Wolfgang Schuessel
| Wolfgang Schüssel | |
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| 21st Chancellor of Austria | |
|
In office 4 February 2000 – 11 January 2007 |
|
| President |
Thomas Klestil Heinz Fischer |
| Deputy |
Susanne Riess-Passer Herbert Haupt Hubert Gorbach |
| Preceded by | Viktor Klima |
| Succeeded by | Alfred Gusenbauer |
| Vice-Chancellor of Austria | |
|
In office 4 May 1995 – 4 February 2000 |
|
| Chancellor |
Franz Vranitzky Viktor Klima |
| Preceded by | Erhard Busek |
| Succeeded by | Susanne Riess-Passer |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
|
In office 4 May 1995 – 4 February 2000 |
|
| Chancellor |
Franz Vranitzky Viktor Klima |
| Preceded by | Alois Mock |
| Succeeded by | Benita Ferrero-Waldner |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
7 June 1945 Vienna, Austria |
| Political party | Austrian People's Party |
| Alma mater | University of Vienna |
Wolfgang Schüssel (German pronunciation: [ˈvɔlfɡaŋ ˈʃʏsəl]; born 7 June 1945) is an Austrian People's Party politician. He was Chancellor of Austria for two consecutive terms from February 2000 to January 2007. While being recognised as a rare example of an active reformer in contemporary Austrian politics, his governments were also highly controversial from the beginning, starting with the fact that he formed a coalition government with Jörg Haider's Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) on both occasions. In 2011, he retired from being an active member of parliament due to a multitude of charges of corruption against members of his governments.
Born in Vienna, Schüssel attended that city's Schottengymnasium, a well known Roman Catholic gymnasium for boys, where he took his Matura exams in 1963. He went on to study at the University of Vienna, receiving a Doctorate in Law in 1968.
Schüssel was secretary of the parliamentary group of the Austrian People's Party from 1968 to 1975. From 1975 to 1991, he was Secretary General of the Austrian Business Federation, a sub-organization of the Austrian People's Party.
He became Minister for Economic Affairs on 24 April 1989 in a coalition government under Chancellor Franz Vranitzky (SPÖ) formed by the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) and the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP).
On 22 April 1995, at the 30th Party Congress of the ÖVP, Schüssel staged a leadership coup and ousted Erhard Busek as chairman of the Austrian People's Party. He also replaced the party’s ministers in the governing coalition.
On 4 May 1995, Schüssel replaced Busek as Vice-Chancellor in Franz Vranitzky's fourth government, and also took over as Minister for Foreign Affairs. He held the same posts in Chancellor Vranitzky's fifth Cabinet, as well as the first cabinet of Chancellor Viktor Klima's (SPÖ).
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