Photo of Jörg Haider with Stefan Petzner courtesy of The Independent
THE INDEPENDENT: Conservative Austria was in a state of shock today after the male successor to Jörg Haider admitted to having a longstanding “special relationship” with the far right leader who died dramatically in a high speed car crash earlier this month.
Stefan Petzner – the 27-year-old who recently replaced Haider as leader of the right wing Alliance for the Future of Austria and has often appeared in tears on television since his death - effectively outed himself as the deceased’s gay lover while being interviewed on an Austrian radio breakfast show.
“I had to go to him. I had to go to him,” Mr Petzner said in his highly emotional interview as he recalled how he rushed to the hospital where the dead body of 52-year-old* [sic] Haider was lying after his fatal crash in early October.
Admitting that he felt a “magnetic attraction” for Haider, whom he met five years ago while working as a cosmetics reporter, Mr Petzner insisted: “We had a relationship that went far beyond friendship. Jörg and I were connected by something truly special. He was the man of my life.”
He insisted that Mr Haider’s widow, Claudia did not object to his relationship: “She loved him as a woman. He loved her as a man. I loved him in a completely different and personal way. She understood that,” Mr Petzner said. However, the young man’s sister Christiane suggested in a newspaper interview that Mrs Haider had not always been so understanding. “Sometimes Claudia was jealous because Stefan would spend more time with her husband than she did.”
Clearly embarrassed by the revelations, party officials today attempted to limit the political damage and cancelled forthcoming interviews with Mr Petzner. Their attempts to prevent his radio interview being rebroadcast, however, were unsuccessful. >>> By Tony Paterson in Berlin | October 22, 2008
*Jörg Haider was actually born in 1950.
YouTube Video: Stefan Petzner: Jörg Haider ist tot
DIE PRESSE: Neuer BZÖ-Klubchef Bucher: Kampfansage an ÖVP
Foto von Josef Bucher , der neue BZÖ-Klubchef dank der Presse
Knalleffekt in der Obmannsuche: Der 43-jährige Kärntner Josef Bucher wird überraschend neuer BZÖ-Klubchef. Der designierte Parteichef Stefan Petzner hatte Bucher selbst vorgeschlagen.
Am Ende der längeren konstituierenden Sitzung im Parlament des BZÖ am Mittwoch stand eine faustdicke Überraschung: Josef Buchner, 43-jähriger Kärntner aus Friesach wurde einstimmig zum neuen Klubobmann gewählt. Bucher wird fünf Stellvertreter haben: Den designierten BZÖ-Obmann Stefan Petzner, Ursula Haubner, Herbert Scheibner, Ewald Stadler und Peter Westenthaler. Petzner, der als Favorit galt, sagte nach der Sitzung, er selbst habe Bucher als Klubobmann vorgeschlagen.
"Ich glaube, dass wir uns sehr gut ergänzen", so Bucher über Petzner. Der neue Klubchef sieht in der Trennung der beiden Führungspositionen "überhaupt nichts Ungewöhnliches". Petzner sei als Stratege unverzichtbar, vor allem, da es in den kommenden Jahren einige Wahlen zu schlagen gebe. Petzner wiederum würdigte Bucher als Wirtschaftsprofi, der gerade in Zeiten der Finanzkrise absolutes Know-how vorzuweisen habe. >>> | 23. Oktober 2008
Lavish funeral for far-right leader Haider shows that Austria hasn’t changed
No. Many Austrians have proven yet again that they have not changed. They have proven that they have not learned a thing, and that they do not wish to learn or to change.
The funeral arrangements for Jörg Haider, the leader of a far right party, only served to prove that when it comes to Austria, what used to be there is still what we see there to this day.
The man who on more than one occasion praised his countryman, the fuehrer of the German Reich, got the kind of funeral usually reserved for kings or presidents, including a funeral ceremony and convey in line with all the military honors. His funeral was attended by hundreds of politicians, as well as senior officers and other dignitaries, including the Austrian president and prime minister.
Not to mention the tens of thousands of mourning and crying Austrians, many of whom are World War II veterans, who again proudly displayed the badges of honor and medals they received in their roles as the trusted and fanatical servants of the Reich, which was headed by their countryman for the 12 darkest years in the history of humanity - Adolf Hitler, born in the town of Braunau am Inn. >>> Noah Klieger | October 19, 2008
DIE PRESSE: Israel. Zeitung: "Viele Österreicher sehnen sich nach Drittem Reich"
Die israelische Tageszeitung "Yedioth Anoroth" kritisiert das "pompöse" Begräbnis für Jörg Haider. Es beweise, dass "viele Österreicher nichts gelernt haben". Und indirekt, dass sich viele nach dem Dritten Reich zurücksehnen.
Für die auflagenstärkste israelische Tageszeitung "Yedioth Ahronoth" ist das "pompöse Begräbnis" für Kärntens Landeshauptmann Jörg Haider der Beweis dafür, "dass sich Österreich nicht geändert hat". In einem Kommentar der englischsprachigen Online-Ausgabe des Blattes, "Ynetnews", wird behauptet, viele Österreicher sehnten sich nach wie vor nach dem Dritten Reich zurück.
"Österreicher haben nichts gelernt"
"Viele Österreicher haben wieder einmal unter Beweis gestellt, dass sie sich nicht geändert haben. Sie haben bewiesen, dass sie überhaupt nichts gelernt haben und dass sie gar nichts lernen oder sich verändern wollen", so die Meinung von "Ynet"-Autor Noah Klieger.
Ein Begräbnis wie für Könige
"Dem Mann, der bei mehr als einer Gelegenheit seinen Landsmann, den Führer des Deutschen Reiches, gerühmt hat, wurde ein Begräbnis beschert, wie es nur Könige oder Präsidenten erhalten..." Das Blatt weist auch darauf hin, dass an dem Begräbnis hunderte Politiker, darunter auch der Bundespräsident und der Bundeskanzler, teilgenommen haben. >>> | 19. Oktober 2008
Begräbnis von Jörg Haider in Klagenfurt. 30.000 Menschen trauern. Der Klagenfurter Bürgermeister in seiner Rede: "Wir trauern um den Landeshauptmann der Herzen."
