Franz Vranitzky
| Franz Vranitzky | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 19th Chancellor of Austria | |
|
In office 16 June 1986 – 28 January 1997 |
|
| President |
Rudolf Kirchschläger Kurt Waldheim Thomas Klestil |
| Deputy |
Norbert Steger Alois Mock Josef Riegler Erhard Busek Wolfgang Schüssel |
| Preceded by | Fred Sinowatz |
| Succeeded by | Viktor Klima |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
4 October 1937 Vienna, Austria |
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Political party | SPÖ |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Signature |  |
Franz Vranitzky (born 4 October 1937) is an Austrian politician. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ), he was Chancellor of Austria from 1986 to 1997.
As the son of a foundryman, Vranitzky was born into humble circumstances in Vienna's 17th district. He attended the Realgymnasium Geblergasse and studied economics, graduating in 1960. He financed his studies teaching Latin and English and as a construction worker.
As a young man, Vranitzky played basketball and was a member of Austria's national team, which in 1960 unsuccessfully tried to qualify for the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.
In 1962 he joined the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ).
In 1962, Vranitzky married Christine Christen, with whom he fathered two children.
Vranitzky began his career in 1961 at Siemens-Schuckert, but within the year switched to the Oesterreichische Nationalbank, Austria’s central bank. In 1969, he received a doctorate in International business studies. The following year, Hannes Androsch, minister of finance under Chancellor Bruno Kreisky, had appointed him economic and financial advisor. Vranitzky served as deputy director of the Creditanstalt-Bankverein (1976–1981), briefly as its director general and as director general of the Österreichische Länderbank (1981–1984).
In 1984, Vranitzky joined the SPÖ-Freedom Party (FPÖ) government coalition under Chancellor Fred Sinowatz as minister of finance. He was criticized for receiving multiple compensations from his various functions in government-run businesses.
In the presidential elections of 1986, Chancellor Sinowatz vociferously opposed Kurt Waldheim, the candidate of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) opposition. The former UN Secretary General's campaign for office caused international controversy due to allegations about his role as a German army officer in World War II. When Waldheim was elected on 8 June, Sinowatz resigned from the government, proposing Vranitzky as his successor.
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