Tarek Al-Wazir
Encyclopedia
Tarek Mohammed Al-Wazir, طارق الوزير, (born January 3, 1971) is a politician
in the German Green Party. He is a member of the Landtag of Hesse
and co-chairman of the Hessian Green Party.
, the son of an upper-class Yemen
i father and a German mother. He holds dual citizenship with Yemen and Germany. His parents divorced while he was a child, and he spent several years of his youth in the Yemeni capital (Sana'a
) with his father, an experience he later described as very influential in his personal development.
After his Abitur
in 1991, he studied political science
in Frankfurt
, where he earned a diplom
. He is married to a Yemeni woman, with whom he has two sons.
) in Hesse. He has been a member of the Landtag since 1995 and is presently co-chairman of the Hessian Green Party (with Kordula Schulz-Asche).
He was the leader of the Greens during the Hesse state election of 2008, and as such was the Green candidate for the position of minister-president of Hesse. His party gained 7.5% of the votes. In the aftermath of the election, he pushed hard for a "red-green-red" coalition consisting of the SPD, the Greens, and the far-left Linke party. This would have succeeded if not for an internal revolt by SPD members, forcing a new election in January 2009. In the 2009 elections
, he again stood as the Green candidate for minister-president. This time his party, benefitting from popular anger at the SPD, increased its share to 13.7% of the vote, but the Greens remained out of government.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in the German Green Party. He is a member of the Landtag of Hesse
Landtag of Hesse
The Landtag of Hesse is the state Parliament of the German State of Hesse. It convenes in Wiesbaden and currently consists of 118 members of five Parties. Currently there is coalition between the CDU and the FDP....
and co-chairman of the Hessian Green Party.
Personal life
Al-Wazir was born in Offenbach am Main, HesseHesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
, the son of an upper-class Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
i father and a German mother. He holds dual citizenship with Yemen and Germany. His parents divorced while he was a child, and he spent several years of his youth in the Yemeni capital (Sana'a
Sana'a
-Districts:*Al Wahdah District*As Sabain District*Assafi'yah District*At Tahrir District*Ath'thaorah District*Az'zal District*Bani Al Harith District*Ma'ain District*Old City District*Shu'aub District-Old City:...
) with his father, an experience he later described as very influential in his personal development.
After his 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...
in 1991, he studied political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, where he earned 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...
. He is married to a Yemeni woman, with whom he has two sons.
Political career
Al-Wazir joined the German Green Party in 1989, and has been a member ever since. From 1992 to 1994 he was chairman of the party's youth organisation (Green YouthGreen Youth (Germany)
-History:The Grüne Jugend was founded on January 16, 1994, as an independent association with the name Grün-Alternatives Jugendbündnis ....
) in Hesse. He has been a member of the Landtag since 1995 and is presently co-chairman of the Hessian Green Party (with Kordula Schulz-Asche).
He was the leader of the Greens during the Hesse state election of 2008, and as such was the Green candidate for the position of minister-president of Hesse. His party gained 7.5% of the votes. In the aftermath of the election, he pushed hard for a "red-green-red" coalition consisting of the SPD, the Greens, and the far-left Linke party. This would have succeeded if not for an internal revolt by SPD members, forcing a new election in January 2009. In the 2009 elections
Hesse state election, 2009
Early state elections for the Landtag of Hesse were held in Hesse on 18 January 2009. The reason for the early elections was the inability of the parties to form a government after the inconclusive 2008 Hessian election.-Issues and background:...
, he again stood as the Green candidate for minister-president. This time his party, benefitting from popular anger at the SPD, increased its share to 13.7% of the vote, but the Greens remained out of government.