Der vor einer Woche tödlich verunglückte Kärntner Landeshauptmann Jörg Haider wird heute beigesetzt. Die Trauerfeierlichkeiten finden in Klagenfurt statt. Zuerst wurde der Sarg vom Wappensaal in den Landhaushof getragen, wo ein Trauerakt im engsten Kreis stattfand. Nach der Formierung des Kondukts, untermalt von Trauermusik der Militärmusikkapelle, ging es weiter zum Neuen Platz, wo sechs Redner Nachrufe an Haider formulierten.
"Wir trauern um den Landeshauptmann der Herzen"
"Es geht eine Welle der Trauer und Anteilnahme durch das Land, die Österreich in dem Ausmaß nicht gekannt hat", sagte Haiders früherer politischer Weggefährte und Justizminister Dieter Böhmdorfer bei der Trauerfeier. "Wir trauern um den Landeshauptmann der Herzen, wie er schon genannt wird", sagte der Klagenfurter Bürgermeister Harald Scheucher.
Bundeskanzler Alfred Gusenbauer sparte in seine Rede aber auch nicht an Kritik an der Politik Haiders. Haider sei ein außergewöhnlicher Mann gewesen, im Positiven wie im Negativen, "ich zolle ihm Respekt und Anerkennung über alle politischen Grenzen hinweg".
In den engen Straßen der Klagenfurter Altstadt drängten sich während des Trauerzugs rund 30.000 Menschen. Haiders Sarg war mit der Kärntner Landesflagge und über und über mit roten Rosen bedeckt. Die Trauerprozession mit einer Ehrengarde des Militärs wurde von seiner Ehefrau Claudia und seinen erwachsenen Töchtern angeführt, die in dunkle Landestracht gekleidet waren.
Das Mozart-Requiem im Dom bildet den Abschluss der Trauerfeierlichkeiten. Dazu haben nur geladene Gäste Zutritt, die übrigen Teilnehmer an den Trauerfeiern können das Requiem auf Videowalls verfolgen. Nach dem Auszug aus dem Dom wird der Sarg in den Konduktwagen verladen, ein Schlussgebet gesprochen, zur Abfahrt des Autos soll der Zapfenstreich intoniert werden.
Haiders Leichnam wird anschließend nach Villach gebracht, wo die Einäscherung vorgenommen werden soll. Die Einsegnung wird der langjährige Kärntner Diözesanbischof Egon Kapellari vornehmen, der jetzige Grazer Bischof nimmt auch an der Feier im Dom teil.
Wann die Urne in der Kapelle Alt St. Michael im Bärental im engsten Kreis der Familie beigesetzt wird, darüber herrscht Stillschweigen. >>> | 18. Oktober 2008
BBC: Thousands Attend Haider Funeral
Tens of thousands of mourners have lined the streets of the Austrian city of Klagenfurt for the funeral of the far-right politician, Joerg Haider.
His body was taken in a procession from the provincial parliament to a square in the city, where friends and prominent politicians paid tribute.
Austria's president and chancellor were among the dignitaries who attended a requiem mass in Klagenfurt Cathedral.
Mr Haider died in a car crash a week ago. He had been drinking alcohol.
The 58-year-old was driving alone after leaving a nightclub when his car crashed and overturned while travelling at more than twice the speed limit.
An official from his party, the Alliance for Austria's Future (BZO), said Mr Haider's blood alcohol level was well above the legal limit.
Ceremonial funeral
The accident occurred south of Klagenfurt, the capital of Carinthia, where Joerg Haider was the provincial governor for 11 years.
The centre of Klagenfurt was sealed off for the funeral ceremonies and extra police were deployed to prevent any disruption by far-right protesters.
International guests included Sayf Gaddafi, the son of the Libyan leader, who was a close friend of Mr Haider, and a delegation from Italy's right-wing Northern League.
Mr Haider has been condemned by left-wing groups, and one prominent writer used an article in a leading Austrian newspaper to describe him as a fascist, the BBC's Kerry Skyring reports.
The coffin, covered in wreaths, was borne in a military vehicle along the streets of the city.
Austria's Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer alluded to Mr Haider's controversial reputation in an address to the memorial service.
"He was a man who could leave no-one cold, whether in a positive or a negative sense," Mr Gusenbauer said. >>> | October 18, 2008
THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY: Haider Goes to His Grave, Pursued by Controversy
As 25,000 mourn, a German tabloid reveals where the Austrian right-winger spent his final hours
About 25,000 people filled the streets of Klagenfurt, Jörg Haider's former political stronghold, for the funeral rites yesterday of Austria's far-right populist leader, who died last weekend in a car crash while drunk.
The controversial man was newsworthy to the last. Even as lederhosen-clad mourners left wreaths in tribute to their political hero, a German tabloid was revealing details of his final night out. Bild published pictures of him at the launch of a new newspaper, posing with a mini-dressed blonde draped all over him. Then, said Bild, he headed not for home, but for Stadtkrämer, a local gay bar. It was after spending time there that he got into his Volkswagen Phaeton and, with his blood alcohol level four times the legal limit, drove off. Moments later, his car, going at more than 80mph, flipped over, killing Mr Haider instantly.
But details such as these are never likely to dent the enthusiasm for Mr Haider among his followers. He might have been a worldwide bogey figure, but to many in his beloved Carinthia, he was more than a mere leader. And yesterday, thousands of his devotees joined official Austria and Mr Haider's widow in mourning. "He was," said Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer at an open-air memorial service in Klagenfurt's main square, "a man who could leave no one cold, whether in a positive or a negative sense." >>> By Sylvia Westall in Klagenfurt | Sunday, October 19, 2008
THE GUARDIAN: As the leaders of Europe's far-right parties gather for today's state funeral of Austria's most controversial politician, is European fascism once again on the rise?
In their hundreds they stand in line, waiting to pay tribute to their hero. Girls with iPods, skinheads in leather jackets, elderly women with shopping trollies and tanned athletic types in Prada sunglasses shuffle silently forward.
"We wanted the kids to feel the enormity of the occasion. After all, he is our Lady Di and this is our 9/11," says Anton Krem, 45, who is here to pay his last respects to Jörg Haider, the Austrian rightwing populist politician who died in a drunken, high-speed car crash a week ago and whose coffin sits on a pedestal in the Landhaus, seat of Carinthia's regional parliament, the southern province where he was governor.
