Heinz Fischer

This article deals with the Austrian politician. For other people with the same name, see Heinz Fischer (disambiguation) .

Heinz Fischer (2018)

Heinz Fischer (2015)

Heinz Fischer (born October 9, 1938 in Graz , Styria ) is a former Austrian politician (SPÖ). From 2004 to 2016 he was Federal President of the Republic of Austria. Before that he was Minister of Science and Member of the National Council of the SPÖ as well as President and Second President of the Austrian National Council.

Education and private matters

Heinz Fischer was born into a social democratic family. His father, Section Head Rudolf Fischer , was State Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce of the grand coalition government of Raab I from 1954 to 1956 . He was an avowed Esperantist and for many years chairman of the workers' Esperantists in Austria. Rudolf Fischer met his wife Emmi during an Esperanto course in Wiener Neustadt . Both of their children, Edith and Heinz, learned the international language when they were children. Heinz Fischer's uncle Otto Sagmeister was Minister for People's Nutrition in the Federal Government of Figl I from 1947 to 1949 and General Director of Austrian Consumption from 1949 to 1972 .

Because of the war, Heinz Fischer attended five elementary schools in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland. After graduation in high school Fichtnergasse in Hietzing (13th district of Vienna) in 1956 studied Fischer at the University of Vienna Law and in 1961 the doctor jur. PhD . From March 11, 1958, he completed his military service as a radio operator in the army telegraph battalion of the then Franz-Ferdinand-Kaserne, today's Starhemberg-Kaserne , and in December 1958 disarmed as a private . In the course of his militia function, he was then promoted to platoon leader.

Margit and Heinz Fischer (2008)

From 1962 to 1965, with the help of Ferdinand Lacina's transcript, he uncovered the political scandal surrounding the anti-Semitic professor Taras Borodajkewycz at the Vienna University of World Trade and published a book about it. In addition to his political activities, Fischer also continued his academic career: in 1978 he received his habilitation and in 1994 he was appointed Professor of Political Science at the University of Innsbruck . However, Fischer does not mention the title of professor on any occasion. In 1996 and 1997 he lectured on two courses in the field of political science at the University of Vienna.

Heinz Fischer and Margit Binder were civilly married on September 20, 1968; the marriage has two children. Father-in-law Otto Binder was director general of Wiener Städtische Wechselseiten Versicherungsanstalt from 1959 to 1981 .

Fischer resigned from the church in 1995 due to the " Groër Affair " and describes himself as an agnostic .

Like one of his predecessors in office, Adolf Schärf , Fischer continued to live as head of state in his private apartment in Vienna Josefstadt (8th district), from which he could walk to his official residence in the Leopoldine wing of the Hofburg, as before the parliament building.

The dilapidated and uninhabitable presidential villa on the Hohe Warte was subsequently sold by the federal real estate company. Fischer's predecessor in office, Thomas Klestil, only lived in the dilapidated presidential villa until May 2004; two months before Klestil's death, the Klestil couple moved to a private villa in Vienna-Hietzing .

Political career

Heinz Fischer with Giorgio Napolitano , Danilo Türk , Ivo Josipović and Pál Schmitt (2011)

After completing his studies, Fischer initially worked for a few months in court and from 1962 worked in parliament as secretary of the social democratic parliamentary group. In 1971, when Bruno Kreisky achieved an absolute majority, he was elected to the National Council, to which he was a member until 2004, with the exception of his time as Science Minister (1983–1987, Federal Government Sinowatz and Vranitzky I ).

In 1975 he became executive club chairman ( parliamentary group chairman ) of the SPÖ parliamentary club , and in 1977 deputy party chairman. From 1983 to 1987 he was Minister of Science , then from January 27, 1987 sole club chairman of the SPÖ. In connection with the Kreisky-Peter-Wiesenthal affair in 1975, he called for an investigative committee against Simon Wiesenthal , which was not subsequently set up. In 1990 he was elected President of the Austrian National Council and held this office until 2002. From 2002 to 2004 he was second president of the National Council during the time of the ÖVP-FPÖ coalition. In 1992, Heinz Fischer was elected deputy chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Europe , a function that he held until the election of the Federal President. In 1994 he took over the function of chairman of the “European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity” founded by Willy Brandt in the early 1990s.

