Michael Häupl

Michael Häupl ( born September 14, 1949 in Altlengbach, Lower Austria ) is an Austrian politician of the Social Democratic Party of Austria. Since the year 1994 he has been Mayor and Governor of Vienna, and since 1995 President of the Austrian Cities and Towns.

Life

Childhood and youth

As a middle school student was Michael Häupl - as well as his younger brother - a member of the national- liberal, beating alumni association "young team Rugia to Krems ." However, as a 19- year-old By his own account, he joined after a " Damascus experience " from the connection.

Studies and political beginnings

After graduating from high school at Bundesrealgymnasium Krems he studied biology and zoology at the University of Vienna. His dissertation dealt with the Schädelkinetik at Gekkoniden. Between 1975 and 1983 Häupl was research assistant in the herpetological collections of the Natural History Museum in Vienna.

Already during his studies he joined the Association of Socialist Students of Austria ( VSStÖ ), the national chairman he was from 1975 to 1978. Since 1978 he is a member of the Social Democratic Party District Party Committee of Ottakring.

Rise to Mayor and loss of the absolute majority

From 1983 to 1988 he was a member of the Vienna City Council and parliament, then to 1994, city council and Minister for environment and sport. In 1993, he followed Hans Mayr as country chairman of the SPÖ and on November 7, 1994 by Helmut Zilk as Mayor and Governor.

In the state assembly and council elections in Vienna in 1996, the SPÖ lost under Häupl first time in the second republic, the absolute majority of seats. Then, the party formed a coalition with the ÖVP, which presented the Deputy Mayor with Bernhard Görg. Previously, both traffic light coalition and a red- black government with the participation of LIF were discussed, but has not been seriously considered.

Resurgence in 2001 and 2005

In the 2001 election Häupl won with the SPÖ again the absolute majority of seats in the municipal council. Häupl is deputy national chairman of the SPÖ and was a member of the Austria - convent of 2003 to 2005.

In 2005 the SPÖ could set again to nearly 49 percent in the state assembly and council elections, but still below expectations.

Häupl is also Chairman of the Board of Trustees of FK Austria Wien. As mayor of Vienna Häupl is a vice president of the League Historical Cities (League of Historical Cities ), a sub-organization of the International Council on Monuments and Sites, as well as President of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions.

In the state assembly and council elections in 2010, the SPÖ lost again an absolute majority and came to 44.34 % and 49 seats. The new city government was formed by the Social Democratic Party in a coalition with the Viennese countryside.

Private

From his first marriage, a daughter emerged. In his second marriage he was married to Helga Häupl Seitz, resulting in a son emerged. On 20 May 2011 he married Barbara Hörnlein, medical director of the Vienna Wilhelminenspital.

In his younger years, the current Vice -Mayor Renate Brauner was his life companion. The close friendship remained until today there are only " a few people can be ," said the Wiener Zeitung in October 2010, " Häupl so blind as to leave his deputy. "

Awards

• Grand Silver Medal with Ribbon for Services to the Republic of Austria (1998)
• Golden Commander's Cross with Star of Honour for Services to the province of Lower Austria (2000)
• Commander's Cross with Star of Burgenland (2003)
• Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2007)
• Grand Gold Medal with Ribbon for Services to the Republic of Austria (2009)
• Great Cross of Merit of the Austrian Federal Fire Service Association (2009)
• Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (2011)
• Grand Decoration of the state of Upper Austria (2012 )
• Grand Order of Merit of the South Tyrol (2013 )

Publications

• Marxism and ecology. RECON DOGMA? In: Renate Marschalek, Peter Pelinka (ed. ): Red - Green offense. Collection of essays, with a foreword by Kurt Steyr, publishing youth and popular, Vienna 1983, ISBN 3-224-16510-3.