Eckhard Stratmann-Mertens
Encyclopedia
Eckhard Stratmann-Mertens, formerly known as Eckhard Stratmann, (born April 3, 1948 in Oberhausen
, North Rhine-Westphalia
) is a former politician and Green Party member of the German Bundestag
. He is a teacher in Bochum
, Germany.
, he was one of those elected from the proportional party list
. He was elected to the 10th German Bundestag
from the Landesliste
of North Rhine-Westphalia
. He was the first member of the Green Party faction
to speak before the German parliament. Wearing corduroys and an open shirt, he introduced himself in the Bundestag, first to the citizens of Germany, then to the members of the German parliament.
He was a member of the Bundestag
until March 31, 1985, when he left his seat, following the principal of rotation in office. He served a second time as a Green Party faction member of the 11th German parliament from 1987 to 1990. Stratmann-Mertens was the political spokesman for the economic and energy faction in the Bundestag.
Stratmann-Mertens and other anti-war activists called at a special Green Party convention in Bielefeld
on 13 May 1999 for an immediate halt to the NATO bombing in the Kosovo War
, but were unsuccessful getting the party to adopt the position. In protest, he and others resigned that day. Stratmann-Mertens announced he would launch a new national network for other peace activists who also wanted to leave the Greens.
Stratmann-Mertens is the spokesman of the Bochumer Bürgerinitiative gegen die DüBoDo, (a Bochum citizens' initiative against a proposed autobahn that would connect Düsseldorf
, Bochum and Dortmund
, rather than expand already existing highways). He has been a member of attac since 2001. Following his terms in the Bundestag, Stratmann-Mertens returned to his teaching position at the Albert Einstein School
, a German-English bilingual gymnasium
in Bochum
, Germany, where he taught social sciences
, history and religion (Protestant) and continues to teach in the new school formed by a merger of the Albert Einstein School with the Gymnasium am Ostring
. The new school is operating under the temporary name of Neues Gymnasium Bochum.
Oberhausen
Oberhausen is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg and Essen . The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage. It is also well known for the...
, North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
) is a former politician and Green Party member of the German Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
. He is a teacher in Bochum
Bochum
Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area and is surrounded by the cities of Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Witten and Hattingen.-History:...
, Germany.
National and local activity
Stratmann-Mertens was a founding member of the German Green Party and in 1983, when the Greens were first elected to the BundestagBundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
, he was one of those elected from the proportional party list
Party-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation systems are a family of voting systems emphasizing proportional representation in elections in which multiple candidates are elected...
. He was elected to the 10th German Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
from the Landesliste
Party-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation systems are a family of voting systems emphasizing proportional representation in elections in which multiple candidates are elected...
of North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
. He was the first member of the Green Party faction
Green Party faction (Bundestag)
The German Green Party has been present in the German parliament continuously since March 29, 1983 as a parliamentarian party.-The faction in the 10th Bundestag, 1983–1987:...
to speak before the German parliament. Wearing corduroys and an open shirt, he introduced himself in the Bundestag, first to the citizens of Germany, then to the members of the German parliament.
He was a member of the Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
until March 31, 1985, when he left his seat, following the principal of rotation in office. He served a second time as a Green Party faction member of the 11th German parliament from 1987 to 1990. Stratmann-Mertens was the political spokesman for the economic and energy faction in the Bundestag.
Stratmann-Mertens and other anti-war activists called at a special Green Party convention in Bielefeld
Bielefeld
Bielefeld is an independent city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 323,000, it is also the most populous city in the Regierungsbezirk Detmold...
on 13 May 1999 for an immediate halt to the NATO bombing in the Kosovo War
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
, but were unsuccessful getting the party to adopt the position. In protest, he and others resigned that day. Stratmann-Mertens announced he would launch a new national network for other peace activists who also wanted to leave the Greens.
Stratmann-Mertens is the spokesman of the Bochumer Bürgerinitiative gegen die DüBoDo, (a Bochum citizens' initiative against a proposed autobahn that would connect Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, Bochum and Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
, rather than expand already existing highways). He has been a member of attac since 2001. Following his terms in the Bundestag, Stratmann-Mertens returned to his teaching position at the Albert Einstein School
Albert Einstein School
Albert Einstein School was a Gymnasium for boys and girls from grades 5-13 in Bochum, Germany. It had about 900 students. Just south of downtown Bochum, the school was in the Wiemelhausen section of town and shared a campus with the Hans Böckler Realschule. The school had an emphasis in natural...
, a German-English bilingual gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
in Bochum
Bochum
Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area and is surrounded by the cities of Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Witten and Hattingen.-History:...
, Germany, where he taught social sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
, history and religion (Protestant) and continues to teach in the new school formed by a merger of the Albert Einstein School with the Gymnasium am Ostring
Gymnasium am Ostring
The Gymnasium am Ostring was the oldest gymnasium in Bochum. It was founded in 1860 and closed after the 2009-2010 school year.The school was located in downtown Bochum, near the main train station....
. The new school is operating under the temporary name of Neues Gymnasium Bochum.
External links
- Eckhard Stratmann-Mertens website
- Stragmann-Mertens speaking at an anti-nuclear demonstration in EssenEssen- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
, Germany (May 28, 2011). Retrieved June 28, 2011 - Albert Einstein School, Bochum, Germany
- Bürgerinitiative Bochum gegen die DüBoDo (Bochum citizens' initiative against a new highway)