Former Federal President Horst Köhler has passed away. He died in the morning at the age of 81, as announced by the Federal Presidential Office on Saturday.
The incumbent office holder, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, condoled with Köhler’s wife. “Many people in our country will mourn with you. For with Horst Köhler, we are losing a very respected and extremely popular person who has achieved great things – for our country and in the world” Steinmeier said.
“Horst Köhler was convinced that ethical principles and practical politics go hand in hand and even fit together. When he said, ‘I love our country,’ that was his confession to a passionate and enlightened patriotism. He coined a fresh image of Germany as a ‘land of ideas,’ which is still unforgettable today” the Federal President added.
Köhler was elected to the highest state office of the Federal Republic in 2004. He resigned in 2010 in the dispute over his statements on the deployment of the German armed forces abroad. Before his time as head of state, he was the executive director of the International Monetary Fund.