Rudolf Scharping

Rudolf Albert Scharping (born 2 December 1947) is a German lawyer and politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD).

He first rose to prominence as Minister President of Rhineland-Palatinate (1991–1994). He was his party's federal chairman from 1993 to 1995 and in 1994 ran an, ultimately unsuccessful, effort to oust Chancellor Helmut Kohl in the federal elections. In 1998, he became Defence Minister in the government of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder but resigned shortly before the 2002 elections.

From March 1995 to May 2001, he served as chairman of the Party of European Socialists (PES). Provided by Wikipedia