Thomas Oppermann

Thomas Ludwig Albert Oppermann was a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party. He served as Vice President of the Bundestag from October 2017 until his death in 2020. He belonged to the right-wing of the party, known as Seeheimer Kreis.

About Thomas Oppermann in brief

Summary Thomas OppermannThomas Ludwig Albert Oppermann was a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party. He served as Vice President of the Bundestag from October 2017 until his death in 2020. In his earlier career, he served as First Secretary and later as chairman of the SPD Parliamentary Group. He belonged to the right-wing of the party, known as Seeheimer Kreis. In August 2020, he announced that he would not stand in the 2021 federal elections instead of remaining active in politics until the end of the parliamentary term. He also served on the Committee on the Election of Judges, which is in charge of appointing judges to the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany.

In late 2015, the SPD’s board under the leadership of Sigmar Gabriel mandated him with the task of drafting an electoral program for the 2017 federal elections. He focused on defence policy, thereby being a counterweight to incumbent Ursula von der Leyen. He was a member of German delegation to the Franco-German Parliamentary Assembly and the German-Israeli Parliamentary Friendship Group. In December 2013, he was elected as Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s successor as Chairman of theSPD Parliamentary Group in Angela Merkel’s second Grand Coalition. He had three daughters and one son. He is survived by his wife and two sons.