Gerhardt Willy Kunst (born December 5, 1928) is a former East Prussian politician from the Christian Democrat Party, best known for being the first KDP Leader to win a general election in 40 years by leading the KDP to a stunning electoral upset over the reigning Social Democrats in the watershed 1991 election. While his initially rise to power was well-received, a crippling workers strike in 1994 and debates in East Prussia about CIC involvement and unpopular economic policies eventually crippled his leadership and he was defeated in the 1996 election by a narrow margin, resulting in his retirment in 2001.