Cornelia Pieper
Encyclopedia
Cornelia Pieper is a German
politician of the liberal Free Democratic Party
(FDP), currently serving as Minister of State at the Foreign Office
under Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle
in the Second Cabinet Merkel
(since 28 October 2009). She was secretary general of her party from 2001 to 2005. Since 2005, she has been deputy chairwoman of the FDP.
. After her Abitur
she studied Polish
and Russia
n in Leipzig
and Warsaw
. She finished in 1982 with a Diplom
. Since 1996 she has worked as a freelance translator.
. In 1990 she joined the FDP and since that time she has been a member of the party's executive board in the State of Saxony-Anhalt
. In 1995 she became chairwoman of the FDP in Saxony-Anhalt, what she still is today. She has also been a member of the federal executive board since 1993. From 1997 to 2001 she was deputy chairwoman of the federal FDP, from 2001 to 2005 she was secretary general. In May 2005 Pieper once again was elected deputy chairwoman of the FDP.
in Saxony-Anhalt.
In 1998 she was for the first time elected into the Bundestag
. There she was deputy chairwoman of the FDP's parliamentary group from 1998 to 2001.
Pieper was elected top candidate of the FDP for the State elections in Saxony-Anhalt 2002.The party gained 13,3% of the votes. That was a satisfactory result, since the FDP hadn't even gained the necessary 5% at the previous State elections in 1998. Therefore Pieper was one more time elected into the Landtag.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
politician of the liberal Free Democratic Party
Free Democratic Party (Germany)
The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government...
(FDP), currently serving as Minister of State at the Foreign Office
Foreign Office (Germany)
The Foreign Office is the foreign ministry of Germany, a federal agency responsible for both the country's foreign politics and its relationship with the European Union. From 1871 to 1919, it was led by a Foreign Secretary, and since 1919, it has been led by the Foreign Minister of Germany...
under Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle
Guido Westerwelle
Guido Westerwelle [] is a German liberal politician, who, since 28 October 2009, has been serving as the Foreign Minister in the second cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel, and who was Vice Chancellor of Germany from 2009 to 2011. He is the first openly gay person to hold either of those positions...
in the Second Cabinet Merkel
Cabinet Merkel II
The Merkel Cabinet II is the current government of Germany since October 28, 2009, during the 17th legislature of the Bundestag. Led by the Christian Democrat Angela Merkel , it is supported by a coalition of the Christian Democratic Union , Christian Social Union of Bavaria and the Free...
(since 28 October 2009). She was secretary general of her party from 2001 to 2005. Since 2005, she has been deputy chairwoman of the FDP.
Background
Pieper was born in Halle in the former German Democratic RepublicGerman Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
. After her Abitur
Abitur
Abitur is a designation used in Germany, Finland and Estonia for final exams that pupils take at the end of their secondary education, usually after 12 or 13 years of schooling, see also for Germany Abitur after twelve years.The Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife, often referred to as...
she studied Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
and Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. She finished in 1982 with a Diplom
Diplom
A Diplom is an academic degree in the German-speaking countries Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and a similarly named degree in some other European countries including Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Estonia, Finland , Greece, Hungary, Russia, Serbia, Macedonia, Slovenia, and Ukraine...
. Since 1996 she has worked as a freelance translator.
Party career
From 1987 to 1990 Pieper was engaged at the Liberal Democratic Party of GermanyLiberal Democratic Party of Germany
The Liberal Democratic Party of Germany ) was a political party in East Germany. Like the other allied parties of the SED in the National Front it had 52 representatives in the Volkskammer.-Foundation:...
. In 1990 she joined the FDP and since that time she has been a member of the party's executive board in the State of Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...
. In 1995 she became chairwoman of the FDP in Saxony-Anhalt, what she still is today. She has also been a member of the federal executive board since 1993. From 1997 to 2001 she was deputy chairwoman of the federal FDP, from 2001 to 2005 she was secretary general. In May 2005 Pieper once again was elected deputy chairwoman of the FDP.
Parliamentary career
From 1990 to 1994 Pieper was a member of the LandtagLandtag
A Landtag is a representative assembly or parliament in German-speaking countries with some legislative authority.- Name :...
in Saxony-Anhalt.
In 1998 she was for the first time elected into the Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
. There she was deputy chairwoman of the FDP's parliamentary group from 1998 to 2001.
Pieper was elected top candidate of the FDP for the State elections in Saxony-Anhalt 2002.The party gained 13,3% of the votes. That was a satisfactory result, since the FDP hadn't even gained the necessary 5% at the previous State elections in 1998. Therefore Pieper was one more time elected into the Landtag.