Former Minister-President of Bavaria from 1993 to 2007. He also served as the Chairman of the Christian Social Union from 1998 to 2007 and the President of the Bundesrat from 1995 to 1996.
He repeated a year of high school for failing Latin.
He resigned from his positions as Minister-President and Chairman after coming under fire from his own party for anti-East German remarks.
He has children named Constanze, Veronica, and Dominic.
He is known for being a strong supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
