Martin Beiter

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Martin Beiter
Martin Beiter1990.png
Beiter in October 1990
9th Prime Minister of Besmenia
In office
6 October 1980 – 5 May 1991
Preceded byRobert Gleitzmann
Succeeded byKurt Stöger
Leader of the Free Besmenian Citizen's Party
In office
22 March 1980 – 5 May 1991
Preceded byJürgen Rothmann
Succeeded byHeinz Maurich
Leader of the Free Besmenian Citizen's Party in the Federal Chamber
In office
22 March 1978 – 1 September 1980
Preceded byRoland Wasste
Succeeded byHeinz Preiung
Member of the Federal Chamber
In office
1972 – 5 May 1991
Personal details
Born
Martin Beiter

10 January 1945
Behringen, Metakumburg, East Besmenia
Died5 May 1991 (aged 46)
Melmingia, Maurenmark, Besmenia
Manner of deathAssassination
Political partyFree Besmenian Citizen's Party
SpouseAstrid Schmid (m. 1976)
Children2
Military service
Allegiance East Besmenia
Branch/serviceBesmenian Federal Army flag.png Besmenian Federal Army
Years of serviceFebruary 1965 - October 1965
UnitBesmenian 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 10-year premiership, in a FBBP-SDU governing coalition, was marked by 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 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 restaurant after a election campaign for the 1991 Maurenmark state election in Melmingen. His death caused mourning among the population.

Early Life and Childhood

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.

Education

After graduating in 1961 with a high school diploma (Realschulabschluss),

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 Günther Traubert (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 party leader and candidate in the 1980 election

Beiter with Günther Traubert at the FBBP party convention on March 22, 1980

After Jürgen Rothmann announced on July 10, 1979 that he would resign from the FBBP party chairmanship in 1980 and not run as candidate for prime minister for the 1980 election, on July 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 March 22, 1980. With around 532 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, while Gleitzmann criticized Beiter for being too young.

In a television debate on July 20, 1980, after a brief conflict, Beiter said to Gleitzmann: "You, my dear Mr. Gleitzmann, you are an heir of the Besmenian Empire! 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?"

The term "Heir of the Besmenian Empire" is nowadays a well-known satirical term for Robert Gleitzmann. The 1980 election campaign is now considered to be one of the wildest in the Federal Republic history.

Prime Minister of Besmenia

First term (1980-1981)

Beiter in his office in 1982.

In the 1980 election campaign, Beiter rejected a coalition with the BVP and advocated a coalition with the SDU. After the 1980 election, however, there was no majority for an FBBP-SDU coalition. After talks with President Erwin Pohl, Beiter formed a minority coalition between the FBBP and the SDU in October 1980, with the requirement for new elections in April 1981.

Second term (1981-1985)

In April 1984, Beiter presented a six-point program for the legislative period 1984-1988. It outlined planned goals and efforts in the areas of labor market, foreign policy, research and innovation, energy policy, financial policy and social policy.

Third term (1985-1989)

Fourth term (1989-1991)

Assassination and state funeral

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 Order of Freedom.jpg (posthumously)

Foreign honors

Honorary citizen

1981: Behringen
1987: Laitstadt
1990: State of Metakumburg

Namesakes