Franz Vranitzky
Encyclopedia
Franz Vranitzky is an Austria
n politician. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Austria
(SPÖ), he was Chancellor of Austria
from 1986 to 1997.
As a young man, Vranitzky played basket ball 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 National Bank of Austria. 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
-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.
, the candidate of the 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.
Vranitzky entered his new office on 16 June 1986. At first he continued the government coalition with the Freedom Party
. On 13 September 1986, however, radical FPÖ politician Jörg Haider
was elected chairman of his party, ousting the moderate Vice Chancellor
Norbert Steger
. Vranitzky ended cooperation with his coalition partner and had parliament dissolved.
In the subsequent elections on 23 November 1986, the SPÖ remained the strongest party. In January 1987, Vranitzky formed a government, based on a grand coalition
with the second-largest party, the Christian democrat ÖVP
, with Alois Mock
serving as vice-chancellor and foreign minister. In 1988, Vranitzky also succeeded Fred Sinowatz as chairman of his party.
Until 1992, Austria's foreign policy had to deal with the repercussions of the Waldheim controversy, as the Austrian president was shunned in some diplomatic circles. The United States
regarded Waldheim as a persona non grata
, thereby barring him from entering the country in 1987, while Israel
had recalled its ambassador after Waldheim's election. Vranitzky managed to normalise Austria's relations with both countries and frequently stepped in to perform diplomatic duties commonly assigned to the president.
On 8 July 1991, in a speech in parliament, Vranitzy acknowledged a share in the responsibility for the pain brought, not by Austria as a state, but by citizens of this country, upon other people and peoples", thereby departing from the hitherto official portrayal of Austria as "Hitler's first victim."
After the end of the Cold War
, Vranitzky focused on furthering relations with the nations of Eastern Europe and membership in the European Union
, of which Vranitzky and his foreign minister, Alois Mock, were strong advocates. After a referendum on 12 June 1994 resulted in 66% in favour of EU membership, Austria joined the European Union in January 1995. Austria's military neutrality
, which had been espoused during the Cold War, was reaffirmed in the process.
In party politics, Vranitzky kept his distance from Jörg Haider
's Freedom Party - a stance the latter decried as a "policy of exclusion." In the election of 1990
, Vranitzky's coalition government was confirmed when the Social Democrat vote remained stable while the ÖVP lost 17 seats, mainly to the FPÖ. The 1994 election
saw heavy losses by both coalition parties, which nonetheless remained the two largest parties, while FPÖ and others made further gains. Vranitzky renewed the coalition with the ÖVP, which after May 1995 was led by foreign minister Wolfgang Schüssel
. Later in the year, the grand coalition broke apart over budget policy, leading to the elections of December 1995
, which however only saw slight changes in favor of SPÖ and ÖVP. Vranitzky and Schüssel resumed their coalition in March 1996.
In January 1997, Vranitzky resigned as Chancellor and as party chairman. He was succeeded in both positions by his minister of finance, Viktor Klima
.
-representative for Albania
from March to October 1997, before returning into the banking sector, as political constultant of the WestLB
bank. In December, he was elected to the board of governors of automotive supplier Magna
. He later occupied the same position for the tourism company TUI
and Magic Life hotels.
In June 2005, he donated one of his kidney
s to his wife Christine, who suffered from chronic kidney failure.
He actively supported his party's frontrunner Alfred Gusenbauer
in the 2006 elections
. During the campaign, it was revealed that in 1999 Vranitzky had received one million Shilling as a consultant for BAWAG
bank, which was then under public scrutiny. It was alleged the payment was made without any service in return and that it constituted an "indirect party funding". Vranitzky denounced this allegation.
Vranitzky currently chairs the quarterly Vranitzky colloquia, organised by the study group WiWiPol, which discusses economic topics and their impact on Austria and Europe.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n politician. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Austria
Social Democratic Party of Austria
The Social Democratic Party of Austria is one of the oldest political parties in Austria. The SPÖ is one of the two major parties in Austria, and has ties to trade unions and the Austrian Chamber of Labour. The SPÖ is among the few mainstream European social-democratic parties that have preserved...