An after-work crowd of about 300 makes its way through an avenue of huge wreaths. Everyone from the Chamber of Carinthian Chemists to the regional tourist board has sent a display. Klagenfurt, the state capital, is busy preparing itself for today's ceremony, the most emotional state funeral since that of the last Austrian empress, Zita von Bourbon-Parma, in 1989.
Amid a sea of red candles one teenager has written: "To a great man of the nation who fought for his land. Our hero, our fighter, our sunshine." Another note reads: "Our king of hearts". Slipped in between are pictures of Haider, an orange sweater - the colour of his breakaway Alliance for the Future of Austria party (BZO) - draped over his shoulders, glass of beer in hand; another shows the maverick fascist bungee jumping off a bridge.
Behind the scenes, functionaries and volunteers have been working around the clock sending invitations. Austria's political elite are expected to attend tomorrow. But the 50,000 mourners are also expected to include Belgian nationalist Filip Dewinter, French extremist Jean-Marie le Pen, Alessandra Mussolini, the granddaughter of the Italian wartime fascist leader, Umberto Bossi from Italy's Northern League, Swiss industrialist Christoph Blocher, and a handful of Waffen-SS veterans, whom Haider once described as "men of character". Younger far-right figures have also hinted they will turn up, though Austrian intelligence is on alert to turn away groups of skinheads or neo-fascists, to stop the event turning into a rally.
With state broadcaster ORF planning live coverage, President Heinz Fischer, who will give the main speech, and other politicians have asked for assurances that they will not appear in the same frames as anyone from the far right. "They realise it could get very embarrassing," says Hans Rauscher, veteran writer for Der Standard newspaper.
The fear gripping the elite shows the extent to which Haider managed to impose himself on Austria's political scene, becoming a figurehead for an array of far-right European groups. Particularly at such a sensitive economic moment, when parallels with 1929 and the great depression are drawn every day, the fear is that the extreme right may seek to exploit the symbolic power of such a gathering. >>> Kate Connolly | October 18, 2008
MAIL Online: Austrian far-Right leader Jorg Haider's car may have been sabotaged before he crashed, it was claimed.
Haider died when his Volkswagen Phaeton veered off the road in the early hours of Saturday morning last week after a boozy celebration party for Austria's right wing leaders.
As throngs of right-wing crowds gathered for his funeral today, makers of the VW Phaeton limo he was driving insist their car is one of the safest in the world and should have survived the crash.
VW spokesman Peter Thul claimed that someone with access to Haider’s car key could have manipulated the car’s electrics. The car giants have sent their own experts to examine the wreckage and search for signs it may have been sabotaged.
It has also been revealed that on the day of his death, Haider spent part of his last night drinking in a gay club called ‘Stadtkraemer.’
Police have told Haider's family he had a blood alcohol level of 1.8 pro mille - nearly four times Austria's 0.5 limit.
Thul told The Sun: “It is a fact that Haider was going too fast, but such a speed on that curve is not a problem for the car’s physics.
“The Phaeton and Audi A8 are the safest of all. You’d need the key to manipulate the electronics, so someone at a garage would have to tamper with it.
The Stadtkraemer – which translates to The City Shopkeeper – is a well known haunt for the Klagenfurt gay community and advertises itself on the Internet with the slogan: “Whether old or young, lesbian or gay, the restaurant is always cool.”
A fellow diner offered to drive Haider home because he looked the worse for wear, but the 58-year-old governor of the state of Carinthia turned him down.
Haider headed for the notorious gay establishment after his appearance at a night club, the public prosecutor in Klagenfurt confirmed.
He arrived at a quarter past midnight on Saturday morning, left thirty minutes later and was dead within half-an-hour.
Despite being married with two daughters, Haider was “outed” years ago by the Austrian and German press for being homosexual.
He never helped his family man image by turning up at rallies and local events with an entourage of young blond men.
Newspapers in his homeland said they were reluctant to publish “full details” of his homosexuality fearing an outburst of hate towards the gay community would overtake hatred towards foreigners.
According to German daily Taz, many members of Vienna's gay scene claimed he regularly had sex with young men below the age of consent - 18 for homosexuals.
As a result Taz wrote: "These days he prefers to meet with boys from nearby Slovakia" (where the age of consent is 15).
Hosi, or Homosexual Initiative, the biggest gay pressure group in Austria, said before his death: "We've known about Haider's homosexuality for about 10 years. >>> | October 17, 2008
THE TELEGRAPH: Haider Was Drinking in a Gay Bar Before He Crashed
The Austrian far-Right politician Jörg Haider was seen drinking in a gay bar shortly before his fatal car crash.
Mr Haider, 58, was killed in the early hours of last Saturday when the car he was driving at 88mph, around twice the speed limit, crashed off a road in the southern province of Carinthia, where he served as governor.
Austrian media reported that the amount of alcohol in Mr Haider's blood was nearly four times the legal limit.
The politician, who was married with two daughters but was rumoured throughout his career to be a closet homosexual, spent the last part of his night alive in Stadtkraemer, a popular gay club in Klagenfurt. He arrived at Stadtkraemer at a quarter past midnight after having visited another nightclub, and left thirty minutes later, the public prosecutor in Klagenfurt said. >>> | October 17, 2008
DIE PRESSE: Landestrauer in Kärnten: "Bist du nit bei mir"
Klagenfurt. Mehr als 30.000 Trauergäste werden zur offiziellen Verabschiedung von Jörg Haider am Samstag in Klagenfurt erwartet. Wegen des großen Ansturms muss die Innenstadt für den Individualverkehr gesperrt werden. An der Peripherie wurden Auffangparkplätze eingerichtet, von denen Shuttle-Busse die Besucher in die Innenstadt bringen. >>> Von Robert Benedikt | 17. Oktober 2008
DIE PRESSE: Claudia Haider - Sein wahrer Lebensmensch
Alle Augen sind auf Haiders Witwe Claudia gerichtet. Sie könnte auch dessen politisches Erbe antreten.
