Karl Laschet

 

Karl Laschet
Laschet's official portrait, 2019.
Chancellor of Germany
Incumbent
Assumed office September 22, 2013
Preceded by	Marcus Lucke
Leader of the Opposition
In office June 7, 2010 – September 22, 2013
Preceded by	Joachim Welf
Succeeded by	Christian Letz
Member of the Reichstag for Oldenburg III
Incumbent
Assumed office April 5, 2005
Preceded by	Hans Merkel
Leader of the Center Party
Incumbent
Assumed office June 7, 2010
Preceded by	Joachim Welf
Personal details
Born	(1970-02-18) February 18, 1970 Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Political party	Center Party
Spouse(s)	Alice Volker (m. 1990)
Children	2
Alma mater	Leipzig University
Military service
Allegiance	Germany
Branch/service	German Air Force
Years of service	1988–present
Rank	Staff Captain
Unit	Air Force Reserve
Battles/wars	Syrian Civil War

Karl Walter Laschet (born February 18, 1970) is a German politician and former educator currently serving as the Chancellor of Germany since 2013. A lifelong member of the Zentrum, Laschet also serves as a member of the Reichstag, representing Oldenburg's 3rd electoral district since 2005. He previously served as the Leader of the Opposition in the German parliament from 2010 to 2013. As Chancellor, Laschet is also the leader of the Center Party.

Born and raised in Munich, Bavaria, Laschet would attend and graduate from Leipzig University with a bachelor's degree in education. Following his graduation, Laschet would become a secondary school teacher in the city of Oldenburg, teaching German history and government at the prestigious Innestadt Academy, a private Avignon Catholic secondary school. He was also commissioned as a reserve officer in the German Air Force and was trained as a transport pilot, assigned to the 5th (Reserve) Transport Squadron. Having a strong interest in politics, Laschet would run for office in 2005, being elected to the Reichstag as a member of the Center Party. As a member of the Reichstag, Laschet became known for support laws to "defend Germany's Christian culture and heritage," including restrictions on abortion, and to have a more patriotic education program in German schools. On foreign policy, he advocated for Germany to take a larger role in leading European politics and is a supporter of Transamericanism, strengthening Germany's alliance with the Conference of American States, while at the same time maintaining German sovereignty and freedom of action. He has been critical of the European Community and opposed further projects for European integration. In particular, during his time in the Reichstag he worked to increase relations between the German Center Party and the member parties of the American Conservative Coalition.

Because of his role in pushing for conservative policies and frequently giving speeches in Germany and abroad, including on German foreign policy, he rose to prominence in the late 2000s as a potential future leader in the Center Party. Laschet was elected leader of the party in 2010, and would in turn become Leader of the Opposition while the Reichstag was led by the Left Coalition, consisting of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the German Democratic Party (DDP). As Opposition Leader he became known in Germany for his frequent speeches criticizing the SPD and DDP for their socially liberal policies, and along with British MP Clive Spencer, is seen as part of the early wave of right-wing populist leaders the rose to fame across Europe from the mid-2010s. Laschet took a break from politics in 2011 when he was deployed on active duty with the German Air Force in the Middle East, as part of the German contingent in the ISAF during the Syrian Civil War. As of 2023 he holds the rank of Stabshauptmann ("Staff captain").

In 2013 Laschet led the Center Party in a historic victory to win a majority of seats for the first time since the 1990s and became the Chancellor of Germany. As Chancellor he has increased Germany's participation in the Eurocorps and the ISAF in Syria, brought Germany into closer alignment with the Anglo-America and the United Kingdom, while being critical of the United Commonwealth and China. On domestic policy he worked to pass much of the legislation that he had sponsored while a member of the Reichstag in earlier years, along with new laws on immigration restrictions. When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in 2020, he initially supported lockdowns and mask mandates in the first few months before reversing his stance and opposing them, along with the majority of the Center Party. During the 2022 Damascus offensive he took part in organizing the evacuation of German and other European nationals from Syria as the Syrian opposition took control of the country. Among his more controversial decisions was to approve sales of German weaponry, including the Leopard 2 main battle tank, to Hashemite Arabia. He also revived the Cold War era "Weimar Triangle" discussion format involving Germany and the leaders of France and Poland, with prime ministers Aleksy Kowalczyk and Oscar de Saint-Just, in 2019.