Jörg Haider in Carinthia (promotional photo)

Jörg Haider (born January 26, 1950) is an Austrian politician. He is currently Governor of Carinthia. Jörg Haider in Carinthia This work is copyrighted. ... January 26 is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Carinthia ( German Kärnten, Slovenian Koroška) is a federal state or Bundesland, located in the south of Austria. ...

Haider was a leader of the far right Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) and a leading figure in that party until April 2005, when he founded a new party, the "Alliance for the Future of Austria" (BZÖ). On April 7, he was expelled from the FPÖ by its interim leader, Hilmar Kabas. The term far-right refers to the relative position a group or person occupies within a political spectrum. ... The Austrian Freedom Party (Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs, abbreviated to FPÖ) is an Austrian political party usually associated with the name of Jörg Haider. ... 2005 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Ongoing events • Iraqi legislative election • Bill C-38 (Canada gay marriage) • Tsunami relief • Cedar Revolution in Lebanon • Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan • German Visa Affair 2005 • Expo 2005 in Nagoya, Japan • Terri Schiavo controversy • Pope John Paul II... The Alliance for the Future of Austria ( German Bündnis Zukunft Österreich — BZÖ) is a political party founded by Jörg Haider and other leading proponents of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) on April 4, 2005. ... April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ...

Youth and rise to party leadership

Haider was born in the Upper Austrian town of Bad Goisern in 1950. His parents were enthusiastic Nazis, who were punished after the Nazi defeat in World War II. Haider became wealthy when he inherited an estate bought from a fleeing Jew during World War II. Upper Austria (Ober sterreich) is one of the nine federal states or Bundesl nder of Austria. ... Bad Goisern is a town in Upper Austria. ... The Nazi Party used a right-facing swastika as their symbol and the red and black colors were said to represent Blut und Boden (blood and soil). ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ...

The Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) was founded in 1955, and initially was a mixture of various political currents opposed both to the political catholicism of the Austrian People's Party and the left-wing views of the Social Democratic Party of Austria. With its roots in the Pan-German movement, it included both German-nationalist and liberal political views. In 1970 Haider became the leader of the FPÖ youth movement. Haider rose rapidly through the party ranks. At the party convention held at Innsbruck in September 1986, he defeated Austrian vice chancellor Norbert Steger in the vote for party leadership, as many delegates feared that Steger's liberal political views and his coaltion with the Social Democrats threatened the party's existence 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Austrian Peoples Party or Österreichische Volkspartei is an Austrian political party. ... The Social Democratic Party of Austria (Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs, SPÖ) is a political party in Austria. ... Pan-Germanism, one of the ethnically-charged political movements of the 19th century for unity of the German-speaking peoples of Europe. ... Nationalism is an ideology that creates and sustains a nation as a concept of a common identity for groups of humans. ... In politics, the term liberal refers to: an adherent of the ideology of liberalism —an ideology espousing liberty. ... 1970 was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Innsbruck City Center Innsbruck (population 120,000) is a city in western Austria, and the capital of the Tyrol province. ... 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Universities A Vice-Chancellor (commonly called the VC) of a university in the United Kingdom, other Commonwealth countries, and some universities in Hong Kong, is the de facto head of the university. ...

Carinthia

Until 1989, the socialist/Social-democratic party SPÖ had held an absolute majority in the Austrian province of Carinthia; when it received less than 50% of seats in 1989, ÖVP and FPÖ formed a coalition and elected Haider as Governor of Carinthia. 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Carinthia (Kärnten in German, Koroška in Slovenian) can refer to: Carinthia - a federal state of Austria Carinthia - an informal province in Slovenia Carinthia - a duchy of the Holy Roman Empire and crownland of Austria_Hungary Karantania - the first Slovenian state This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other...

In 1991, in a debate in the regional parliament, a speaker attacked Haider's plan of reducing unemployment payments for people seen as "freeloaders", comparing Haider's plan to Nazi methods. Haider's reply "At least the Third Reich had a proper employment policy, which is more than you in Vienna can do" caused an uproar; Haider had to resign his post governor, and the FPÖ-ÖVP coalition was replaced by an SPÖ-ÖVP coalition. 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1999, Haider again was elected governor of Carinthia by the Carinthian parliament, where the FPÖ now held a plurality of more than 42%. 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

FPÖ chairman

Under Haider's leadership, the FPÖ moved to the far right, reflecting Haider's nationalist, anti-immigrant, and anti-EU views. At the same time, the party's share in elections rose from 5% in the 1986 elections to almost 27% in 1999. Nationalism is an ideology that creates and sustains a nation as a concept of a common identity for groups of humans. ... Anti-immigrant and anti-immigration are labels that are often considered inaccurate or prejudicial by those to whom they are applied. ... Euroscepticism is scepticism about, or disagreement with, the purposes of the European Union, sometimes coupled with a wish to preserve national sovereignty. ... The elections to the Austrian National Council talking place in fall of 1986 followed shortly after Jörg Haider had ousted Norbert Steger as the leader of the FPÖ at the party convention in Innsbruck. ... In Austria, the legislative election of October 3, 1999 (elections for the National Council of Austria) caused a major upheaval in the political landscape. ...