Sie war – neben seiner Mutter – Jörg Haiders wahrer Lebensmensch: Ehefrau Claudia. Die Tiroler Försterstochter, geboren in Lenggries (Bayern), war 18 Jahre alt und hatte eben ihr Publizistikstudium begonnen, als sie auf einem Ball Jörg Haider kennenlernte. 1976 wurde in Bad Goisern geheiratet, das erste Kind war unterwegs: Tochter Ulrike. Drei Jahre später kam Cornelia zur Welt. >>> Von Oliver Pink | 17. Oktober 2008
Jörg Haider Was Drunk at the Time of the Fatal Crash
MSNBC: Aide says far-right politician was above legal limit when car veered off road
VIENNA, Austria - Austrian far-right politician Joerg Haider was drunk at the time of his fatal car crash, his spokesman said Wednesday. Stefan Petzner said Haider's blood alcohol level was significantly above the legal limit when he crashed his car early Saturday in the southern province of Carinthia, where he was governor. Police said his high-powered Volkswagen Phaeton was speeding at twice the posted limit when it veered off the road, crashed and flipped. Petzner said he felt obliged to confirm widespread speculation that the former Freedom Party leader was intoxicated. Austria’s Haider Was Drunk during Fatal Crash >>> AP | October 15, 2008
Strache Claims to Be Haider's Heir in the Third Camp
WIENER ZEITUNG: FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache has said that he sees himself as the only heir of former BZÖ leader and Carinthian Governor Jörg Haider in the so-called "Dritte Lager" or right-wing Third Camp of Austrian politics.
The "Dritte Lager" includes right-wing, nationalist and economically-liberal voters in Austria and is the country’s third big camp after Social Democrat (SPÖ) and People's Party (ÖVP) members and sympathisers, respectively.
Strache said that the BZÖ had represented only Haider himself after he split from the FPÖ and formed the BZÖ in 2005.
Strache added that he was inviting "all reasonable forces", voters and politicians to support the "solid path of the FPÖ".
Strache expressed appreciation for the work of his former mentor Haider, with whom he fell out before the BZÖ was founded.
Strache said that Haider had created a new style of politics and made the FPÖ into a strong party.
Strache claimed that he was very pleased that he had had an opportunity to discuss issues with Haider in a meeting last week. Strache, however, ruled out reunification of Austria’s right-wing parties. [Source: Wiener Zeitung] | 14. October 2008
Israel: „Der Haiderismus lebt auch ohne Haider weiter“
DIE PRESSE: Für Historiker Segev war Haider das „ekelhafte Österreich“.
JERUSALEM. Der Unfalltod des Kärntner Landeshauptmanns Jörg Haider erregt die israelischen Gemüter deutlich weniger als der jüngste Wahlerfolg der österreichischen Rechtsaußenparteien. Während sich die meisten Medien auf die schlichte Nachricht über den Autounfall beschränkten, wagte die Tageszeitung „Haaretz“ die These, dass der Tod Haiders möglicherweise „den Weg zu einem vereinten extremen rechten Lager in Österreich ebnen könnte“. Die auflagenstärkste Tageszeitung „Yediot Achronot“ widmete sich als einzige ausführlich der Person Haiders, den sie als „geistigen Enkel Hitlers“ bezeichnete.
Lebhaft und zahlreich reagierten die Leser der Online-Ausgaben beider Blätter, wobei von gelangweilt bis boshaft alles vertreten ist. Von einer „gerechten Strafe“ ist dort die Rede, und „Ooops, Haider ist tot, aber wen interessiert das schon?“ „Möllemann, Haider, wer ist der nächste?“, fragt ein Blogger, während ein anderer direkt den Mossad, Israels Geheimdienst, hinter dem Unfall vermutet.
Doch Israel habe weder einen Nutzen von Haiders Tod noch Grund zur Freude darüber, meint der Jerusalemer Historiker und Autor Tom Segev. „Ich habe schon immer gedacht, dass Haider nicht uns, sondern Österreich den größten Schaden antut.“ Der könne auch durch sein Ableben nicht repariert werden. „Der Haiderismus lebt auch ohne ihn weiter.“ Dass fast ein Drittel der österreichischen Wahlberechtigten Nazi-Parteien gewählt hätten, „ist für Österreich schrecklich, nicht für mich.“ Israel: „Der Haiderismus lebt auch ohne Haider weiter“ >>> Susanne Knaul | 12. Oktober 2008
THE TELEGRAPH: Joerg Haider, the veteran leader of Austria's far right, was killed in a car crash today, police said.
Mr Haider, 58, who earned worldwide notoriety for making statements sympathetic to Hitler's Nazi regime, suffered fatal head and chest injuries after the car he was driving plunged down an embankment near his home town of Klagenfurt.
Detectives are still investigating the cause of the crash, but said he was driving alone at the time in a government-owned vehicle.
The death of Mr Haider, who was governor of Carinthia province in southern Austria, comes less than a fortnight after a major resurgence in the far right's political support in the country, riding on a wave of anti-immigrant and anti-European Union sentiment.
At parliamentary elections last month, Mr Haider's Alliance for the Future of Austria polled 11 per cent of the vote, while the similarly-aligned Freedom Party, which Mr Haider founded but then split from, polled 18 per cent. The results meant nearly in three Austrians had voiced support for far-right movements, dismaying the country's liberal politicians.
Mr Haider's death may prompt concerns that political support will pass from him to the current Freedom Party leader, Heinz-Christian Strache, who is seen as a much more hardline figure. Mr Haider was originally Mr Strache's political mentor, but the two fell out as Mr Haider chose to pursue more moderate policies in recent years.
Mr Haider's spokesman, Stefan Petzner, said that he had been heading to a town near Klagenfurt for a gathering of his family to mark his mother's 90th birthday.
To his supporters Joerg Haider was a patriot who dared to speak uncomfortable truths.
His critics saw him as an ambitious, racist opportunist who used anti-immigrant and pro-Nazi rhetoric to stir up populist sentiment.
What is doubtless is that Haider - whose death in a car crash at the age of 58 leaves a widow and two daughters - had charisma.
Commentators said he worked a room like former US President Bill Clinton, embracing supporters and using the familiar "du" form of address.
Born in the Upper Austrian town of Bad Goisern in 1950, Joerg Haider's parents were very early members of the Nazi party, who moved to Germany where they became party officials.
After the war, they were punished for their affiliations and forced to take up menial work.
Critics say Haider's views were shaped by this background, although he said his family seldom discussed the past. >>> | October 11. 2008
Der Kärntner Landeshauptmann und BZÖ-Chef hat sich am Samstag in den frühen Morgenstunden mit seinem Dienstwagen überschlagen und erlag wenig später seinen Verletzungen.