(SPÖ), he was Chancellor of Austria
Chancellor of Austria
The Federal Chancellor is the head of government in Austria. Its deputy is the Vice-Chancellor. Before 1918, the equivalent office was the Minister-President of Austria. The Federal Chancellor is considered to be the most powerful political position in Austrian politics.-Appointment:The...
from 1986 to 1997.
Early life and career
As the son of a foundryman, Vranitzky was born into humble circumstances in Vienna's 17th disttrict. 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 basket ball and was a member of Austria's national team, which in 1960 unsuccessfully tried to qualify for the 1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
in Rome.
In 1962 he joined the Social Democratic Party of Austria
Social Democratic Party of Austria
The Social Democratic Party of Austria is one of the oldest political parties in Austria. The SPÖ is one of the two major parties in Austria, and has ties to trade unions and the Austrian Chamber of Labour. The SPÖ is among the few mainstream European social-democratic parties that have preserved...
(SPÖ).
In 1962, Vranitzky married Christine Christen, with whom he fathered two children.
Vranitzky began his career in 1961 at Siemens-Schuckert
Siemens-Schuckert
Siemens-Schuckert was a German electrical engineering company headquartered in Berlin, Erlangen and Nuremberg that was incorporated into the Siemens AG in 1966....
, but within the year switched to the National Bank of Austria. In 1969, he received a doctorate in International business studies. The following year, Hannes Androsch
Hannes Androsch
Johannes Androsch is an Austrian entrepreneur and consultant; a former Social Democrat top politician who served as an Austrian Minister of Finance from 1970 to 1981 and additionally as Vice Chancellor from 1976–1981; and a former banker who from 1981-1988 was the General Director of the...
, minister of finance under Chancellor Bruno Kreisky
Bruno Kreisky
Bruno Kreisky was an Austrian politician who served as Foreign Minister from 1959 to 1966 and as Chancellor from 1970 to 1983. Aged 72 at the end of his chancellorship, he was the oldest acting Chancellor after World War II....
had appointed him economic and financial advisor. Vranitzky served as deputy director of the Creditanstalt-Bankverein
Creditanstalt
The Creditanstalt was an Austrian bank. The Creditanstalt was based in Vienna, founded in 1855 as K. k. priv. Österreichische Credit-Anstalt für Handel und Gewerbe by the Rothschild family...
(1976–1981), briefly as its director general and as director general of the Österreichische Länderbank (1981–1984).
In 1984, Vranitzky joined the SPÖ
Social Democratic Party of Austria
The Social Democratic Party of Austria is one of the oldest political parties in Austria. The SPÖ is one of the two major parties in Austria, and has ties to trade unions and the Austrian Chamber of Labour. The SPÖ is among the few mainstream European social-democratic parties that have preserved...
-FPÖ
Freedom Party of Austria
The Freedom Party of Austria is a political party in Austria. Ideologically, the party is a direct descendant of the German national liberal camp, which dates back to the 1848 revolutions. The FPÖ itself was founded in 1956 as the successor to the short-lived Federation of Independents , which had...
government coalition under Chancellor Fred Sinowatz
Fred Sinowatz
Alfred "Fred" Sinowatz was born in Neufeld an der Leitha, Burgenland, Austria. He was an Austrian politician of the Social Democratic Party of Austria , and was Chancellor of Austria from 1983 to 1986.- Career until 1983 :Sinowatz, educated as a historian, was Minister of Education and Art in the...
as minister of finance. He was criticized for receiving multiple compensations from his various functions in government-run businesses.
Chancellor of Austria
In the presidential elections of 1986, Chancellor Sinowatz vociferously opposed Kurt WaldheimKurt Waldheim
Kurt Josef Waldheim was an Austrian diplomat and politician. Waldheim was the fourth Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981, and the ninth President of Austria, from 1986 to 1992...
, the candidate of the ÖVP
OVP
OVP is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:*The Office of the Vice President of the United States*The Office of the Vice President of the Philippines*OVP , a light sub-machine gun developed in Italy...
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
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. When Waldheim was elected on 8 June, Sinowatz resigned from the government, proposing Vranitzky as his successor.
