Knittelfeld Putsch

The Knittelfelder FPÖ Assembly 2002 was an extraordinary congress of the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ ) on 7 September 2002 in the Styrian town Knittel field. The events of this meeting led to a transfer of power within the party, the resignation of several FPÖ Minister, thus to break the first FPÖ - ÖVP coalition under Chancellor Wolfgang bowl and eventually snap elections ( national elections in Austria 2002).

The events associated with the meeting became known in the media as " Knittelfelder coup ", sometimes called the "party rebels" in the Freedom Party collectively, " Knittelfelder ".

Background

Prehistory

After successful for the FPÖ parliamentary election in 1999 and the subsequent formation of a government Jörg Haider stepped back in February 2000 as FPÖ party chairman, but practiced as a " simple member of the party " still great influence. In the summer of 2002, he took steps to influence the course of the federal party in his spirit.

Due to the flood disaster of August 2002, the bowl Government had decided with the approval of the FPÖ Minister a shift of the tax reform, which had been promised to the voters on the part of the FPÖ. This and other differences of opinion led Haider and other persons of the right wing of the party as Ewald Stadler, to require the party leadership under the current more liberal than Susanne Riess- Passer convening a special party for it and collect signatures of elected delegates.

On September 2, the party secretary were around 380 signatures handed (of 751 ordinary delegates ). According to the statutes had subsequently convened a special party within four weeks of the party leadership. Then threatened members of the party leadership, including also represented in the government ministers to resign if the signatures were not withdrawn for the special party. Instead convene the National Convention, the party leadership was negotiating in particular with Haider on a compromise.

During these negotiations, Jörg Haider invited on September 4, the signatories to a meeting to Knittelfeld.

Course

It gathered around 400 delegates in Knittel field, including Jörg Haider, but not the former party chairwoman Riess -Passer. Symbolic highlight was the demonstrative tearing of the negotiated between Riess-Passer and Haider compromise security at the lectern by the Carinthian delegates Kurt tickler. Supposedly Haider have instructed him, the paper " tear " in the figurative sense, tickler would have interpreted this misunderstood and literally. The delegates voted by acclamation to another compromise proposal " Knittelfelder agreement ".

Follow

On the following day due to these events occurred back Vice Chancellor Riess -Passer, Finance Minister Karl -Heinz Grasser and club chairman Peter West Thaler. This was followed by new elections. The FPÖ lost almost two thirds of its voters from 1999, dropping from 26.9% to 10.0% of the vote. The coalition with the ÖVP was still continued, however, the FPÖ had to submit several ministerial posts.

New federal party leader of the FPÖ instead Riess-Passer was desired Haider Mathias Reichhold, who was replaced after 40 days of Herbert Haupt.

Grasser officiated after the national election in November, a legislature long as the party of free Finance Minister in the federal government Bowl II (ÖVP -FPÖ and ÖVP - AAF - coalition ), but stood in a close relationship with the People's Party and was named after the 2006 national elections even briefly as a possible vice-chancellor considered for the ÖVP. West Thaler returned for the 2006 campaign for the parliamentary elections as the leading candidate for the party Haider's back, which had now split off under the name of AAF from the FPÖ.