Jörg Haider ist tot. Der Kärntner Landeshauptmann kam in der Nacht mit seinem Wagen von der Loiblpass-Bundesstraße in der Ortschaft Lambichl ab und erlitt bei dem Unfall tödliche Kopf- und Brustverletzungen. Nach Angaben der Ärzte hatte er keine Überlebenschance. Haider wurde 58 Jahre alt, er hinterlässt eine Frau und zwei Töchter. >>> | 11.10.2008
Der Tod Jörg Haiders hinterlässt ein politisches Vakuum in Österreich
Jörg Haider war ohne Zweifel jene Figur auf der politischen Bühne Österreichs, die im In- und Ausland am meisten polarisiert hat: Charismatisch, intelligent, aggressiv – aber zugleich unberechenbar, unstet und rasch beleidigt. Ein «political animal» mit ausgeprägten Instinkten für die Medien: Für ihn war es völlig egal, ob die News schlecht oder gut waren, Hauptsache man war auf der Titelseite. Für Schlagzeilen war ihm alles recht – auch enge Kontakte zu zwiespältigen nahöstlichen Potentaten. Jörg Haider war ebenso brillant wie hochgefährlich. Virtuos spielte er auf dem Klavier der österreichischen Seele: Das mehr als zwiespältige Verhältnis zu den Jahren 1938 bis 1945, die Verdrängung der NS-Verbrechen, an denen sich Österreicher überproportional beteiligt hatten, das jahrelang gepflegte Selbstverständnis Österreichs als «erstes Opfer Hitlerdeutschlands», das schäbige Verhalten gegenüber den Opfern in der Nachkriegszeit – Haider machte sich diese zwiespältigen Gefühle zunutze, mit Auftritten vor Kameradschaftsverbänden alter Kämpfer der Waffen-SS («anständige Menschen, die Charakter haben und ihren Überzeugungen bis heute treu geblieben sind») und gezielt verharmlosenden Äusserungen zur NS-Zeit oder antisemitischen Witzeleien, wie sie an manchen Stammtischen goutiert werden.
Haider profitierte gleichermassen von ganz anderern Regungen: Dem Neid und Hass der Zukurzgekommenen, dem Argwohn des Kleinbürgers gegen «die da oben» und dem Misstrauen des Provinzbewohners gegen das weit entfernte, als überheblich und elitär empfundene «Wien». Seinen grössten Erfolg verzeichnete Haider bezeichnenderweise in den 90er Jahre, als seine Freiheitliche Partei (FPÖ) vom allgemeinen Überdruss gegen die Erstarrung und Verkrustung in der grossen Koalition profitierte. Meinungsforscher sprechen von einem «Dejà vu» – aus den Nationalratswahlen vor zwei Wochen sind die beiden Rechtsparteien nach dem Scheitern der letzten grossen Koalition siegreich hervorgegangen. >>> Von Charles E. Ritterband, Wien | 11. Oktober 2008
NZZ Online: Österreichischer Bundeskanzler über Tod Haiders bestürzt
Gusenbauer kondoliert den Hinterbliebenen des Politikers
Der österreichische Bundeskanzler Alfred Gusenbauer ist nach eigenen Worten «sehr betroffen» über den Unfalltod des Kärntner Landeshauptmannes Jörg Haider. Haider habe die gesamte innenpolitische Landschaft Österreichs über Jahrzehnte hinweg geprägt, erklärte Gusenbauer in einer ersten Stellungnahme. >>> (ap) | 11. Oktober 2008
TAGES ANZEIGER: Haider war unterwegs zum Geburtstag der Mutter
Der Rechtspopulist Jörg Haider ist tot. Der Kärntner Landeshauptmann kam in der Nacht auf heute mit seinem Auto von der Strasse ab und überschlug sich mehrmals. Österreichs Politiker sind bestürzt.
Der 58-jährige Haider wollte ins Bärental, um den 90. Geburtstag seiner Mutter zu feiern. Am Samstag, kurz nach Mitternacht, verlor er am Ortsausgang von Klagenfurt die Kontrolle über den Wagen und verunglückte tödlich. Politiker aller Couleur trauerten in Österreich um Haider und sprachen der Familie ihr Beileid aus.
Haider war nach dem Unfall eingeklemmt und erlitt schwerste Kopf- und Brustverletzungen – wahrscheinlich war auch die Halswirbelsäule gebrochen; der linke Arm war fast vollständig abgetrennt. Weil noch ein Funken Überlebenschance bestand, ordnete die Notärztin die Einlieferung ins Spital Klagenfurt an. Noch auf dem Weg gegen 1.30 Uhr verstarb Haider im Alter von 58 Jahren.
Der Kärntner Landeshauptmann hatte dieses Wochenende ganz für seine Familie reserviert. Alle zusammen wollten den 90. Geburtstag von Haiders Mutter feiern, wie der «Kurier» in seiner Onlineausgabe schreibt. Seinen letzten Termin absolvierte Jörg Haider am Abend in Velden, wo ein neues Gesellschaftsmagazin vorgestellt wurde. Etwa eine halbe Stunde nach Mitternacht verabschiedete sich der Landeshauptmann: «Fahr nach Hause, du hast frei», sagte er noch zu seinem Chauffeur Friedl Schager. >>> | 11. Oktober 2008
leJDD.fr: Jörg Haider est mort
Le leader de l'extrême droite autrichienne s'est tué dans un accident de voiture dans la nuit de vendredi à samedi, près de sa ville natale de Klagenfurt. Jörg Haider, qui avait conduit l'extrême droite au gouvernement dans la cadre d'une coalition avec les conservateurs, avait effectué un retour spectaculaire sur la scène nationale lors des élections législatives du 28 septembre.
