Wolfgang Rauls (born 17 June 1948) is a German politician of the Free Democratic Party (FDP). He was the last leader of the National Democratic Party during the ''Wende'', before its eventual merger into the Free Democratic Party. After

German reunification German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...

, he entered state politics in

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it the ...

, serving as Minister for the Environment and, eventually, Deputy Minister-President in the CDU cabinets from 1990 to 1994.

Political career

East Germany

In 1968 Rauls, an

electrician An electrician is a tradesperson specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, transmission lines, stationary machines, and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance ...

by trade, joined the National Democratic Party, a

Bloc party Bloc Party are an English Rock music, rock band, composed of Kele Okereke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, sampler), Russell Lissack (lead guitar, keyboards), Justin Harris (bass guitar, keyboards, saxophones, backing vocals) and Loui ...

subservient to the ruling Socialist Unity Party. He thereafter worked as a full-time party official and civil servant in the

Bezirk Magdeburg The Bezirk Magdeburg was a district (''Bezirk'') of East Germany. The administrative seat and the main town was Magdeburg. History The district was established, with the other 13, on 25 July 1952, substituting the old German states. After 3 Octo ...

. During the

Peaceful Revolution The Peaceful Revolution (german: Friedliche Revolution), as a part of the Revolutions of 1989, was the process of sociopolitical change that led to the opening of East Germany's borders with the West, the end of the ruling of the Socialist Unity ...

, Rauls was elected leader of the National Democratic Party and was their lead candidate in the 1990 Volkskammer election. The NDPD now was independent and running on a

classical liberal Classical liberalism is a political tradition and a branch of liberalism that advocates free market and laissez-faire economics; civil liberties under the rule of law with especial emphasis on individual autonomy, limited government, economic ...

platform of a

Social market economy The social market economy (SOME; german: soziale Marktwirtschaft), also called Rhine capitalism, Rhine-Alpine capitalism, the Rhenish model, and social capitalism, is a socioeconomic model combining a free-market capitalist economic system alon ...

, a phased plan to

and entry of the GDR in the

European Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...

. However, because the NDPD had been reluctant to criticise the SED government even during the

and was stained as a former

, it was initially barred from joining the

Association of Free Democrats The Association of Free Democrats (german: Bund Freier Demokraten) was a liberal coalition, later party, formed in East Germany on 12 February 1990. It originally consisted of the Liberal Democratic Party of Germany, Liberal Democratic Party, the F ...

liberal coalition and fared poorly in the election. With 44,292 votes (0.38%) they received fewer votes than they (nominally) had members. The two elected members of the Volkskammer, none of them being Rauls, joined ''The Liberals'' group and the NDPD eventually merged with the Association of Free Democrats, then the Free Democratic Party. Rauls was elected to the Federal Executive Board of the party at the same time.

Saxony-Anhalt state politics

After

, Rauls entered state politics in

, where he became Minister for the Environment and Nature Conservation in a coalition government with the CDU under

Minister-President A minister-president or minister president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments with a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government where they preside over the council of ministers. It ...

Gerd Gies, after winning election to the

Landtag A Landtag (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence in non- ...

in the inaugural October 1990 state election. Under Werner Münch, he was additionally appointed Deputy Minister-President after Gerd Brunner, then also FDP leader Saxony-Anhalt, was exposed as having worked for the

Stasi The Ministry for State Security, commonly known as the (),An abbreviation of . was the Intelligence agency, state security service of the East Germany from 1950 to 1990. The Stasi's function was similar to the KGB, serving as a means of maint ...

. In the 1994 election, the coalition government lost re-election, with the FDP under lead candidate Peter Kunert being shut out of the

Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt The Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt is the parliament of the Germany, German States of Germany, federal state Saxony-Anhalt. It convenes in Magdeburg and currently consists of 97 members of six parties. The current majority is a coalition of the Social ...

entirely. In January of that year, Rauls had unsuccessfully tried to topple Kunert from his leadership position of the FDP in Saxony-Anhalt. There were quarrels about the direction of the party, with left-leaning Kunert favoring a coalition with

SPD The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the ...

and the

Greens Greens may refer to: *Leaf vegetables such as collard greens, mustard greens, spring greens, winter greens, spinach, etc. Politics Supranational * Green politics * Green party, political parties adhering to Green politics * Global Greens * Europ ...

instead of the CDU. Rauls later was elected to the Landtag again in the 2002 election, but he was not among the FDP cabinet ministers. Rauls resigned from the Landtag in January 2006, having been elected Mayor of

Gommern Gommern () is a town in the Jerichower Land district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated approximately southeast of Magdeburg. On January 1, 2005, the municipalities Dannigkow, Dornburg, Karith, Ladeburg, Leitzkau, Menz, Nedlitz, Vehlitz a ...

, a position he retired from in 2012.{{Cite web, title=Wolfgang Rauls geht vorzeitig in den Ruhestand , url=https://www.volksstimme.de/lokal/genthin/wolfgang-rauls-geht-vorzeitig-in-den-ruhestand-447964 , publisher=Volksstimme , date=11 November 2011 , access-date=27 June 2022, language=de

References

Political history of Germany East Germany Saxony-Anhalt 1948 births Living people National Democratic Party of Germany (East Germany) politicians Free Democratic Party (Germany) politicians Members of the Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt