Joseph Martin "Joschka" Fischer (born April 12, 1948) has been the German vice chancellor and foreign minister in the red-green coalition since 1998. He is seen as a leading figure in the German Green Party and was top candidate in the 2002 election campaign, which supposedly lead to an increase in votes and seats for the green party.
Before becoming foreign minister in 1998, Fischer was engaged in the left movement (post-)68 in Frankfurt, taxi driver and bookshop clerk, minister for the environment in the german state Hessen (1985-1987 and 1991-1994), member of the German parliament 1983-1985 and again since 1994 (as chair person of the Greens). His 1985 appointment as minister in Hesse was the first in Germany for a Greens politician and caused uproar because he was wearing tennis shoes during his oath of office. These shoes are now on display in the German Historic Museum in Bonn.
He was born in Gerabronn (Baden-Württemberg). He has an Dr h.c. from the University of Haifa.
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