User photo

Guido Westerwelle

About

Guido Westerwelle was a German politician who served as foreign minister in the second cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel and Vice-Chancellor of Germany from 2009 to 2011, being the first openly gay person to hold any of these positions. He also led the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) from 2001 until he stepped down in 2011. A lawyer by profession, he was a member of the Bundestag from 1996 to 2013. For his party he was also its first and so far only Chancellor candidate in the 2002 federal election, becoming also the youngest candidate for the office of Chancellor to date.