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Ralf Stegner (born 2. October 1959 in Bad Dürkheim) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). He is the current leader of the SPD in Schleswig-Holstein, he has held this office since 2007.
Early life and education
In addition to his degree in Political Science, History and German from the University of Freiburg (1980-7), Stegner earned a Masters of Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (1987-9).
Political career
Role in state politics
From 1996 to 2005, Stegner served in various roles in the state government of Minister-President Heide Simonis. He was State Secretary for Labor, Social Affairs and Health from 1996 to 1998 before serving as State Secretary for Education, Research and Cultural Affairs from 1998 to 2003. Between 2003 and until Simonis’ resignation in 2005, he was the State Minister of Finance.
Stegner has been a member of the Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein since the 2005 state elections. In the new coalition government led by Minister-President Peter Harry Carstensen, he served as State Minister for Home Affairs from 2005 until 2008. Since 2007, he has been serving as chairman of the Schleswig-Holstein SPD.
Following the Social Democrats’ electoral defeat in the 2009 elections, Stegner became the chairman of the party’s parliamentary group and thereby leader of the opposition against the Carstensen government. He was unsuccessful in his attempt to become the party’s candidate for Minister-President of Schleswig-Holstein for the 2012 elections; instead, Torsten Albig was chosen and subsequently elected.
Role in national politics
Stegner was a SPD delegate to the Federal Convention for the purpose of electing the President of Germany in 2009, 2010 and 2012. In the negotiations to form a Grand Coalition of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU together with the Bavarian CSU) and the SPD following the 2013 federal elections, he was part of the SPD delegation in the working group on education and research policy, led by Johanna Wanka and Doris Ahnen.
At the SPD national convention in 2014, party chairman Sigmar Gabriel nominated Stegner as one of his six deputies, alongside Hannelore Kraft, Olaf Scholz, Manuela Schwesig, Thorsten Schäfer-Gümbel and Aydan Özoğuz.
Other activities
- Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Member of the Board of Trustees
- KfW, Member of the Board of Supervisory Directors (-2005)
Personal life
Stegner is married, Protestant and has three sons.