Vranitzky entered his new office on 16 June 1986. At first he continued the government coalition with the Freedom Party
Freedom Party of Austria
The Freedom Party of Austria is a political party in Austria. Ideologically, the party is a direct descendant of the German national liberal camp, which dates back to the 1848 revolutions. The FPÖ itself was founded in 1956 as the successor to the short-lived Federation of Independents , which had...
. On 13 September 1986, however, radical FPÖ politician Jörg Haider
Jörg Haider
Jörg Haider was an Austrian politician. He was Governor of Carinthia on two occasions, the long-time leader of the Austrian Freedom Party and later Chairman of the Alliance for the Future of Austria , a breakaway party from the FPÖ.Haider was controversial within Austria and abroad for comments...
was elected chairman of his party, ousting the moderate Vice Chancellor
Vice Chancellor of Austria
In Austrian politics, the Vice-Chancellor is a member of the federal government acting as a deputy to the Federal Chancellor.Art. 69 of the Constitution of Austria states:...
Norbert Steger
Norbert Steger
Norbert Steger is an Austrian lawyer and former politician for the Freedom Party of Austria . He was the FPÖ party leader from 1980 to 1986, and Vice Chancellor and Minister of Commerce of Austria from 1983 to 1987....
. Vranitzky ended cooperation with his coalition partner and had parliament dissolved.
In the subsequent elections on 23 November 1986, the SPÖ remained the strongest party. In January 1987, Vranitzky formed a government, based on a grand coalition
Grand coalition
A grand coalition is an arrangement in a multi-party parliamentary system in which the two largest political parties of opposing political ideologies unite in a coalition government...
with the second-largest party, the Christian democrat ÖVP
OVP
OVP is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:*The Office of the Vice President of the United States*The Office of the Vice President of the Philippines*OVP , a light sub-machine gun developed in Italy...
, with Alois Mock
Alois Mock
Alois Mock is a politician and member of the Austrian People's Party . He was Vice Chancellor of Austria from 1987 to 1989. As foreign minister he helped take Austria into the European Union....
serving as vice-chancellor and foreign minister. In 1988, Vranitzky also succeeded Fred Sinowatz as chairman of his party.
Until 1992, Austria's foreign policy had to deal with the repercussions of the Waldheim controversy, as the Austrian president was shunned in some diplomatic circles. The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
regarded Waldheim as a persona non grata
Persona non grata
Persona non grata , literally meaning "an unwelcome person", is a legal term used in diplomacy that indicates a proscription against a person entering the country...
, thereby barring him from entering the country in 1987, while Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
had recalled its ambassador after Waldheim's election. Vranitzky managed to normalise Austria's relations with both countries and frequently stepped in to perform diplomatic duties commonly assigned to the president.
On 8 July 1991, in a speech in parliament, Vranitzy acknowledged a share in the responsibility for the pain brought, not by Austria as a state, but by citizens of this country, upon other people and peoples", thereby departing from the hitherto official portrayal of Austria as "Hitler's first victim."
After the end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, Vranitzky focused on furthering relations with the nations of Eastern Europe and membership in the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, of which Vranitzky and his foreign minister, Alois Mock, were strong advocates. After a referendum on 12 June 1994 resulted in 66% in favour of EU membership, Austria joined the European Union in January 1995. Austria's military neutrality
Neutrality (international relations)
A neutral power in a particular war is a sovereign state which declares itself to be neutral towards the belligerents. A non-belligerent state does not need to be neutral. The rights and duties of a neutral power are defined in Sections 5 and 13 of the Hague Convention of 1907...
, which had been espoused during the Cold War, was reaffirmed in the process.
In party politics, Vranitzky kept his distance from Jörg Haider
Jörg Haider
Jörg Haider was an Austrian politician. He was Governor of Carinthia on two occasions, the long-time leader of the Austrian Freedom Party and later Chairman of the Alliance for the Future of Austria , a breakaway party from the FPÖ.Haider was controversial within Austria and abroad for comments...
