Former German President Roman Herzog
passed away at the age of 82, on Tuesday. Herzog
served as President of Germany from 1994 to 1999.
Roman Herzog was the first German President to be elected
into office following Germany's reunification.
Herzog had a difficult start to his presidency. The Federal
Assembly, which convenes for the sole purpose of electing Germany's ceremonial
head-of-state, only confirmed his election after three rounds of balloting.
Furthermore, he was only a second-choice candidate for the ruling Christian
Democrats (CDU), who had originally wanted to send Saxony's Justice Minister
Steffen Heitmann in. Heitmann was disqualified after making contentious remarks
regarding the German past.
Despite these initial difficulties, Herzog immediately
started to turn the tables on those who opposed him.
"I will try my best to lead this administration in such
a way that you will regret not having given me your vote," he said upon
his election, setting the tone for his leadership.
Dedication to law and justice
Herzog was born in the Bavarian city of Landshut in 1934 and
followed an academic career path at first. He joined the CDU in 1970, becoming
an active politician three years later.
Herzog was later elected a judge at Germany's Constitutional
Court, serving from 1983 to 1987. He was the lead judge on the court's panel
from 1987 to 1994, prior to becoming president.
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