Alexander Van der Bellen
Alexander Van der Bellen (born 18 January 1944 in Vienna) is an Austrian economist, politician and from 1997 to 2008 Federal Speaker of The Greens - The Green Alternative.
Life
Alexander Van der Bellen was born in 1944 in Vienna. As the Red Army approached Vienna, the family fled to the Tyrol to the Kaunertal where Alexander grew up. In 1962 he made the Matura at the Academic Gymnasium in Innsbruck, studied economics at the University of Innsbruck and received his doctorate in 1970, Dr. rer. oec. He was from 1968 to 1971 Assistant Professor at the Institute of Public Finance, University of Innsbruck from 1972 to 1974 at the International Institute for Management and Administration, Science Center Berlin. In 1975 he was postdoctoral lecture qualification in finance.
In 1976 he was appointed associate professor at the University of Innsbruck, then went to Vienna, and taught from 1977 to 1980 at the Academy of Public Administration of the federal government, then as a full professor of economics at the University of Vienna. Between 1990 and 1994 he was Dean and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Economics. He is currently on leave of absence, however, as a professor at the University of Vienna.
His research interests were in the areas of planning and financing process in the public sector, infrastructure financing, taxation, public expenditure, government regulatory policy, public enterprises, and environmental and transport policy.
Political career
Formerly a member of the Social Democratic Party, Van der Bellen was 1992 Green candidate for the office of the Auditor General. A short time later, he was Member of Parliament. He became party leader in 1997 and 1999, Parliamentary Group Leader of the Green Party in the National Council.
Alexander Van der Bellen was the most longest serving party leader in the history of the Austrian countryside. He took over the presidency of the party in 1997 with a vote share of 4.8 % and led them in three national elections to each new highs: In the 1999 elections to 7.4%, the election of 2002 to 9.5% and the 2006 election on 11 %.
After the 2008 election, in which the Greens fell back to ten percent, he resigned as party leader on October 3, 2008. The Office was handed over to Eva Glawischnig - Piesczek.
In 2008 he was proposed by the Greens as opposition candidate to the controversial Freedom Party candidate Martin Graf for the office of the third National President. On October 28, 2008 Graf was elected with 109 of 156 valid votes, in Van der Bellen accounted for 27 votes, 20 more to other people.
In the state assembly and council elections in Vienna in 2010 was a candidate Van der Bellen at the 29th place in the list of Wiener countryside. With the necessary number of preferential votes he managed a Vorreihung in the first place.
Still, he remained Member of Parliament and took the council mandate not to after the election. On June 14, 2012, he announced at a press conference to change by the National Council in the municipal council. The official swearing-in ceremony took place in September 2012 at the first council meeting after the summer break.
Awards
- Grand Gold Medal with Star for Services to the Republic of Austria (2004)