Hans Modrow, Polish-German lawyer and politician, 5th Prime Minister of East Germany
Hans Modrow (German pronunciation: [ˈhans ˈmoːdʁo]; born 27 January 1928) is a German politician best known as the last communist premier of East Germany.
Taking office in the middle of the Peaceful Revolution, he was the de facto leader of the country for much of the winter of 1989 and 1990. He was a transitional figure, paving the way to the first and only free elections in East Germany and including many opposition politicians in his cabinet, however, he had previously been a collaborator in the communist regime, even downplaying its role in the deaths at the Berlin Wall, and attempted to delay German reunification.
After the end of Communist rule and reunification of Germany, he was singled out by the new government and convicted of electoral fraud and perjury by the Dresden District Court in 1995, on the basis that he had been the SED official nominally in charge of the electoral process. He was later convicted of abuse of office and was given a nine month suspended sentence. He was the honorary chairman of the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) and has been the president of the "council of elders" of the Left Party since 2007.