14 Facts About Kurt Beck

On 28 September 2012, Beck announced his resignation from the post of minister-president.

Kurt Beck was born in Bad Bergzabern, Rhineland-Palatinate, to the bricklayer Oskar Kurt Beck and his wife Johanna.

Kurt Beck served in this function until 14 May 2006.

Kurt Beck has been active in local affairs since 1974, when he was first elected a member of the Kreistag.

On 26 October 1994, Kurt Beck was elected Minister President of Rhineland-Palatinate, succeeding Rudolf Scharping.

Kurt Beck was re-elected three times, in 1996,2001 and 2006.

In March 2006, Kurt Beck's SPD gained an absolute majority in the state elections; Kurt Beck offered to continue the coalition but since the FDP declined, the SPD formed a government without a partner.

In 2000 and 2001, Kurt Beck was President of the Bundesrat, one of his duties as Minister President.

Kurt Beck had been under pressure for weeks over the bankruptcy of the Nurburgring motorsports complex in Rhineland-Palatinate, one of the world's most famous race tracks.

Kurt Beck became the party's fourth chairman in seven years.

Kurt Beck decided not to join the cabinet and succeed Vice-Chancellor Franz Muntefering because it would have prevented him from criticizing Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition government.

On 7 September 2008, Kurt Beck resigned as chairman at a party meeting in Werder, Brandenburg and Frank-Walter Steinmeier was chosen as the SPD candidate for Chancellor in the 2009 election, while Franz Muntefering replaced Kurt Beck as chairman after an interim of Steinmeier.

In March 2017, Kurt Beck was appointed the government's official commissioner for the victims of the attack at the Christmas market at Berlin's Breitscheidplatz on 19 December 2016.

Kurt Beck compared the idea of "moderate Taliban" to distinguishing between moderate and radical right-wing extremists in Rhineland-Palatinate.