Lothar de Maizière

Lothar de Maizière (German pronunciation: [də mɛˈzi̯ɛːɐ̯]; born 2 March 1940)^[1] is a German former politician of the Christian Democratic Union. In 1990, he served as the head of the first and only democratically elected government of East Germany, holding this office during the final months before German reunification. Subsequently he briefly served as a minister in the new government of the unified Federal Republic of Germany until his past as a Stasi informant was revealed.

Lothar de Maizière
de Maizière in the aftermath of the 1990 East German general election
Minister for Special Affairs
In office 3 October 1990 – 17 December 1990 Serving with Rudolf Seiters, Hans Klein, Sabine Bergmann-Pohl, Günther Krause, Rainer Ortleb, Hansjoachim Walther
Chancellor	Helmut Kohl
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Minister-President of East Germany
In office 12 April 1990 – 2 October 1990
Head of state	Sabine Bergmann-Pohl (interim)
Deputy	Peter-Michael Diestel
Preceded by	Hans Modrow (as Chairman of the Council of Ministers)
Succeeded by	Helmut Kohl (as Chancellor of Germany)
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Acting
In office 20 August 1990 – 2 October 1990
Minister-President	himself
Preceded by	Markus Meckel
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Modrow Government Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers In office 18 November 1989 – 12 April 1990 Serving with Christa Luft, Peter Moreth Chairman Hans Modrow Preceded by Günther Kleiber Alfred Neumann Succeeded by Peter-Michael Diestel (Deputy Minister-President) Minister for Church Affairs In office 18 November 1989 – 12 April 1990 Chairman of the Council of Ministers Hans Modrow Preceded by Kurt Löffler (as State Secretary) Succeeded by Position abolished
Parliamentary constituencies Member of the Bundestag for Brandenburg (Volkskammer; 1990) In office 3 October 1990 – 15 October 1991 Preceded by Constituency established Succeeded by Else Ackermann Member of the Volkskammer for Berlin In office 5 April 1990 – 2 October 1990 Preceded by Constituency established Succeeded by Constituency abolished
Personal details
Born	(1940-03-02) 2 March 1940 (age 85) Nordhausen, Province of Saxony, Free State of Prussia, Nazi Germany (now Thuringia, Germany)
Political party	Christian Democratic Union (1990–present)
Other political affiliations	Christian Democratic Union (East Germany) (1956–1990)
Children	3
Residence	Berlin
Alma mater	Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin Humboldt University of Berlin
Occupation	Politician Lawyer Musician
Signature
Other offices held 1990–1991: Deputy Chairman, Christian Democratic Union 1990–1991: Chairman, Christian Democratic Union of Brandenburg 1989–1990: Chairman, Christian Democratic Union (East Germany)
Leader of East Germany ← Modrow None (last holder)

Family background

Maizière is of French ancestry, descending from a Huguenot family that fled religious persecution in France during the late 17th century. The family took its name from the town of Maizières-lès-Metz and sought refuge in Prussia, where they became part of a broader Huguenot community that integrated into Berlin society while retaining French cultural ties. For generations, the Maizières attended French-language schools and worshipped in Huguenot churches in the capital, a tradition that lasted well into the early 20th century.^[2][1]

Lothar is the son of Clement de Maizière, a lawyer, and part of a prominent family with deep roots in both East and West German public life. His uncle, Ulrich de Maizière, served as Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, the highest-ranking military officer in West Germany. His cousin, Thomas de Maizière, became a key political figure in unified Germany, serving as a close advisor to Chancellor Angela Merkel and holding several ministerial positions, most notably as Federal Minister of the Interior from 2013 to 2018 in Merkel’s third cabinet.

Early life and education

Maizière was born in Nordhausen, Thuringia, and attended the ancient Berlinisches Gymnasium zum Grauen Kloster,^[3] where he was one of the last pupils before the school closed in 1958. He next studied viola at the Hanns Eisler College of Music in East Berlin from 1959 to 1965.^[4] He played in the Berlin Symphony Orchestra^[5] before studying law by distance learning through the Humboldt University of Berlin from 1969 to 1975.^[6]

Career

A longtime member of the East German Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Maizière rose to national prominence during the political upheavals that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall. In late 1989, he played a key role in removing the party's pro-Communist leadership, helping to steer the CDU away from its long-standing subordination to the ruling Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED). He was elected party chairman in November of that year and became one of the leading figures in the transition to democracy. In the historic March 1990 election, the first and only free election in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), the CDU and its allies emerged victorious, positioning Maizière to take on a leading role in the new government.

Following the CDU's electoral victory, Maizière was elected to the Volkskammer and, one month later, succeeded Hans Modrow as Premier of East Germany, a role he held from 12 April to 2 October 1990 as head of the de Maizière cabinet. His government focused almost exclusively on reunification, working closely with the West German government led by Helmut Kohl. As Premier, Maizière signed the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, also known as the "Two Plus Four Agreement", which formally ended the postwar rights of the Allied powers in Germany and laid the legal groundwork for reunification. This agreement, combined with a series of political, legal and economic steps, led to the dissolution of the GDR on 3 October 1990, with its territory becoming part of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG).

Resignation

After reunification, Maizière joined the federal government as Minister for Special Affairs in Chancellor Kohl's cabinet, a post meant to provide representation for the newly incorporated eastern states. However, his political career came to an abrupt end just months later. On 17 December 1990, Maizière resigned after allegations surfaced that he had served as an informant for the East German secret police, the Stasi, under the codename "IM Czerni". Though Maizière initially denied any wrongdoing, reports from the Stasi Records Agency indicated that he had provided information to the Stasi. The revelations caused widespread disillusionment, particularly in light of his prominent role in the democratic transition.^[7][8]