Cem Oezdemir

Member of the German Bundestag

Cem Oezdemir is a member of the German Bundestag. When first elected to the Bundestag in 1994, he became the first son of Turkish emigrants ever to hold office in Germany’s lower house of Parliament.

Mr. Oezdemir joined the German Green Party in 1981, the same year he became a German citizen. He was trained professionally as a child care worker and studied social work at Reutlingen University.

Reelected to the Bundestag in the 1998 elections that resulted in a ruling coalition between the Green Party and the Social Democratic Party, Mr. Oezdemir became the coalition’s spokesman for domestic policy issues.

As a public figure, Mr. Oezdemir has become one of Germany’s most outspoken one of his main concerns is the integration of foreigners into Germany’s society. In 1996, he was awarded the Civis Prize for his work to promote integration.

In 1997, Mr. Oezdemir published an autobiography “I Am A Citizen.” Later, he published “Döner and Currywurst — Integration in Germany,” a book on German immigration.