"C'est pour nous comme la fin du monde". L'extrême droite autrichienne est endeuillée, comme en témoignent ces propos tenus par l'un de ses dirigeants, Stefan Petzner. Son leader charismatique, Jörg Haider, s'est tué dans la nuit de vendredi à samedi dans un accident de voiture, près de sa ville natale de Klagenfurt. Agé de 58 ans, le dirigeant populiste a perdu le contrôle de son véhicule. Haider, qui était seul dans la voiture, a été mortellement touché à la tête et au torse. Il se rendait à une fête de famille à l'occasion des 90 ans de sa mère. Selon les premiers éléments de l'enquête, il roulait "nettement plus vite" que les 70km/h autorisés à cet endroit. Le président autrichien, Heinz Fischer a salué "un homme politique de grand talent", qui a, à la fois, ravi et ulcéré ses contemporains. >>> Par Marianne ENAULT (avec Reuters) | Samedi 11 Octobre 2008
Al-Jazeera: On Jörg Haider’s Death
WASHINGTON POST: Obituaries: Jörg Haider Made Far-Right Party A Force in Austria
Jörg Haider, a divisive Austrian political figure who rose to prominence as the leader of a far-right movement that was often seen as sympathetic to the country's shadowy Nazi past, died Oct. 11 in a car accident near the southern Austrian city of Klagenfurt. He was 58.
Mr. Haider was passing another car when his Volkswagen Phaeton left the road, struck a pillar and overturned. He died on the way to a hospital. There was no immediate suspicion of foul play.
The charismatic Mr. Haider single-handedly made the ultra-conservative Austrian Freedom Party a force in national politics with his fiery rhetoric against immigrants, the European Union and the euro, the EU's continent-wide currency. He led the most successful far-right party in Europe, far outpacing the political success of France's National Front.
Handsome, photogenic and perpetually tanned, Mr. Haider was known to his supporters as the "Alpine Rambo," partly for his prowess as a mountain climber and skier and partly for his confrontational style.
Mr. Haider's parents had been members of the Nazi party, and he sometimes praised aging Third Reich soldiers at their reunions. But he also mixed easily with a younger generation in nightly visits to discos to recruit new party members.
His rallies attracted throngs of young people who responded to Mr. Haider's pleas to banish immigrants and to challenge Austria's two long-reigning parties, the Social Democrats and the more conservative People's Party.
"People are fed up with the old parties that never live up to their promises," he said in his campaigns. "They want action on everyday problems, whether it is job security, housing or uncontrolled immigration."
At times, Mr. Haider's followers would start singing "Tomorrow Belongs to Me," an anthem from the musical "Cabaret" that symbolized the Nazi takeover of Germany in the 1920s and 1930s. >>> By Matt Schudel, Washington Post Staff Writer | Sunday October 12, 2008
THE HUFFINGTON POST: Jörg Haider Was Speeding at Twice the Limit
VIENNA, Austria — Far-right politician Joerg Haider was speeding at more than twice the posted limit before the car crash that killed him, investigators said Sunday as his grief-stricken party appointed a successor.
Flowers, notes and other tributes piled up at the scene of the crash that killed the former leader of the Freedom Party, whose anti-immigration stance and provocative praise of the Nazi era once led the European Union to slap Austria with diplomatic sanctions.
Police reconstructing Saturday's accident in the southern province of Carinthia, where Haider was governor, said the speedometer in the wreckage of Haider's high-powered Volkswagen Phaeton limousine was stuck at 142 kph (88 mph).
The speed limit at the crash site is just 70 kph (43 mph), and it drops to 50 kph (31 mph) just 100 meters (yards) further down the road in the direction Haider was heading.
Prosecutor Gottfried Kranz said the high speed appeared to be the main factor in the crash that killed the 58-year-old politician.
"Any speculation about other causes of the accident is weak," Kranz said, adding that the car was technically sound and police had no reason to suspect foul play. >>> William J Kole, AP | October 12, 2008
THE EARTH TIMES: Stefan Petzner Named as Successor to Jörg Haider
Vienna - Austria's right-wing populist Alliance for the Future of Austria party on Sunday named Stefan Petzner as it new leader following the death of Joerg Haider on Saturday, the Austrian news agency (APA) reported. Petzner, 27, had been Haider's spokesman since 2004.
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"They are big shoes to fill, but I will keep moving, not stumble," Petzner was quoted as saying. On Saturday he had reacted to the news of Haider's death, saying, "For us, this is like the end of the world." >>> DPA | October 12, 2008
DEUTSCHE WELLE: Haider's Death Unlikely to Reunite Austrian Right
Austria's right-wing populist Alliance for the Future of Austria party named a new head. But experts say the change in leadership probably won't lead to a political shake-up in the Austrian right in the near future. >>> | 12.10. 2008
THE TELEGRAPH: Obituary: Jörg Haider
Austrian politician whose populism exploited his nation’s latent passions and earned him international notoriety
Jörg Haider , who died in a car accident on Saturday aged 58, was a Right-wing Austrian politician whose notoriety far exceeded his influence on national events.
Despite the fact that he never held office in an Austrian government, Haider’s gift for self-publicity, and his willingness to venture into territory that others saw as taboo, ensured that he became better known outside his own country than any Austrian politician of his generation.
Precisely what he stood for, however, never became entirely clear. In essence Haider was a populist, appearing to exploit whatever latent passions, fears and insecurities he could detect in his fellow countrymen at any given time. But he did so without much regard for that vital ingredient, judgment.
Thus he was able to describe the Nazi concentration camps as “penal camps” and SS officers as “upstanding men of character”. Although he later recanted, it was no wonder that he was vilified as a “fascist”, a “racist” and a “neo-Nazi”. He was often accused of anti-Semitism, and he formed a friendship with Saddam Hussein.
That he survived as a political figure was due to his boundless ambition allied to a considerable personal charm. Haider had been a talented actor in his youth, and he developed into a master showman who constantly reinvented himself: the clean-cut young man; the Porsche-driving playboy dressed by Armani; the honest son of the soil. >>> | October 13, 2008
ASSOCIATED PRESS: VIENNA, Austria — Human rights experts on Tuesday expressed concern about a special facility holding suspected criminal asylum seekers in the mountains of southern Austria.
Joerg Haider, right-wing governor of Carinthia province, said Monday that the facility in a former childrens' home was a security measure to protect the people of Carinthia.
The building houses five men, but has a capacity of 50 and has been in use for about a week, his office said.
Conviction was not a "mandatory prerequisite" for being sent to the facility, Haider's spokesman Stefan Petzner said. The inmates would be "under constant observation so that no criminal acts can be committed," he added.
But he said no one's rights were being violated.
He would not provide specific details on the five in the facility, but confirmed a media report that the men are asylum seekers from Georgia, Kazakhstan and Gambia. He did say some in the group had been convicted, but did not say of what.
