Erfurt (dpa/th) - Before the 90th birthday of the former Thuringian Prime Minister Bernhard Vogel (CDU), Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow and Opposition Leader Mario Voigt paid tribute to his political achievements. "He is a stroke of luck for Thuringia, as he has set the course for a strong Free State with skill and prudence," said Thuringia's CDU state party and parliamentary group leader Voigt on Sunday. Vogel turns 90 on Monday.
Ramelow had already congratulated him in a message on Saturday. "The Free State of Thuringia owes you a lot," said the left-wing politician. In a letter of congratulations, he highlighted Vogel's merits in the course of reunification.
"Like no other politician, you actively helped to shape the reunification of the reunited Germany - as an exceptional phenomenon among German politicians, as a politician with heart and mind who has remained authentic and modest," wrote Ramelow. Even after the end of his tenure, Vogel remained an influential personality. "Your life's work is a piece of lived German unity."
Bernhard Vogel was the only prime minister who ever governed a country in West and East Germany. From 1976 to 1988 he was head of government in Rhineland-Palatinate. After reunification, he ruled Thuringia from 1992 to 2003. This brings him to a total of 23 years of reign.
Voigt called the former Prime Minister a "politician of the century". "The goal of German unity, reconciliation with our European neighbors, the constitution of our parliamentary democracy, the strengthening of the states in our federal state: Bernhard Vogel provided decisive impetus on all these issues," said Voigt.
A ceremony in Thuringia's state parliament is planned for Wednesday in honor of Bernhard Vogel.