Haider on his way to a press conference

The Freedom Party attracted protest votes and those who desire no association with the other major parties. (See also: Proporz.) The party's mixture of populism, anti-establishment and nationalist themes propagated by its leader steadily gained support over the years. This is a screenshot of a copyrighted website, video game graphic, computer program graphic, television broadcast, or film. ... Proporz is a long standing doctrine within the Politics of Austria. ...

In 2000, Haider's Freedom Party and the People's Party joined to form a coalition government. This caused widespread outrage both in Austria and the rest of Europe. The heads the government of the other 14 EU members decided to cease cooperation with the Austrian government, as it was felt in many countries that the cordon sanitaire against coalitions with parties considered as right-wing extremists, which had mostly held in Western Europe since 1945, had been breached. For several months, other national leaders refused to shake hands and socialize with members of the Schüssel government. This was described as "sanctions" by representatives of the ÖVP and FPÖ, and supporters of the government often blamed social democrats and President Thomas Klestil for them, and questioned their loyalty to the country. The EU leaders soon saw that their measures were counterproductive and returned to normality during the summer of 2000, even though the coalition remained unchanged. (See Austria legislative election, 1999.) Nevertheless it is not easy to measure effects of the "sanctions". Short-term effects seemed to be counterproductive, but it is still possible that "sanctions" later helped to decrease the popularity of Freedom Party and also to prevent such coalitions in other EU countries. 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Wolfgang Schüssel Wolfgang Schüssel (born June 7, 1945) is a Christian Democratic Austrian politician. ... The Austrian Peoples Party or Österreichische Volkspartei is an Austrian political party. ... The Austrian Freedom Party (Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs, abbreviated to FPÖ) is an Austrian political party usually associated with the name of Jörg Haider. ... Thomas Klestil (4 November 1932 – 6 July 2004) was an Austrian diplomat and politician. ... In Austria, the legislative election of October 3, 1999 (elections for the National Council of Austria) caused a major upheaval in the political landscape. ...

End of February 2000, Haider stepped down from the leadership of the Freedom Party (http://www.guardian.co.uk/austria/article/0,2763,191346,00.html). This was widely seen as a cynical move to appease foreign criticism, as he appeared to continue to control the party from behind the scenes, with Susanne Riess-Passer, the following party chairwoman, a mere puppet. 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Haider made a number of statements that seemed to imply support for the ideas of Nazism, and made a point of associating with and praising Waffen-SS veterans. On at least one occassion, he made derogative comments and jokes about Ariel Muzikant, president of the Austrian Jewish Community. Waffen-SS recruitment poster; Volunteer to the Waffen-SS The Waffen-SS was the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel. ... Ariel Muzikant is the president of the Austrian Jewish Community. ...

Collapse of the (first) coalition and decline of the Freedom Party

In September 2002, after an special party convention ("Sonderparteitag") in Knittelfeld (Styria), Riess-Passer lost the support of many party members. This meeting is also sometimes considered as a rebellion against the members which are currently involved in the government which was thought to be started but at least supported by Haider. Thus Riess-Passer resigned as Vice Federal Chancellor and Party Chairwoman and with her went Karl-Heinz Grasser, the finance minister, and Peter Westenthaler the head of the Freedom Party's Parliament Club. This resulted in new general elections in November. 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Styria (Steiermark in German, Štajerska in Slovenian) is a federal state or Bundesland, located in the south east of Austria. ... Susanne Riess-Passer (born January 3, 1961 in Braunau am Inn) is a former Austrian politician of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ). In the first government headed by Chencellor Wolfgang Schüssel, which was inaugurated in 2000, she became Vice Chancellor and minister of public services and sports, representing... Portrait of Karl-Heinz Grasser Karl-Heinz Grasser is an Austrian politician who currently holds the office of the Austrian Minister of Finance. ... The election for the National Council of 24 November 2002, saw the consevative Austrian Peoples Party win the government, taking seats from the nationalist Freedom of Austria Party whom it was in coalition with. ...

