Germany’s former president Horst Koehler, who also once headed the International Monetary Fund and was a strong backer of Africa, died Saturday aged 81 after a brief illness.
Koehler, head of state from 2004 to 2010, passed away in Berlin in the early hours, surrounded by his family, the Germany presidency announced.
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier led tributes to Koehler, saying that Germany had “lost a highly esteemed and extremely popular person who achieved great things –- for our country and in the world”.
In a post on X, Chancellor Olaf Scholz hailed Koehler as a “committed politician who worked throughout his life for a fairer world”.
An economist by training, he was the first German head of state who was not a career politician.
Before becoming president he was the head of the IMF in Washington from 2000 to 2004, and also held other roles in the civil service…
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