Martin Beiter

Martin Beiter
Beiter in October 1990
10th Prime Minister of Besmenia
In office 13 March 1980 – 5 May 1991
President	Erwin Pohl Otto Schulz
Vice Prime Minister	Friedrich Bender (1980-1984) Doris Klammer-Brunt (1984-1991)
Preceded by	Robert Gleitzmann
Succeeded by	Kurt Stöger
Leader of the Free Besmenian Citizen's Party
In office 28 July 1979 – 5 May 1991
Preceded by	Jürgen Rothmann
Succeeded by	Kurt Stöger
Leader of the Free Besmenian Citizen's Party in the Federal Chamber
In office 22 March 1978 – 1 September 1980
Preceded by	Roland Wasste
Succeeded by	Heinz Preiung
Member of the Federal Chamber
In office 1972 – 5 May 1991
Personal details
Born	Martin Beiter 10 January 1945 Behringen, Metakumburg, East Besmenia
Died	5 May 1991 (aged 46) Melmingen, Maurenmark, Besmenia
Manner of death	Assassination
Political party	Free Besmenian Citizen's Party
Spouse	Astrid Schmid (m. 1976)
Children	2
Military service
Allegiance	East Besmenia
Branch/service	Besmenian Federal Army
Years of service	February 1965 - October 1965
Unit	Besmenian Army

Martin Beiter (10 January 1945 - 5 May 1991) was a Besmenian politician who served as Prime Minister of Besmenia from 1980 until his assassination in 1991. He also was party chairman of the Free Besmenian Citizen's Party from 1980 to his death.

His 11-year premiership, in a FBBP-SDU governing coalition, known today as the Beiter era, was marked by numerous social-liberal reforms in economics and finance, in criminal and family law, as well as in education and a modernization of Besmenian society. Also under Beiter, Besmenia became a member of the Coalition of Crown Albatross in 1982, and was a co-founder of the Alliance of Nortuan States in 1989. During his tenure Beiter was one of the most important political figures of Besmenia as well as in international liberal communities. When Beiter was sworn in in 1980, at 35 he was one of the youngest state leaders on Iearth.

Beiter was assassinated on May 5th, 1991 in an theatre after a election campaign for the 1991 Maurenmark state election in Melmingen. His death caused mourning among the population.

Early Life and education

Martin Beiter was born on January 10, 1945 as the son of the entrepreneur Leopold Beiter (1904-1989) and the housewife Greta Helbeing (1907-1994) in the capital of Metakumburg Behringen. After graduating from high school in 1965, he did his military service. From 1966 he studied Besmenian, history and sports at the University of Behringen and completed his studies in 1969 with the first and in 1971 with the second state examination for teaching at primary and secondary schools. From 1969 he worked as a teacher in Behringen.

Political career

Member of the Federal Chamber

Beiter won a seat for the 14th Besmenian Federal Chamber on the Metakumburgian FBBP's state list in the 1972 Besmenian federal election. During his time as a member of parliament, he was particularly known as an excellent speaker and opponent of the blue-orange coalition led by Robert Gleitzmann. He found high recognition among senior FBBP politicians such as Jürgen Rothmann (FBBP party leader, 1968-1980) and Otto Schulz (Vice President of the Federal Chamber, 1976-1980). After the resignation of the chairman of the FBBP parliamentary group in the Federal Chamber Roland Wasste, Beiter was appointed his successor.

FBBP chairman and candidate in the 1980 election

Beiter with Günther Traubert at the FBBP party convention on July 28, 1979.

After Jürgen Rothmann announced that he would resign from the FBBP chairmanship and not run as candidate for prime minister for the 1980 election, on May 15, 1979, during a press conference, Beiter announced that he would be for the office of FBBP federal chairman to apply. He competed against Theoberg Braun and Georg Wallmann. The election took place at the FBBP convention on July 28, 1979. With around 502 out of a total of 970 votes, Beiter achieved an absolute majority and was thus elected as the new party chairman and prime minister candidate of the FBBP.

The 1980 election campaign was dominated by the feud between Beiter and Gleitzmann. Beiter criticized Gleitzmann's resistance to Besmenian's accession to the Coalition of Crown Albatross as well as his partly right-wing populist views, while Gleitzmann criticized Beiter for being too young. The 1980 election campaign is general considered to be one of the wildest in the Federal Republic history.

