Johannes Vogel

Johannes Reinhard Vogel (23rd December 1949 - 14th August 2009, aged 59) was a German born Rainian politician who served as the third President of Rainier from 2006 to his death in 2009. He also served as Minister of the Environment and Minister of Defence in the government of Matthew Griffiths and as the founder of two political parties - the Social Democratic Labour Party in 1995 and Green-Left Movement in 2004.

Vogel was born in in 1949 with himself and his mother emigrating to Rainier in 1957. Growing up in a poor, single-parent family Vogel trained as a train driver before becoming a secretary in the National Transport Union (NTU) in 1973. Joining the Labour party in 1967 the 1977 election he was elected for the seat of Nanaimo—Ladysmith which he would hold for the next 39 years. He quickly became associated with the left of the party, supporting.

In 1981 Vogel was made the Minister of the Environment following Labour's victory in the election that year. As Environmental Minister he was the first major Rainian politician to call to attention the effects of climate change. In 1984 he was moved to the portfolio of Minister of Defence where he oversaw a controversial restructuring of the armed forces, cutting the size of the army and investing in new technology in order to make it more cost effective.

In 1987 following the privatisation of Rainian Water Services Vogel resigned from the government on the basis that it had lurched to the right. Over the course of the late 1980's and early 1990's Vogel became the de facto leader of the Labour party's left wing which was becoming increasingly critical of the government's right-wing economic policies. In 1990 Vogel became the co-Chair of the Yes for a Republic campaign which successfully saw Rainier vote in favour of a republic.

Vogel was one of the most ardent opponents of a goods and services tax when it was introduced in 1994 and in 1995 following the government's plans to introduced privatised healthcare and education left the Labour alongside 13 other left-wing MP's to form the Social Democratic Labour Party (SDLP). The creation of the SDLP meant the government lost its majority and as a result a was successfully passed leading to the 1995 snap election. The SDLP under Vogel came two seats away from becoming the official opposition.

Vogel was unable to repeat the SDLP's success in the 1999 and 2003 elections, leading to the party to merge with the Greens to form the Green-Left Movement in 2004. During the Vogel emerged as the most vocal opponent of military intervention, a stance that gave the Green-Left Movement a good result in the 2005 election going into a coalition government with Labour. As per the coalition agreement Labour did not stand a candidate in the 2006 presidential election which was won by Vogel, the first (and as of 2017 the only) time a non-Labour or NUP candidate has won a presidential election. In 2009 whilst still serving his presidential term Vogel was hospitalised for cancer dying the same year. He was afforded a state funeral.

Ascribing to democratic socialist and republican views, Vogel was during his lifetime a controversial and divisive politician for his role in the republican referendum and the creation of the SDLP. Considered to be the "scourge of the Labour right and the darling of the left" by the Economic Times Vogel is considered one of the most successful left-wing politicians in Rainian history. Former Prime Minister Gerald Fairbrook called him "one of the few political figures in Rainier who played a transformative role in our politics".