He's sharp-tongued, sometimes belligerent, but always determined. And these are all qualities that helped Bavarian Premier and chancellor candidate Edmund Stoiber win absolute majorities in the state legislature in two consecutive elections.

But his biggest coup yet is planned for this fall, when Stoiber hopes to unseat the Social Democrats in Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, and replace Gerhard Schröder to become the country's eighth chancellor.

Waiting for the crowning moment

On Sept. 28, Stoiber turns 61, but the father of three and grandfather of two is hoping to celebrate six days earlier when Germany decides on a new Chancellor. It would be the crowning moment of a political career for a native son of Bavaria educated as an attorney but more famous for his work for the conservative Christian Social Union, the Bavarian sister party of the opposition conservative Christian Democratic Union, beginning in the early 1970s.

After working with the CSU's youth organization, Stoiber ran a successful campaign for a seat in the Bavarian state legislature in 1974. Just four years later, he was appointed as the party's general-secretary. His tight relationship at the time with then-CSU Chairman and Bavarian Premier Franz-Josef Strauss turned professional when Strauss appointed him his chief advisor during his unsuccessful run at the chancellor’s job in 1980. Two years later, Stoiber became chief of staff in the CSU icon’s cabinet, an office he held for six years. After Strauss' death in 1988, Stoiber was appointed Bavarian Interior Minister.

From arch conservative to moderate

While holding the office, he drew great attention with his heated rhetoric on the issues of domestic security, legislation relating to foreigners and asylum-seekers, which were among his central political themes. Later, as Bavarian premier, Stoiber demanded a stricter approach to asylum policies and, at one point, warned against a "multinational society on German ground." At times, his image was more akin to a conservative hard-liner than the center-right moderate he is positioning himself as in the current election.

Meanwhile, Stoiber's influence within the party continued to increase. Following a series of scandals, Bavarian Premier Max Streibl stepped down in May 1993. At the time, Stoiber beat out CSU Chairman Theo Waigel as Streibl's successor. Stoiber then secured absolute majorities in the state legislature for his party during two successive terms. As a result of the successes, the CSU catapulted Stoiber to the position of party chairman in January 1999.

Bavaria, Inc.

He set himself apart from other politicians for the vigor with which he promoted Bavarian industry and the southern state as an investment destination. The hard work paid off. Bavaria is considered the economic engine of Germany, with many high-tech and biotechnology firms calling Munich home.

On a national level, Stoiber matched his suspicion of a lax immigration policy with a skepticism of Brussels as the power of the European Union grew. But despite his criticism of the introduction of the euro, as well as several political scandals and quarrels within Bavaria, he still managed to become the key player within the opposition Union-bloc parties.

When the parties started contemplating who they would position to challenge Gerhard Schröder in the 2002 elections, Stoiber was among the top candidates on the list. And after a winter of speculation over who would represent the sister parties in the parliamentary elections, CDU chairwoman Angela Merkel abandoned her own aspirations for the nation's highest office, paving the way for Edmund Stoiber.