Willi van Ooyen
Encyclopedia
Willi van Ooyen is a German
politician of socialist Linke Party, and current leader of the Linke party's bloc in the Hessian Landtag. He is a self-described "Marxist".
. After he got married in 1972, he moved to Frankfurt am Main where he studied history and education for a time at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University.
In organized politics, his first major position was Hessian
leader of the Marxist German Peace Union (Deutsche Friedensunion, DFU) as managing director—a partial successor of the banned Communist Party of Germany
— in 1976. The GPU was always a minor party, and it changed its status to "political union" in 1984, the same year that Willi van Ooyen became federal leader of the party across the whole of West Germany
. This organisation was mainly founded by East Germany.
He became affiliated with the new socialist party in Germany, Die Linke, in 2007, and was nominated as their candidate for minister-president in the 2008 Hessian state election
. The Linke party won 5.1% of the vote and entered the Landtag.
The reason for the Hessian political crisis of 2008 (See Landtag of Hesse
) was fundamentally the existence of the Linke bloc in the Landtag. Andrea Ypsilanti
, leader of the SPD, had promised several times during the electoral campaign not to work together with the new leftist party Die Linke (The Left). A few weeks after election day, she was tempted to go for a SPD–Green coalition supported by The Left but under opposition from MP Dagmar Metzger
(SPD) decided not to renege on her promise not to pursue such a venue. After a second unsuccessful attempt by Ypsilanti to take power, all parties agreed to dissolve the Landtag and call for early elections on January 18, 2009.
In the uproar in 2008, many German commentators played up the fact that the German Peace Union, of which vanOoyen was a longtime member and eventual federal leader, had been guided, advised, and financed by the East German communist government. The communist government had showered praise upon the German Peace Union while it still existed, and heavily funded it during the van Ooyen years and earlier. Van Ooyen defended his status as a beneficiary of communist funds in the 1970s–1980s by saying he was "naive".
He was again the Linke party's candidate for minister-president in the 2009 Landtag election in Hesse
, where his party again won 6 seats.
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
politician of socialist Linke Party, and current leader of the Linke party's bloc in the Hessian Landtag. He is a self-described "Marxist".
Life
Van Ooyen is the oldest of seven children. He studied as a teenager to be an electrician in the employ of the West-German BundesbahnDeutsche Bundesbahn
The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany on September 7, 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft '...
. After he got married in 1972, he moved to Frankfurt am Main where he studied history and education for a time at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University.
Political career
In the mid-1960s when he was a teenager, van Ooyen started his lifelong affiliation with various far-left political groupings and causes. He was certainly in the thick of the so-called '68 Generation.In organized politics, his first major position was Hessian
Hesse
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...
leader of the Marxist German Peace Union (Deutsche Friedensunion, DFU) as managing director—a partial successor of the banned Communist Party of Germany
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
— in 1976. The GPU was always a minor party, and it changed its status to "political union" in 1984, the same year that Willi van Ooyen became federal leader of the party across the whole of West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. This organisation was mainly founded by East Germany.
He became affiliated with the new socialist party in Germany, Die Linke, in 2007, and was nominated as their candidate for minister-president in the 2008 Hessian state election
Hesse state election, 2008
The state election to elect members of the Landtag of Hesse was held in the German state of Hesse on 27 January 2008.-Background and issues:...
. The Linke party won 5.1% of the vote and entered the Landtag.
The reason for the Hessian political crisis of 2008 (See 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....
) was fundamentally the existence of the Linke bloc in the Landtag. Andrea Ypsilanti
Andrea Ypsilanti
Andrea Ypsilanti is a German politician.-Political career:Ypsilanti is a member of the Hessian Landtag and was chairperson of the Social Democratic Party of Hesse from March 2003 to January 2009.In the Hesse state elections of 2008, held on 27 January 2008, she was the SPD's candidate for the...
, leader of the SPD, had promised several times during the electoral campaign not to work together with the new leftist party Die Linke (The Left). A few weeks after election day, she was tempted to go for a SPD–Green coalition supported by The Left but under opposition from MP Dagmar Metzger
Dagmar Metzger
Dagmar Metzger is a German lawyer and politician, and a former member of the Parliament of Hesse for the Social Democratic Party of Germany ....
(SPD) decided not to renege on her promise not to pursue such a venue. After a second unsuccessful attempt by Ypsilanti to take power, all parties agreed to dissolve the Landtag and call for early elections on January 18, 2009.
In the uproar in 2008, many German commentators played up the fact that the German Peace Union, of which vanOoyen was a longtime member and eventual federal leader, had been guided, advised, and financed by the East German communist government. The communist government had showered praise upon the German Peace Union while it still existed, and heavily funded it during the van Ooyen years and earlier. Van Ooyen defended his status as a beneficiary of communist funds in the 1970s–1980s by saying he was "naive".
He was again the Linke party's candidate for minister-president in the 2009 Landtag election in Hesse
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:...
, where his party again won 6 seats.