In January 2004 he announced his candidacy for the office of Austrian Federal President. On March 10, Heinz Fischer, who had been a member of the federal party executive and deputy party chairman of the SPÖ, resigned from his party functions. The election on April 25 won fisherman with 52.39% of the votes, a margin of 4.78 percentage points from adverse candidate Benita Ferrero-Waldner ( ÖVP , supported by representatives of the FPÖ ). On July 8, 2004, Fischer was sworn in as the eighth Federal President of the Second Republic. When he took office, Fischer suspended his party membership in the SPÖ and declared that he wanted to be above the parties as Federal President.

On November 23, 2009, he announced his candidacy for re-election in a YouTube video. On April 25, 2010 , Fischer was confirmed in office for another six years with 79.3% of the vote and a voter turnout of 53.6%. On July 8, 2010, he was sworn in for his second term in the Federal Assembly. His term of office ended on July 8, 2016 at 11 a.m., although no valid final result was available for the 2016 federal presidential election due to the revocation of the second ballot by the Constitutional Court . Fischer was adopted with a ceremony in parliament. On the top floor of the Hofburg, the former Federal President had a "coordination office" with appropriate rooms and staff - for the voluntary task of moderating the 2018 commemorative year .

controversy

In the National Council meeting on December 15, 1989, Heinz Fischer shouted “Sieg Heil” during the speech by FPÖ MP Siegfried Dillersberger , in which he criticized the party funding. The meeting continued without a call to order. Fischer had already attracted attention that day through several heckling calls from other MPs. While there was no media coverage at the time, Fischer's interjection became the topic after the SPÖ MP Rudolf Edlinger also shouted “Sieg Heil” during the speech by FPÖ MP Helene Partik-Pablé in the National Council meeting on April 17, 2002 . The interjection during Fischer's presidential election campaign in 2010 was raised again. Heinz Fischer, who did not object to the parliamentary minutes at the time, stated that it had been misrepresented.

Others

Leopoldine wing of the Hofburg , the official seat of the Federal President

Heinz Fischer advocates same-sex partnerships and speaks out against the ban on adopting children for same-sex couples. He assumes that there will be a process of getting used to this area in the next few years, which shows that it will not harm the child. He advocates that same-sex couples are allowed to register their partnership at the registry office and that the legal act is carried out in a solemn form, just as with different-sex couples. He rejects the abolition of conscription.

In July 2010 he put the military / community service for women up for discussion.

"Women are getting more and more rights, one can argue that they have to take on more duties."

- Federal President Heinz Fischer : ORF press hour , July 18, 2010

Heinz Fischer has published several works, including the books Die Kreisky Years (1993), Reflections (1998), Wendezeiten (2001) and Beliefs (2006). In the fall of 2016, Fischer published the essay Eine Wortweise .

Fischer, himself a mountaineer , was the longstanding President of the Austrian Friends of Nature . From 1999 to 2007 he was President of the Association of Austrian Adult Education Centers and has held this office again since 2019. Fischer was a founding member and longstanding board member of the Austro-Chinese Society, member of the Presidium of the Austro-North Korean Friendship Society, the Austro-Yugoslav Society and other companies. In the early 1970s he was a co-founder of the Austrian Society for Political Science and a founding member of the Austrian section of Amnesty International .

As Federal President, he took over the patronage of the following institutions:

• Austrian red cross
• Neighbor in need
• Light in the dark
• Austrian Olympic Committee
• Austrian Academy of Sciences
• Association of Alpine Clubs in Austria
• Umbrella organization of Austrian-Foreign Societies (partner of all nations, PaN)
• Project Austrian initiative against blindness of light for the world

As Federal President, Fischer was also a member of the Arraiolos Group . On his 70th birthday, the first day of October 7, 2008, Österreichische Post AG issued a special stamp with his picture valued at € 0.55 including a special cancellation.

From June 11th to 14th, 2015 he took part in the 63rd Bilderberg Conference in Telfs- Buchen in Austria . Fischer's last state visit as Federal President took place on April 11, 2016 at Lana Castle near Prague.