"With this security precaution, we are protecting the Carinthian population," Haider said at a news conference Monday. He added that the number of criminal asylum seekers was on the rise. Carinthia currently has about 900 asylum seekers.
The building is in a secluded pasture at an altitude of about 3,900 feet (1,200 meters).
"It's a perfectly normal establishment far away from civilization in a secluded area so they can't get up to anything," said Petzner. "You shouldn't think of this as a prison surrounded by barbed wire."
Will the Far Right Doom Austria's Mainstream Parties?
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Despite their worst defeat in postwar history, Austria's Social Democrats and conservatives are preparing to enter into a second coalition government. But gains made by the country's far right, suggest the future could be dim for Austria's two mainstream parties.
No one pays much mind to the short, elegant man standing at a taxi stand in front of Vienna's Hofburg Imperial Palace, once home to the Habsburg dynasty. With his salt-and-pepper hair, alert eyes and bushy eyebrows, he spends a full 20 minutes standing among the people without being recognized. He's on his mobile telephone trying to build a new government for Austria.
Werner Faymann wants to be the country's next chancellor. Faymann, touted as "the new choice" on campaign posters, also happens to be the man the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) can thank for capturing only 29 percent of votes in that country's parliamentary election -- the worst outcome for the party since the end of World War II. The potential chancellor, as the behind-the-scenes coordinator of his party's failed coalition with the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), as transportation minister and, since June, as head of the SPÖ, bears a large share of the responsibility for the disaster.
But now it's time for Faymann to put things right. Facing a tight schedule, he barely has enough time to sit down for a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice at Café Griensteidl. "The council of ministers, committee meetings, the party leadership," says Faymann, noting that they all want something from him now, and yet he doesn't try to create the impression that his hectic schedule is something he regrets. We need a reasonable government, quickly, he says, pointing out that the old "coalition of disagreement has been voted out of office."
Formally, at any rate. Only an hour earlier, these lame-duck politicians were sworn in a second time, at a ceremony with all the pomp and circumstance of the Habsburg court, and Werner Faymann was in the thick of it. The entire group had to appear once more in the Maria Theresia Room of the Hofburg Palace, under crystal chandeliers, gilded stucco and tapestries: the ministers from the two major parties, the SPÖ and the ÖVP, who, for a little less than 18 months -- a shorter tenure than that of any other cabinet in Austria's Second Republic -- were part of a coalition government racked by vicious feuds.
Now they are taking a new oath of office, pledging to do the best possible job until a new government has been formed. Judging by their high spirits, one would think they were teenagers on a class trip. Hapless outgoing Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer watches the spectacle with a stony expression on his face. Instead of Gusenbauer, his fellow party member Faymann steps into the spotlight at the end to praise the electorate: "The public has a strong sense for when a politician is acting in a constructive way." Will the Far Right Doom Austria's Mainstream Parties? (Part 1)>>> By Walter Mayr in Vienna | October 8, 2008
Austria’s Far-Right: Now a Powerful Political Force
THE TELEGRAPH: Austria's far-Right has become the country's most powerful political force in an election that gave mainstream parities their lowest level of support since the Second World War.
According to early poll results, leaders of the country's two far-Right parties who had campaigned on anti-immigrant and anti-European Union platforms, took almost 30 per cent of the vote to deliver a stunning blow to Austria's political establishment.
The Freedom Party, headed by Heinz-Christian Strache, who was accused of xenophobia during the election campaign, took 18.4 per cent of the vote.
A new far-Right party, the Alliance for the Future of Austria, founded by Jorg Haider, Mr Strache's former mentor before a 2005 split from the Freedom Party, won 9.7 per cent of the vote.
The election has been a catastrophe for Austria's moderate parties, with the centrist Social Democrats capturing only 29.5 percent and the conservative People's Party taking only 26 per cent of the vote.
Both parties, which have ruled Austria either alone or in coalition since the end of the Second World War, faced the worst election results in their history as their votes dropped under 30 per cent each for the first time.
Austrians went to the polls after a "grand coalition" between the Social Democrats and the People's Party collapsed after 18 months of a government that was paralysed by constant disputes and rifts.
Most Austrian commentators expect that the Social Democrats will try tod form a new government by either attempting to revive the grand coalition or by entering into a deal with the far-Right, a move that could provoke international condemnation. Austria Election Delivers Gains for Far-Right >>> By Andreas Sam in Vienna and Bruno Waterfield | September 28, 2008
THE WASHINGTON POST: VIENNA, Austria -- Austrians began voting in parliamentary elections Sunday that analysts said could bolster the standing of the country's two right-wing parties.
But with possibly more than half a million citizens mailing in their ballots or dropping them off in election wards other than their own, the day may end without a clear winner. Undecided voters could also sway predictions.
The governing coalition between the conservative People's Party and the center-left Social Democrats crumbled in July after months of bickering. What followed was a summerlong election campaign involving 10 parties on a national level. Four less-known groups are on the ballot in several districts.
On the eve of Sunday's election, the two power-sharing blocs were running neck and neck for the top spot. But neither looked likely to secure an absolute majority.
Instead, experts said disgruntled voters may reach out _ largely in protest _ to the rightist Freedom Party and the Alliance for the Future of Austria: groups known for their populist, anti-immigration rhetoric.
"Definitely the parties in government _ the Social Democrats and the Christian conservatives _ will lose" votes, said Peter Filzmaier, a respected Austrian political commentator, adding that both could see their worst results since 1945.
"The so-called Freedom Party, as well as the Alliance for the Future of Austria, will be a big winner," Filzmaier predicted. Gains for Far Right Predicted in Austria >>> By Veronika Oleksyn, The Associated Press | September 28, 2008
THE GUARDIAN / THE OBSERVER: The man who has inherited Jorg Haider's mantle as the figurehead of Austria's far right is expected to scoop up a fifth of the popular vote in national elections today in the latest advance for a European party campaigning on anti-immigration policies.
The dramatic rise of Heinz-Christian Strache and the once ailing Freedom Party, formerly led by Haider, has accompanied growing Austrian sentiment against foreigners, economic woes and a widespread disillusionment with the two main centrist parties.