They resulted in a landslide victory (42.27% of the vote) of the conservative People's Party led by Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel. Haider's Freedom Party, which in 1999 was slightly stronger than Schüssel's party, was reduced to 10.16% (http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=1469609) of the vote. The Austrian Peoples Party or Österreichische Volkspartei is an Austrian political party. ... Wolfgang Schüssel Wolfgang Schüssel (born June 7, 1945) is a Christian Democratic Austrian politician. ...

In response, Haider stated that he had demanded that the leader of the FPÖ must step down to allow him to be leader, and on being refused, stated that he would leave federal politics permanently.

In October 2003, a cabinet reshuffle instigated by Haider took place. Haupt had to step down as Vice Chancellor to be replaced by Hubert Gorbach. 2003 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December A timeline of events in the news for October, 2003. ... Herbert Haupt (born September 28, 1947) is an Austrian politician and former party chairman of the Austrian Freedom Party. ... Gorbach (left) and Chancellor Schüssel Hubert Gorbach (born July 27, 1956) is an Austrian politician from the Freedom Party. ...

On March 7, 2004 the FPÖ won a plurality (42.5%) of the vote in the elections for the Carinthian parliament. On March 31, 2004 Haider was re-elected Governor of Carinthia by the FPÖ and ÖVP members of the state parliament. In Carinthia, a coalition government between Haider's FPÖ and the Carinthian SPÖ was created. March 7 is the 66th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (67th in Leap years). ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (91st in Leap years), with 275 days remaining, as the final day of March. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Austrian Peoples Party or Österreichische Volkspartei is an Austrian political party. ... The Social Democratic Party of Austria (Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs, SPÖ) is a political party in Austria. ...

However, outside of Carinthia, Haider's charisma seems to have largely lost its appeal among voters. The FPÖ incurred devastating losses in several regional elections, the European Elections of 2004 and in elections for the Austrian Chamber of Commerce. In each of those elections, it lost between one half to two thirds of their previous voters. Elections to the European Parliament were held from June 10, 2004 to June 13, 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom. ...

Creation of a new party

In consequence of this, the party, whose chairman was Haider's sister Ursula Haubner, was ridden by internal strife. On April 4, 2005, Haider, Haubner, Vice Chancellor Hubert Gorbach and other leading figures of the FPÖ announced the creation of a new party called Alliance for the Future of Austria (Bündnis Zukunft Österreich — BZÖ) with Haider as leader. Effectively, this results in a split of the FPÖ in two parties, which may precipitate the collapse of the current coalition government and new elections in Austria. Ursula Haubner Ursula Haubner (born December 22, 1945) is an Austrian politician of the Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ), formerly of the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ). Haubner is married with two daughters and three grandchildren. ... April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Gorbach (left) and Chancellor Schüssel Hubert Gorbach (born July 27, 1956) is an Austrian politician from the Freedom Party. ... The Alliance for the Future of Austria ( German Bündnis Zukunft Österreich — BZÖ) is a political party founded by Jörg Haider and other leading proponents of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) on April 4, 2005. ...

Carinthia ( German Kärnten, Slovenian Koroška) is a federal state or Bundesland, located in the south of Austria. ... Carinthia ( German Kärnten, Slovenian Koroška) is a federal state or Bundesland, located in the south of Austria. ... The Austrian Freedom Party (Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs, abbreviated to FPÖ) is an Austrian political party usually associated with the name of Jörg Haider. ... Susanne Riess-Passer (born January 3, 1961 in Braunau am Inn) is a former Austrian politician of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ). In the first government headed by Chencellor Wolfgang Schüssel, which was inaugurated in 2000, she became Vice Chancellor and minister of public services and sports, representing...

External links

• Official site (http://www.joerg1.at)
• Haiderwatch (http://www.smoc.net/haiderwatch/bioen.html) - Haider bio, by opponents (1999)
• BBC Article (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/464260.stm) Controversy and Joerg Haider (February 2000)
• Time Magazine (http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/2000/214/haiderquotes.html) Collection of Haider quotes (February 2000)
• The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/austria/article/0,2763,191391,00.html) "Europe rallies against Haider coalition" (February 2000)
• The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/austria/article/0,2763,376266,00.html) "Haider embraces SS veterans" (October 2000)
• The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/austria/article/0,2763,430281,00.html) "Remember Jorg Haider?" (January 2001)
• Daily Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/08/02/whaid02.xml) "Haider 'will quit' party he founded" (note: headline is incorrect, FPÖ was founded before Haider was born) (February 2001)
• Anti-Defamation League (http://www.adl.org/backgrounders/joerg_haider.asp) "Joerg Haider - The Rise of an Austrian Extreme Rightist" (updated 2004)