Reinhard Bütikofer

Who is Reinhard Bütikofer?

Reinhard Hans Bütikofer is a German politician for the Alliance 90/The Greens party and was from 8 December 2002 till 16 November 2008 party leader, together with Claudia Roth. 10 November 2012 Bütikofer was chosen co-spokesperson for the European Green Party.

Bütikofer was born in Mannheim and grew up in Speyer. He studied philosophy, sinology and history in Heidelberg, but did not finish his studies. He was engaged in the student's movement and one of the "K groups", the Maoist Communist League of West Germany. From the 1980s onwards, he became active in Heidelberg municipal politics for the Green-Alternative List.

In 1984, he was elected into the town council of Heidelberg and became a member of the Green party, the starting point of his political career with Alliance 90/The Greens. In 1988, he was elected in the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg. He was Member of the Landtag until 1996.

After a "family year", in 1997 Bütikofer became co-chairman of the Baden-Württembergian Green party. Two years later he was elected secretary general of the federal party. In December, 2002 he became co-chairman of the federal party and was reelected in 2004 and 2006. On 3 March 2008 he announced not to stand again as a party chairman and to run for European Parliament in 2009, to which he was elected.