Since 1989, Dr. Gregor Gysi has played a major role in the transformation of the SED into the PDS. Like hardly any other politician he shaped the past years of German unity. In 1970 Gregor Gysi (*1948) completed his law studies at the Humboldt University in Berlin and was admitted to the bar in 1971. In the GDR he represented among others system critics, church groups and people wishing to leave the country. In 1976 he received his doctorate from Humboldt-Universität. In November 1989, Gysi worked on a counter-proposal to the GDR government's travel bill. Shortly thereafter, he obtained permission for a major demonstration on 4 November in Berlin, where he also spoke and demanded a new electoral law and a constitutional court. From 1989 to 1993, Gysi was chairman of the SED/PDS and then worked first as deputy party chairman and then as a member of the party executive. In 1997, he retired from the party executive and on February 1, 2002, he took up the post of Economics Senator in Berlin. He returned as the top candidate of the Left Party for the 2005 Bundestag elections and has since been active in the Bundestag again. He succeeds in winning the direct mandate in his constituency for each of his candidacies. From 2005 to 2015, he was parliamentary party leader of the parliamentary group DIE LINKE and is regarded as the central head of his party. In December 2016 he is elected as the new chairman of the European Left. Gregor Gysi is extremely popular across party lines. Gregor Gysi impresses with his entertaining eloquence and rhetorical skills. With his clear analysis and his good humour he is a welcome guest on talk shows and panel discussions.