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Werner Faymann

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Werner Faymann
Faymann on 17 June 2015
Chancellor of Austria
In office
2 December 2008 – 9 May 2016
PresidentHeinz Fischer
DeputyJosef Pröll
Michael Spindelegger
Reinhold Mitterlehner
Preceded byAlfred Gusenbauer
Succeeded byReinhold Mitterlehner (Acting)
Chairman of the Social Democratic Party
In office
16 June 2008 – 9 May 2016
Preceded byAlfred Gusenbauer
Succeeded byMichael Häupl (Acting)
Minister for Transport, Innovation and Technology
In office
11 January 2007 – 23 November 2008
ChancellorAlfred Gusenbauer
Preceded byHubert Gorbach
Succeeded byDoris Bures
Personal details
Born (1960-05-04) 4 May 1960 (age 64)
Vienna, Austria
Political partySocial Democratic Party
SpouseMartina Ludwig
Children2
Alma materHenriettenplatz High School
Signature

Werner Faymann (German: [ˈvɛɐ̯nɐ ˈfaɪman]; born 4 May 1960) is an Austrian politician who was Chancellor of Austria and chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) from 2008 to 2016. On 9 May 2016, Faymann resigned from both positions amid widening criticism within his party.[1]

Early life and education

Werner Faymann was born in Vienna[2] and graduated from grammar school there.[3] He enrolled at the University of Vienna (jurisprudence, political science, and history of art) but attended just one lecture there without taking any exams. Instead, he worked as a taxi driver.[4]

Career

In 1981, Faymann became provincial chairman of the Socialist Youth Vienna (Sozialistische Jugend Wien). From 1985 to 1988 Faymann was a consultant to the bank Zentralsparkasse der Gemeinde Wien (now UniCredit Bank Austria AG). The bank at the time was closely linked to the municipal government dominated by the Social Democrats.[5] He left the bank to become director and provincial chairman of the Viennese Tenants' counselling.

Subsequently, Faymann became a member of the Viennese state parliament and municipal council, where he held various positions concerning housing construction and urban renewal.[6]

Federal Minister for Transport, 2007–08

Faymann was Federal Minister for Transport, Innovation and Technology in the Cabinet of Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer. Moreover, Gusenbauer appointed him as coalition co-ordinator.[7]

Soon Faymann was seen as the likely successor of Gusenbauer. He never challenged Gusenbauer openly, but the chancellor faced an internal party rebellion in June 2008 and voluntarily relinquished the party leadership.[7] On 16 June 2008 Faymann succeeded Gusenbauer as chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) and led the party in the snap legislative elections, held on 28 September 2008.

The election was famously preceded by Faymann and Gusenbauer announcing a shift in the party's position towards the signing of new EU treaties, which they did by writing an open letter to Hans Dichand, the editor of the yellow press medium Kronen Zeitung. At the time, the Kronen Zeitung was the largest newspaper in the country. The letter caused a scandal within the party, as no party committee had been involved in deciding the shift.

The pro-EU Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) cancelled the existing coalition, thus causing new elections. Faymann was known for his good relationship to Dichand, who would also support him in the following election campaign. Although the SPÖ lost 11 seats, and had a 6% swing against it (in fact, their worst result since World War II), they came out ahead of their main rivals Austrian People's Party in regard to seats (57 to 51) as well as to share of the vote (29.26% to 25.98%).[6][8] Afterwards, Faymann renewed the coalition with the Austrian People's Party, as he had announced before the election.

Chancellor of Austria, 2008–16

Faymann meets German Chancellor Angela Merkel, 11 December 2008

As head of the largest party in the National Council of Austria, Faymann was asked by Federal President Heinz Fischer on 8 October 2008 to form a new government.[9]

A coalition between the SPÖ and the ÖVP was agreed upon on 23 November 2008 and was sworn in on 2 December 2008.[10]

In 2012, Austria's government curbed the remit of a parliamentary investigation into high-level corruption and ensured Faymann was not called to testify.[11]

In 2013, public prosecutors were looking into whether Faymann and a top aide, Josef Ostermayer, had swayed the ÖBB state railways and ASFiNAG motorway agency to place advertisements promoting him in newspapers during his tenure as infrastructure minister. Both had repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the breach of trust case, which the opposition Freedom Party (FPÖ) had asked prosecutors to investigate. By November 2013, Austrian authorities dropped their investigation.[12]

Faymann is said to have moved his once solidly pro-European party toward a more EU-sceptic course.[7] He has kept his distance from the far-right parties.[7] In domestic affairs, Faymann's administration has been notable in enacting a wide range of reforms in areas such as education and social security.[13][14][15]

In 2015, Faymann criticized what he called German Chancellor Angela Merkel's "wait-and-see" approach to tackling Europe's economic problems and demanded a more aggressive push to combat unemployment in Europe.[16]

On 9 May 2016, he resigned as Chancellor and party leader, after losing confidence from a considerable number of party members, despite retaining confidence from a majority of them. His party's candidate and the candidate from its coalition partner, the People's Party, were both eliminated from the first round of the recent presidential elections, resulting in a run-off between Norbert Hofer of the right-wing populist Freedom Party of Austria and Alexander Van der Bellen, an independent endorsed by The Greens.[17]

Other activities

Private life

Faymann is a Roman Catholic.[2] He is married and has two children.[6][18]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Shock as Austrian Chancellor Faymann quits". BBC.
  2. ^ a b "Chancellor of Austria". World Diplomacy. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  3. ^ Hahn, Nadja (18 September 2013). "In a message on twitter, Werner Faymann is cited saying that he graduated from grammar school". www.twitter.com (in German). Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  4. ^ "Interview in Austrian television" (video). YouTube (in German). 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  5. ^ "AVZ-Stiftung: Wie gewonnen, so zeronnen" (news) (in German). 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  6. ^ a b c "Curriculum Vitae of Werner Faymann". Federal Chancellery of Austria. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  7. ^ a b c d Eric Frey (November 21, 2008), Werner Faymann: Public promoter of popular ideas Financial Times.
  8. ^ "Nationalratswahlen 2008" (in German). Federal Ministry of the Interior. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  9. ^ "Austrian President Fischer Asks Faymann to Form Government". Bloomberg L.P. 8 October 2008. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  10. ^ "New Austrian government takes office". International Herald Tribune. Associated Press. 2 December 2008. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  11. ^ Michael Shields (September 20, 2012), Austria curbs sleaze panel remit, opposition protests Reuters.
  12. ^ Michael Shields (November 5, 2013), Prosecutors drop advertising probe into Austrian leader Reuters.
  13. ^ "News from Austria 2011: Federal Chancellery of Austria". Oesta. 3 January 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  14. ^ "Austria". Eiro Annual Review. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  15. ^ "Austria". Eiro Annual Review. 2010. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  16. ^ Michael Shields (February 8, 2015), Austrian chancellor says Merkel's economic policy too timid - Kurier Reuters.
  17. ^ "Shock as Austrian Chancellor Faymann quits". BBC News. 9 May 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  18. ^ "Werner Faymann" (in German). Social Democratic Party of Austria. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
Party political offices
Preceded by Leader of the Social Democratic Party
2008–2016 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Chancellor of Austria
2008–2016 		Succeeded by
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