Christian Kern
| Christian Kern | |
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| 24th Chancellor of Austria | |
|
Assumed office 17 May 2016 |
|
| President |
Heinz Fischer Alexander Van der Bellen |
| Deputy | Reinhold Mitterlehner |
| Preceded by | Reinhold Mitterlehner (Acting) |
| Leader of the Social Democratic Party | |
|
Assumed office 25 June 2016 |
|
| Preceded by | Michael Häupl (Acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
4 January 1966 Vienna, Austria |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party |
| Spouse(s) | Karin Wessely (1985–2001) Eveline Steinberger |
| Children | 3 sons (with Wessely) 1 daughter (with Steinberger) |
| Alma mater |
University of Vienna University of St. Gallen |
Christian Kern (Austrian German pronunciation: [ˈkrɪstja:n ˈkɛrn]; born 4 January 1966) is the incumbent Chancellor of Austria and chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ).
A business journalist by profession, the member of Austria's Social Democratic Party served as spokesman of the SPÖ's parliamentary group leader in the mid-1990s, before he became a senior manager in Austria's leading electricity company Verbund AG. In 2010, Kern was appointed CEO of the state-owned Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), chairing the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) from 2014 onwards. Following the resignation of Werner Faymann amidst the Austrian presidential election, the governing Social Democrats nominated Kern for the country's highest executive office.
Kern was sworn in as Chancellor of Austria on 17 May 2016, vowing to continue the "Grand coalition" with Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), but promising a "New Deal" that would bring about more jobs by cutting red tape while ensuring ordinary workers receive a share of economic prosperity. Kern criticized the Austrian political elite as being power-obsessed and devoid of a meaningful political agenda about the country's future.
Kern was raised in Simmering, a working-class district of Vienna, as the son of an electrician and a secretary. He studied journalism and communication at the University of Vienna followed by postgraduate studies at the Management Zentrum St. Gallen.
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