Elisabeth Horst

Elisabeth Horst (born 31 October 1957) is a Brunanter former politician, who has been a member of the Free Liberal Party. She was chairwoman of the Centre Democrats from 1996-2003 and Minister of the Environment from 1998-2002. Horst served in the Brunantstad city government, the House of Representatives and the European Parliament.

Biography
Horst was born in Brunantstad. She studied law and history at the Royal University of Koningstad. After her studies, she worked as a lawyer in both Brunantstad and Koningstad. She was a member of the youth department of the Social Democratic Party in her early twenties.

In 1983, she joined the Centre Democrats. She was elected a member of the Brunantstad city council in 1986, but gave up her seat in 1989, when she was first elected to the House of Representatives. Horst was re-elected in 1993 and 1994.

Horst succeeded Piet Kleinbeek as chairperson of the CD in 1996. She led the party to 18 seats in the 1998 general election, their most successful result since Stefan De Vries in 1964. Horst was appointed Minister of the Environment in the first Michels government.

The 2002 election was even more successful for the CD. They gained another two seats, but Horst refused to take up any minister post in order to become house leader in Congress. In 2003, she was succeeded as the party's chairperson by Martin Gruber.

Horst served in the House until 2009, when she was elected to the European Parliament. Upon the CD's dissolution in 2013, she remained an independent MEP until 2014.

Since 2014, Horst has represented the Free Liberal Party in the Brunantstad city government.