Mario Czaja | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Mario Czaja in 2013 as Senator | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General Secretary of theChristian Democratic Union | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 31 January 2022 – 12 July 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader | Friedrich Merz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Carsten Linnemann (acting) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Christina Stumpp | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Paul Ziemiak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senator for Health, Care and Equality of Berlin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 24 November 2011 – 8 December 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Governing Mayor | Klaus Wowereit Michael Müller | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Katrin Lompscher | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Elke Breitenbach(Integration, Labour and Social Issues) Dilek Kalayci(Health, Nursing and Equality) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senator for Justice and Consumer Protection of Berlin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Interim | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 12 December 2011 – 12 January 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Governing Mayor | Klaus Wowereit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Michael Braun | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Thomas Heilmann | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1975-09-21)21 September 1975 (age 49) East Berlin,East Germany | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Christian Democratic Union | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence(s) | Marzahn-Hellersdorf,Berlin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Technical University of Applied Sciences Wildau | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | mario-czaja | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mario Czaja (born 21 September 1975) is a German politician of theChristian Democratic Union (CDU) who has been serving as a member of the GermanBundestag since the2021 elections.
Czaja served as the party's Secretary General from 2022 to 2023, under the leadership ofFriedrich Merz.[1] From 2006 until 2021, he was a member of theState Parliament of Berlin.
Czaja was born 1975 inEast Berlin, the capital ofEast Germany, and studiedbusiness administration.[2] From 1997 until 2000, he worked atinsurance companyNürnberger Versicherung.
Czaja entered the CDU in 1993 and became member of theState Parliament of Berlin in the1999 state elections. He served as his parliamentary group's spokesperson on health policy from 2001 until 2011.[3]
From 2011 to 2016 Czaja was also member of theSenate of Berlin, the government body of Berlin, with responsibility for health care and social issues.[4][5] At the time, he was the youngest member of the state government led byGoverning MayorMichael Müller.[6]
In 2012, Czaja – together fellow state ministersFrank Henkel andThomas Heilmann – unsuccessfully advocated for a reduction in the penalty-freepersonal use of cannabis from 15 to six grams.[7] Also during his time in office, he appointed former state government membersEberhard Diepgen,Heidi Knake-Werner,Ingrid Stahmer andWolfgang Wieland as advisors on the city's migration policies in 2014.[8] In 2016, Czaja cancelled the government's contract with one of the city's largest operators of hostels for asylum seekers after newspapersB.Z. andBild printed internal emails showing the company's managers joking about building a guillotine and crematorium for refugee children.[9]
Czaja was a CDU delegate to theFederal Convention for the purpose of electing thePresident of Germany in2017.[10]
From 2018 until 2021, Czaja served as his parliamentary group's deputy chair, under the leadership of Burkard Dregger. During that time, he was also a member of the Committee on Education, Youth and Families.[11]
Czaja won theBerlin-Marzahn-Hellersdorf district in the2021 German federal election – a seat held by members of thePDS orThe Left since the1990 German federal election (the first to be held in East Berlin).[12]
Ahead of the Christian Democrats' leadership election in 2022, Czaja publicly endorsedFriedrich Merz to succeed Laschet as the party's chair and joined his campaign team.[13]
Within the CDU, Czaja is considered an ally ofJens Spahn. When the CDU/CSU entered into acoalition government with the center-leftSocial Democratic Party (SPD) on the national level following the2013 elections, he joined a group of young party members – includingGünter Krings,Michael Kretschmer and Spahn – in signing an open letter which called for changes in the CDU's policies and leadership.[16] For the2021 national elections, he joined Spahn in endorsingArmin Laschet as the Christian Democrats' joint candidate to succeedChancellorAngela Merkel.[17]
Also in 2021, Czaja publicly criticized the chairman of the CDU in Berlin,Kai Wegner, as being tooright-wing, arguing that he was "closer toHans-Georg Maaßen thanAngela Merkel andArmin Laschet."[18]
Czaja's brother isSebastian Czaja. He has been married to Julia Marx since 2012.[19] They have one daughter.[20]
In 1997, a court ordered Czaja – who was 21 years old at the time – to pay a fine of 2,000Deutsche Mark fordesertion after he had twice failed to report for duty in theGerman Armed Forces. The prosecution had originally demanded a suspended sentence of four months.[21]
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