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| ‘Father of reunification’: Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl dies aged 87 | ‘Father of reunification’: Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl dies aged 87 |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Helmut Kohl, Germany’s first post-Cold War chancellor, has died aged 87. | Helmut Kohl, Germany’s first post-Cold War chancellor, has died aged 87. |
| Kohl, who served as chancellor from 1982 until 1998, oversaw the reunification of East and West Germany during his time in office. | Kohl, who served as chancellor from 1982 until 1998, oversaw the reunification of East and West Germany during his time in office. |
| He is also seen as one of the architects of the Euro. | |
| As head of the Christian Democratic Union between 1973 and 1998, he was initially chancellor of West Germany before later becoming the first leader of the unified state. | As head of the Christian Democratic Union between 1973 and 1998, he was initially chancellor of West Germany before later becoming the first leader of the unified state. |
| Kohl’s former party confirmed his passing in a tweet. | |
| German newspaper Bild reports that Kohl died at his house in Ludwigshafen, in the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate on Friday. | German newspaper Bild reports that Kohl died at his house in Ludwigshafen, in the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate on Friday. |
| Kohl became involved in politics at an early age, joining the CDU youth organization in 1947. He studied political science at the University of Heidelberg and earned a doctorate degree in 1958. A year later, he was elected to the Rhineland Palatinate state legislature. | |
| In 1969 he became prime minister of the Rhineland State and he took over the reins of the CDU four years later. He ran for chancellor in 1976 but lost to Helmut Schmidt. Kohl eventually took power in 1982 at the helm of a coalition government. | |
| After 16 years in power, Kohl’s CDU was defeated in the election in 1998. Three years later he was charged with accepting illegal contributions and was fined. | |
| Dubbed ‘the father of German reunification’, Kohl left active politics in 2002. Following a fall in 2008, he suffered from impaired speech and was reportedly largely confined to a wheelchair. | |
| Kohl, Germany’s longest serving post-war chancellor, was also an early advocate of a European single currency and the principle of European integration, a subject on which he worked closely with his French counterpart Francois Mitterrand. | |
| The former leader was also a mentor to current German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who he appointed to her first ministerial post. | |
| President of the European Commission Jean Claude Juncker has issued a statement saying he is deeply hurt by the death of his “close friend.” | |
| “Without Helmut Kohl, the euro would not exist. From the outset, he has grasped the political and economic importance, the invaluable value and the radiance of a single currency for our continent,” Juncker said. | |
| European Union flags have been lowered to half mast in front of EU institutions to mark Kohl’s passing. |