's Freedom Party - a stance the latter decried as a "policy of exclusion." In the election of 1990
Austrian legislative election, 1990
Parliamentary elections were held in Austria on 7 October 1990. The Social Democratic Party won the most seats, and retained the grand coalition with the Austrian People's Party. Voter turnout was 86.1%.-Results:...
, Vranitzky's coalition government was confirmed when the Social Democrat vote remained stable while the ÖVP lost 17 seats, mainly to the FPÖ. The 1994 election
Austrian legislative election, 1994
Parliamentary elections were held in Austria on 9 October 1994. The Social Democratic Party won the most seats, and retained the grand coalition with the Austrian People's Party. Voter turnout was 81.9%.-Results:...
saw heavy losses by both coalition parties, which nonetheless remained the two largest parties, while FPÖ and others made further gains. Vranitzky renewed the coalition with the ÖVP, which after May 1995 was led by foreign minister Wolfgang Schüssel
Wolfgang Schüssel
Wolfgang Schüssel is an Austrian People's Party politician. He was Chancellor of Austria for two consecutive terms from February 2000 to January 2007...
. Later in the year, the grand coalition broke apart over budget policy, leading to the elections of December 1995
Austrian legislative election, 1995
Early parliamentary elections were held in Austria on 17 December 1995, after the Grand Coalition between the Social Democratic Party and Austrian People's Party collapsed over disagreements about the budget. The SPÖ remained the largest party in the National Council and the Grand Coalition was...
, which however only saw slight changes in favor of SPÖ and ÖVP. Vranitzky and Schüssel resumed their coalition in March 1996.
In January 1997, Vranitzky resigned as Chancellor and as party chairman. He was succeeded in both positions by his minister of finance, Viktor Klima
Viktor Klima
Viktor Klima is an Austrian Social Democrat politician and businessman. He was chancellor of Austria from 1997 to 2000.-Early career:...
.
Later activities
After leaving office, Vranitzky served as OSCEOrganization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections...
-representative for Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
from March to October 1997, before returning into the banking sector, as political constultant of the WestLB
WestLB
WestLB AG is a European commercial bank based in Düsseldorf in Germany which is partly owned by the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The letters LB in the name stand for Landesbank. The Landesbanken are a group of state owned banks unique to Germany...
bank. In December, he was elected to the board of governors of automotive supplier Magna
Magna International
Magna International Inc. , is an automotive supplier headquartered in Aurora, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's largest automobile parts manufacturer, and one of the country's largest companies. It owns the Magna Steyr automobile production company of Austria....
. He later occupied the same position for the tourism company TUI
TUI AG
TUI AG is a German multinational travel and tourism company headquartered in Hanover. Until 2001 it was an industrial and transportation company named Preussag AG, which in the mid-1990s decided to reinvent itself as a tourism, shipping, and logistics company...
and Magic Life hotels.
In June 2005, he donated one of his kidney
Kidney
The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
s to his wife Christine, who suffered from chronic kidney failure.
He actively supported his party's frontrunner Alfred Gusenbauer
Alfred Gusenbauer
Alfred Gusenbauer is an Austrian career politician who until 2008 spent his entire professional life as an employee of the Social Democratic Party of Austria or as a parliamentary representative. He headed the SPÖ from 2000 to 2008, and served as Chancellor of Austria from January 2007 to...
in the 2006 elections
Austrian legislative election, 2006
The 2006 general election for the National Council in Austria was held on 1 October 2006.Following the Austrian legislative election, 1999, the Austrian People's Party had formed a coalition government with the Austrian Freedom Party , and later the Alliance for the Future of Austria .As a result...
. During the campaign, it was revealed that in 1999 Vranitzky had received one million Shilling as a consultant for BAWAG
BAWAG P.S.K.
BAWAG P.S.K. Bank für Arbeit und Wirtschaft und Österreichische Postsparkasse Aktiengesellschaft is the fourth largest bank in Austria...
bank, which was then under public scrutiny. It was alleged the payment was made without any service in return and that it constituted an "indirect party funding". Vranitzky denounced this allegation.
Vranitzky currently chairs the quarterly Vranitzky colloquia, organised by the study group WiWiPol, which discusses economic topics and their impact on Austria and Europe.