In a television debate on January 20, 1980, after a brief conflict, Beiter said to Gleitzmann: "You, my dear Mr. Gleitzmann, you are an right-wing populist wannabe dictator! You are engaging in business with a party that actually shows some tendency to Ochsenbeinism and that after the West Besmenians were happy to have been freed from Ochsenbeinism in 1966. Aren't you ashamed of that?"

Prime Minister of Besmenia (1980-1991)

Beiter in his office in 1982.

The FBBP advertised in the 1980 election campaign with the slogan "Keine Blau-orange Bundesregierung!" (English: No blue-orange federal government!). In the 1980 federal election, the FBBP under Beiter became the strongest party for the first time in its history with 31.2% of the vote. The planned coalition with the SDU initially proved to be difficult because the FBBP and SDU together did not have a majority in the Federal Chamber (it lacked one seat for a majority). After lengthy exploratory talks between the parties, the FBBP and SDU concluded a coalition agreement to form a minority government. On March 13, 1980, Beiter was sworn in as the 9th Federal Prime Minister by Federal President Erwin Pohl.

In the September 1981 early elections, the FBBP and SDU won the majority of votes and seats. The joint majority of the two parties was also achieved in the 1985 and 1989 elections.

Assassination and state funeral

Main article: Assassination of Martin Beiter

At an election campaign event on May 5, 1991 for the 1991 Maurenmark state election, Beiter gave a speech in support of the then incumbent Governor of Maurenmark Helmut Borner in front of an audience of 232 people in a theatre. When Beiter left the theatre hall surrounded by numerous people. The perpetrator recognized Beiter in the crowd and, according to eyewitness reports, ran through the crowd to be very close to Martin Beiter. The attack took place around 8:34 p.m. The attacker aimed from the back and fired two shots at Beiter from 60 centimeters away with a revolver. Beiter was hit in the head. His bodyguard Leon Dänkmann was injured by a third shot in the hand while attempting to knock the gun out of the hand of the perpetrator. After a short while, paramedics reached the theatre and lifted Beiter off the floor. After the gunshots, Beiter spoke only in a whisper and mostly incomprehensible before he lost consciousness in the ambulance to the Melmingen General Hospital. At the Melmingen General Hospital, the doctors arranged for an operation to remove the two cartridges from his skull. This operation did not take place, however, as Beiter was probably already brain dead when he arrived at the Melmingen General Hospital. At 9:43 p.m. Martin Beiter was officially declared dead.

The assassin was arrested by the police shortly after the attack and was identified as Michael Lammer.

The state funeral took place on May 28, 1991 in Laitstadt with around 1000 guests, including the Zamastanian President Elijah Daniels.

Political position

Beiter was considered a staunch left-wing liberalist. He united liberal positions and also positions of the center-left. During his membership in the FBBP he belonged to the left-wing liberal wing.

Personal life

Martin Beiter with his wife Astrid at the Federal Festival in 1990.

Beiter married the writer Astrid Schmid in 1976. Both had known each other since 1973. The couple had a boy, Christoph Beiter (born 12 December 1978), and a daughter, Franziska Beiter (born 10 October 1983).

The couple had owned a weekend house in the Summingian forest since 1977, where the couple often spent their holidays and often invited guests.

Beiter was very interested in art. He had some of his favorite paintings hung in his office in the Federal House.

Legacy

Martin Beiter as guest in Spät am Abend on 3 March 1991.

Today Martin Beiter is considered as one of the most influential Prime Ministers of Besmenia, alongside with Heinz Dimmler and Johannes Schmidt. In 2001, Martin Beiter was identified as the most popular politician in recent Besmenian history in a poll by an opinion research institute.

Personality and media portrayals

Satirical representation

Beiter was often the subject of satire and caricature. Here recurring remarks were his young age, his aversion to the BVP and BRP and his mustache, which is often referred to as Porn bar (Pornobalken).

Honors

Besmenian honors

• Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Besmenia (posthumously)

Honorary citizen

1981: Behringen
1987: Laitstadt
1990: State of Metakumburg

Namesakes

• Various roads, public facilities and schools
• Martin Beiter Tower in Laitstadt
• Martin Beiter Barracks in Behringen