Today's expected results will be seen as a triumph for Strache, a politician who has made a virtue of being even tougher on immigrants than his party's former leader. Polls have suggested that substantial numbers of the young and elderly, blue-collar workers and middle classes will turn out to vote for the man who strengthened his popularity through slogans such as: 'If you want an apartment, all you need is a headscarf.' Austria Braced for Right-wing Surge >>> Peter Beaumont and Michael Leidig in Vienna | Sunday September 28 2008
THE TELEGRAPH: As Austrians head to the polls on Sunday, an economic downturn coupled with rising anti-immigrant feeling makes a swing to the right look all but inevitable.
Surveys on the eve of the Sept 28 general elections show the far-right Freedom Party and the Alliance for Austria's Future capturing between 25 and 27 per cent of the vote–something unmatched since Jörg Haider led extreme rightists to a 27 per cent victory in 1999.
Now, with inflation at a 15-year-high of 3.9 per cent and a resurgent xenophobia helping stir voter passions, the country is teetering in political uncertainty.
"Xenophobic feelings are a lot stronger in Austria than in other EU countries," said Helmut Weixler, European parliamentary spokesperson for the Greens.
"A large part of the population has problems [accepting] immigration, and guys like Haider and [Heinz-Christian] Strache exploit those populist feelings. They're very good at that."
Mr Strache, who is 39 and the new face of Austria's virulently anti-foreigner right wing–his Freedom Party promotes slogans like "Vienna must not become Istanbul!" and "Home instead of Islam"–made great strides in elections in 2006 calling for Austria to expel all illegal immigrants and close the doors to new arrivals.
Particularly effective in whipping up the public's fear of foreigners is Kronen Zeitung, an arch-right tabloid run by Hans Dichand that reaches some 40 per cent of the population and wields enormous political influence. Far-right to Do Well in Austrian Elections >>> By Michael Levitin in Berlin | September 27, 2008
TVNZ: Austria's far-right Freedom Party is ready to re-enter government after three and a half years in opposition and the two main parties must decide if they will do business with it after this month's election, its leader Heinz-Christian Strache says.
When Freedom first joined a national government in 2000 under then party boss Joerg Haider, its anti-immigrant stance so alarmed Austria's European Union partners that they briefly ceased co-operation with the Alpine member state.
Haider has since left to form a splinter party.
But Freedom, which rails against the EU and has demanded a halt to immigration and a ministry for repatriating foreigners, is polling around 18% and could play an important role after the September 28 election.
At 28% and 26% respectively in the latest poll, the Social Democrats and conservative People's Party - partners in an unhappy coalition which has survived less than two years - are set to win less than 60% combined for the first time since World War Two.
"Which partner is ready to enter into government with us while letting us keep our true values?" Strache said in the interview next to a rain-sodden campaign stand, encircled by young and middle-aged men.
"When there is a partner like this then it makes sense to be in government. When there is no partner it makes no sense," he said, as supporters took pictures of him on their mobile phones.
Next interior minister?
The coalition between the centre-left Social Democrats and centre-right Austrian People's Party collapsed in July following disagreements about everything from privatisation to health reform to European Union policy.
"Both have said they can't bear to enter into a coalition with Freedom," Strache said, adding that he wants his party to become the third-largest in Austria in the election, ahead of the environmentalist Greens.
Strache, a 39-year-old former dental technician, has put Freedom back on a hard-right path after Haider left to form the rival Alliance for Austria's Future in 2005. Austrian Far-Right in Comeback >>> | September 17, 2008
DEUTSCHE WELLE: Fed up with government bickering and growing economic uncertainty, Austrian voters could hand the far right big gains in general elections on Sunday.
If opinion polls prove correct, the Austrian far-right may notch large gains in general elections on Sunday, Sept 28.
Austria's voters appear to be fed up with rising inflation (at 3.9 percent, a 15-year high), poor integration of the country's large immigrant population, and the inability of the current government to do much about either.
The combined poll numbers of Austria's two far right-parties, the Freedom Party and the Alliance for Austria's Future are hovering around 25 percent. That would represent the best draw for the Austrian far-right since 1999, when then-Freedom Party (and now Alliance) leader Jörg Haider stunned Europe by garnering 27 percent.
Such a tally might well leave Austria's neighbors aghast, but one pollster, Andreas Kirchhofer of IMAS, told news agency Reuters that Austrians may be casting their votes against their current leaders more than for the rightists.
"They are fed up with the left-right coalition," he said. "They want another kind of government, but they don't really know exactly what that should look like." Disenchanted Austrian Voters Could Turn to Far Right >>> |September 26, 2008
THE INDEPENDENT: Last time he was in power, his nation became a pariah state. These days, Jörg Haider is more likely to praise the EU than the Nazis, although he and his party still hold controversial views about immigrants. Tony Paterson meets Austria's comeback kid
Jörg Haider, the far-right politician who turned Austria into an international pariah less than a decade ago because of his sympathetic views about Nazi Germany, is aiming for a surprise comeback in elections this weekend.
When he was part of the Austrian government in 1999 the rabble-rousing populist described Nazi SS veterans as "men of honour" and praised Hitler's employment policies, triggering European Union sanctions against Austria as a result.
Mr Haider, 58, has been mostly out of national politics ever since, but in Sunday's parliamentary elections he is hoping to return with a result that will leave him holding the balance of power, and maybe even offer him the chance of becoming head of state.
In an interview at the headquarters of his Alliance for the Future of Austria party in Vienna, Mr Haider told The Independent: "I want to run for the post of Chancellor of Austria – I am convinced that I can offer an alternative to those voters who have had enough of the failures of the outgoing grand coalition government."
Austria's grand coalition, comprising the conservative People's Party and the centre-left Social Democrats, collapsed in July after months of infighting. Neither of the two parties wants to form another alliance. Opinion polls published this week suggest that each will secure only around 25 per cent of the vote. The forecasts suggest that a further 25 per cent of votes will go to Austria's populist far-right bloc comprising the Freedom Party and Mr Haider's Alliance.
Mr Haider is banking on such a constellation leaving the far-right bloc as potential kingmakers. He says he is open to the idea of forming a coalition with either of the two main parties. And as a well-known figure in Austrian politics and a seasoned governor of the state of Carinthia, he sees himself as the ideal candidate for chancellor. Haider Is Back. Just Don't Mention the War >>> Tony Paterson | September 26, 2008
