Quick Facts
Biography
Lorenz Caffier (24 December 1954 in Weixdorf, Saxony) is the chairman of the Christian Democratic Union in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Political career
Caffier has been serving since 2006 as State Minister of the Interior and since 2011 as Deputy Minister-President of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in the governments of Minister-Presidents Harald Ringstorff (2006-2008) and Erwin Sellering (since 2008). As one of the state’s representatives at the Bundesrat, he has been the chairman of the Defence Committee since 2006. In addition, he has been leading the Bundesrat delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly since 2010. He is also a member of the German-Russian Friendship Group set up by the Bundesrat and the Russian Federation Council.
In the negotiations to form a Grand Coalition of the Christian Democrats (CDU together with the Bavarian CSU) and the Social Democrats (SPD) following the 2013 federal elections, Caffier was part of the CDU/CSU delegation in the working group on internal and legal affairs, led by Hans-Peter Friedrich and Thomas Oppermann.
Caffier was a CDU delegate to the Federal Convention for the purpose of electing the President of Germany in 2017.
Other activities
- 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, Member of the Board of Trustees
- German Forum for Crime Prevention (DFK), Member of the Board of Trustees
- Achterkerke Stiftung für Kinder, Member of the Board of Trustees
Political positions
In 2012, Caffier caused controversy when he proposed that football fans might have to pass through "face scanners" at stadiums, comparing visitors' biometric data to a database of known football rioters.
In 2014, Caffier joined other German interior ministers in launching a suit to ban the National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD).
In an effort to respond to growing security fears among the public during the European migrant crisis in 2016, Caffier called for a partial ban on the burqa and niqab garments, arguing that the full body veil is a barrier to integration, encourages parallel societies and suggests women are inferior.
Personal life
Caffier was born on 24 December 1954 in Weixdorf (now a part of Dresden), Saxony and is the third son of a pastor and his wife. Caffier lives in Neustrelitz with his wife.