Dr. Edmund Rüdiger Stoiber (born September 28, 1941) is a German politician, currently minister-president of the state of Bavaria and chairman of the Christian Social Union (CSU).

Born to a Catholic family in Oberaudorf in the district of Rosenheim, he is a lawyer and has been, since 1974, a member of local government in Bavaria. From 1978 to 1982/83 he was secretary general of the CSU. He led the Bavarian office of state from 1982 to 1986 as undersecretary of state and from 1986 to 1988 as minister of state. As Bavarian minister of the interior he stood up for the maintenance of internal security by using the powers of the state. He also demanded that asylum be granted more restrictively (which is much more liberally handled in Germany than, for example, in the USA).

Edmund Stoiber is married with Karin Stoiber.

Education and Profession

Raised in the upper Bavarian village of Oberaudorf in the district of Rosenheim, Stoiber attended the Ignaz-Günther-Gymnasium in Rosenheim, where he received his Abitur degree in 1961. He completed his military service (required in Germany) with the traditional elite infantry Gebirgsdivision in Mittenwald and Bad Reichenhall , and then had to leave an officer's training course early because of a knee injury. Next, Stoiber began to study political science and law in the fall of 1962 in Munich. He passed his state law exam in 1967. He then worked as an assistant professor of criminal law and Eastern European law at the University of Regensburg . He was awarded a doctorate of jurisprudence, and at last in 1971 took the second state examination with distinction.

He has been, since 1974, a member of local government in Bavaria. From 1978 to 1982/83 he was secretary general of the CSU. He led the Bavarian office of state from 1982 to 1986 as undersecretary of state and from 1986 to 1988 as minister of state. As Bavarian minister of the interior he stood up for the maintenance of internal security by using the powers of the state. He also demanded that asylum be granted more restrictively (which is much more liberally handled in Germany than, for example, in the USA).

In May 1993, the Bavarian Landtag (parliament) elected him as minister-president in which office he succeeded Max Streibl.

After the withdrawal of CDU head Angela Merkel, Stoiber became the main candidate of the CDU/CSU for the parlamentary elections which were held in September 2002. However, SPD chancellor and candidate Gerhard Schröder won by a narrow margin.

Stoiber's conservative world view has a very polarizing attraction which means that many people either love or hate him. For example, there has been a campaign "Stop Stoiber!"

See also: List of Minister-Presidents of Bavaria

External link

• Official Homepage (German)