Michael Kretschmer

Michael Kretschmer (born 7 May 1975) is a German CDU politician. He has been Minister President of Saxony since 13 December 2017.[1]

Michael Kretschmer
MdL MdBR
Kretschmer in 2020
Minister-President of Saxony
Assumed office
13 December 2017
DeputyMartin Dulig
Wolfram Günther
Preceded byStanislaw Tillich
Leader of the Christian Democratic Union in Saxony
Assumed office
9 December 2017
DeputyBarbara Klepsch
Preceded byStanislaw Tillich
General Secretary of the Christian Democratic Union in Saxony
In office
1 December 2004 – 9 December 2017
LeaderGeorg Milbradt
Stanislaw Tillich
Preceded byHermann Winkler
Succeeded byAlexander Dierks
Member of the Landtag of Saxony
for Görlitz 2
Assumed office
1 October 2019
Preceded byOctavian Ursu
Member of the Bundestag
for Görlitz
(Löbau-Zittau – Görlitz – Niesky; 2002–2005)
In office
17 October 2002 – 24 October 2017
Preceded byGeorg Janovsky
Succeeded byTino Chrupalla
Personal details
Born
Michael Kretschmer

(1975-05-07) 7 May 1975
Görlitz, East Germany (now Germany)
Political partyChristian Democratic Union
Spouse(s)
    Annett Hoffmann
    ​
    (m. 2020)​
    Children2
    Alma mater

    Political career

    Member of Parliament, 2002–2017

    From 2002 to 2017 Kretschmer was a member of the Bundestag as directly elected representative for Görlitz. He first served on the Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment. In the negotiations to form a coalition government under Chancellor Angela Merkel following the 2009 federal elections, he was a member of the working group on economic affairs and energy, led by Annette Schavan and Andreas Pinkwart.[2]

    From 2009 to 2017 Kretschmer was one of the vice chairs of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, under the leadership of chairman Volker Kauder.[3] During his time in parliament, he was also of the German-Russian Parliamentary Friendship Group and the German-Polish Parliamentary Friendship Group.

    In the negotiations to form a Grand Coalition of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU together with the Bavarian CSU) and the SPD following the 2013 federal elections, Kretschmer led the CDU/CSU delegation in the working group on cultural and media affairs; his counterpart of the SPD was Klaus Wowereit.

    He lost reelection in 2017 to Tino Chrupalla of the AfD

    Minister-President of Saxony, 2017–present
    See also: Second Kretschmer cabinet

    On 18 October 2017, Stanislaw Tillich announced his resignation as Minister President of Saxony and suggested that Kretschmer should replace him.[4] He is only the fourth and also the youngest person to hold that office.[5]

    As one of Saxony's representatives at the Bundesrat, Kretschmer has been serving as member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs since 2017. In addition, he is a member of the German-Russian Friendship Group set up in cooperation with Russia's Federation Council.

    In the negotiations to form a fourth cabinet under Merkel following the 2017 federal elections, Kretschmer co-chaired the working group on transport and infrastructure, alongside Alexander Dobrindt and Sören Bartol.

    In December 2021 ZDF journalists discovered a plot by anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown extremists to assassinate Kretschmer, which led to an investigation by Saxon police and searchings for weapons through several houses in Dresden.[6][7]

    Other activities

    Political positions

    In June 2017, Kretschmer voted against Germany's introduction of same-sex marriage.[11]

    While visiting the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in 2019, Kretschmer met with President Vladimir Putin and later called for the lifting of EU economic sanctions against Russia.[12] This was immediately rejected by CDU chairwoman Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.[13]

    He was opposed to restrictions during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and even attended an anti-lockdown demonstration, but changed his mind and apologised in December 2020. In November 2021 he disagreed with Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn on ending the nationwide state of emergency.[7]

    Controversy

    During his tenure as secretary general of the CDU in Saxony, Kretscher faced criticism after reports surfaced in 2010 that personal meetings with party chairman and Minister-President Stanislaw Tillich were offered to potential corporate sponsors in exchange for donations.[14]

    References
    1. "Michael Kretschmer ist neuer Ministerpräsident von Sachsen". Retrieved 2017-12-13.
    2. Koalitionsverhandlungen: Wen Union und FDP zum Feilschen schicken Spiegel Online, October 6, 2009.
    3. "Deutscher Bundestag – Kretschmer, Michael". Deutscher Bundestag (in German). Retrieved 2017-11-04.
    4. "Merkel Ally Resigns as Saxony's Leader After Losses to AfD". Bloomberg.com. 2017-10-18. Retrieved 2017-11-04.
    5. Jörg Schurig and Martin Fischer (December 10, 2017), Michael Kretschmer – vom Wahlverlierer zum Parteikapitän Leipziger Volkszeitung.
    6. "Mordkomplott mot tysk politiker efter vaccinutspel". DN.SE (in Swedish). 2021-12-15. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
    7. Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "German police investigating anti-vax assassination plot against Saxony leader Michael Kretschmer | DW | 08.12.2021". DW.COM. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
    8. Board of Trustees Development and Peace Foundation (SEF).
    9. Board of Trustees Dresden Frauenkirche.
    10. as of July 1, 2020 Max Planck Society.
    11. Diese Unionsabgeordneten stimmten für die Ehe für alle Die Welt, June 30, 2017.
    12. Christiane Hoffmann, Timo Lehmann, Veit Medick and Ralf Neukirch (July 29, 2019), Relations with Moscow Emerge as German Election Issue Der Spiegel.
    13. Merkel party leader rejects call to end Russia sanctions Associated Press, June 8, 2019.
    14. Andreas Illmer (February 27, 2010), Donation scandal surrounding German conservatives widens Deutsche Welle.
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