 votes each, while one deputy of the alliance of SPD, Greens, and SSW abstained. An unprecedented fourth ballot brought the same result and Simonis stepped down as minister-president of Schleswig-Holstein.[8]

After politics

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Simonis served as chairwoman of the German Committee for UNICEF from 2005 until February 2008. She resigned from this position due to a scandal related to donations to the organisation that arose during her term.[9]

Personal life and legacy

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Simonis in 1970

In 1967, Simonis married Udo E. Simonis [de] who had studied with her.[2][4] He became a professor of economics, with a focus on the environment.[4] Among her hobbies was quiltmaking.[5]

Simonis survived breast cancer.[5] She announced in 2014 that she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.[4] She died at home in Kiel on 12 July 2023, at age 80.[2][10]

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier described her as an exceptional political personality who shaped democracy beyond Schleswig-Holstein. He noted her competence, but also humanity and empathy.[11]

Publications

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Books by Simonis include:[3]

  • Simonis, Heide (1997). Kein Blatt vorm Mund (in German). Hoffmann Und Campe Verlag. ISBN 3-455-11192-0.
  • —— (2003). Unter Männern (in German). C.H.Beck. ISBN 3-406-50959-2.
  • ——; Maletzke, Erich (2007). Ausgeteilt, eingesteckt (in German). Zu Klampen!. ISBN 978-3-86674-012-9.
  • ——; Steinhardt, Dodo; Steinhardt-Böttcher, Barbara (2008). Drei Rheintöchter (in German). Bouvier. ISBN 978-3-416-03234-6.
  • —— (2010). Verzockt! (in German). Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. ISBN 978-3-525-30002-2.
  • —— (3 July 2013). Alles Märchen! (in German). ISBN 978-3-7859-1126-6.
  • —— (2016). Heringstage (in German). Borbyer Werkstatt Verlag. ISBN 978-3-940586-10-0.

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Ehemalige Ministerpräsidentin Schleswig-Holstein: Simonis, Heide". Bayerischer Rundfunk (in German). 8 July 2013. Archived from the original on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Heide Simonis mit 80 Jahren gestorben" (in German). ZDF. 12 July 2023. Archived from the original on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Heide Simonis". fembio.org. 12 July 2023. Archived from the original on 2 July 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Heed, Levke (12 July 2023). "1993: Heide Simonis wird erste Ministerpräsidentin". NDR (in German). Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Casdorff, Stephan-Andreas (13 July 2023). "Sie war auf ihre Art eine eiserne Lady". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Archived from the original on 15 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  6. ^ Kampe, Kersten (21 May 1993). "Kiel hat eine Ministerpräsidentin". taz (in German). Archived from the original on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  7. ^ John Schmid (28 February 2000), Result in Schleswig-Holstein Sharpens Leadership Crisis: Kohl Party Loses Regional Election Archived 20 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine International Herald Tribune.
  8. ^ a b "Ein Unbekannter stürzt Heide Simonis". NDR (in German). Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  9. ^ "Heide Simonis tritt zurück". Der Stern (in German). 2 February 2008. Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  10. ^ a b "Im Alter von 80 Jahren: Schleswig-Holsteins Ex-Ministerpräsidentin Heide Simonis ist tot". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). 12 July 2023. Archived from the original on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  11. ^ ""Eine der herausragendsten Frauen der Nachkriegszeit"". FAZ (in German). dpa. 12 July 2023. Archived from the original on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  12. ^ "Heide Simonis ist tot – Schleswig-Holstein". Der Spiegel (in German). 12 July 2023. Archived from the original on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
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