As for his successor, Fischer announced on September 23, 2016 that he was not making an election recommendation, but would vote for Alexander Van der Bellen himself . He was elected Federal President on December 4, 2016 and took office on January 26, 2017.

Fischer grew up in Hietzing , Vienna's 13th district, from the age of 4 and reported on it in 2016 in the ORF documentary Mein Hietzing .

On November 8, 2016, the school campus in Ternitz , consisting of the Polytechnic School Ternitz, the New Lower Austrian Middle School Ternitz and the BORG Ternitz , was given the name Schulcampus Dr. Heinz Fischer awarded.

honors and awards

• 1979 Large Gold Medal with the Star for Services to the Republic of Austria
• 1986 Large Golden Decoration on Ribbon for Services to the Republic of Austria
• 1993 Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (second award 2007)
• 1995 Grand Cross of the Order de Isabel la Católica
• 1996 Grand Cross of the Norwegian Order of Merit
• 2004 Big Star of Honor for Services to the Republic of Austria
• 2004 Big Star of the Princely Liechtenstein Order of Merit
• 2005 Grand Cross with the Collane of the Order of Infante Dom Henrique
• 2006 Collane of the Order of Merit Pro Merito Melitensi of the Sovereign Order of Malta
• 2006 Grand Cross with the collar of the Finnish Order of the White Rose
• 2006 Grand Cross with the Collane of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary
• 2007 Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav
• 2007 Grand Cross with the Collane of the Italian Order of Merit
• 2007 Royal Order of the Seraphine
• 2008 Ring of Honor of the State of Styria
• 2008 honorary citizenship of the city of Graz
• 2008 Honorary Doctorate from Tel Aviv University Faculty of Law
• 2009 honorary doctorate from the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences
• 2009 Grand Cross with the Collane of the Order of St. Jacob of the Sword
• 2009 Grand Cross with the Collane of the Order of the White Lion
• 2009 Gold Floriani badge of the Austrian Federal Fire Brigade Association
• 2012 Grand Order of Merit of the State of South Tyrol
• 2012 National Order of Merit
• 2013 Grand Cross of the French Legion of Honor
• 2014 Alois Rohrauer memorial pin of the Friends of Nature International
• 2015 Cóndor de los Andes en el grado de Gran Collar (highest Bolivian state order)
• 2016 Order of Stara Planina on ribbon (Bulgarian State Order)
• 2016 Carinthian State Order in Gold
• 2016 European Prize "Europaeus"
• 2017 honorary citizen of Vienna
• 2019 honorary doctorate from the University of Innsbruck

Fonts

• The Kreisky Years. 1967-1983. Löcker, Vienna 1994, ISBN 3-85409-149-4
• The future of European social democracy. Löcker, Vienna 1997, ISBN 3-85409-151-6
• Reflections. Kremayr & Scheriau, Vienna 1998, ISBN 3-218-00634-1
• Beliefs. A political biography. Styria, Vienna 2006 (with the assistance of Alfred Reiter), ISBN 978-3-222-13195-0
• One in the foreground. Taras Borodajkewycz. Europaverlag, Vienna 1966; extended with the latest disciplinary knowledge against Borodajkewycz, Ephelant, Vienna 2015, ISBN 978-3-900766-26-9
• Margit and Heinz Fischer: memories in pictures and stories. Edition Lammerhuber, Vienna 2016, ISBN 978-3-903101-08-1
• A request to speak. With an afterword by Hugo Portisch , Ecowin-Verlag, Salzburg 2016, ISBN 978-3-7110-0118-4
• Austria for Optimists , together with Christoph Leitl , Ecowin-Verlag, Salzburg 2017, ISBN 978-3-7110-0158-0
• Heinz Fischer - A walk through the decades , accompanied by Herbert Lackner , Ecowin-Verlag, Salzburg 2018, ISBN 978-3-7110-0176-4
• Forward - Austrian Social Democracy since 1889 , with Hannes Androsch and Wolfgang Maderthaner , Brandstätter-Verlag, Vienna 2020, ISBN 978-3-7106-0424-9

See also

• List of Federal Presidents of the Republic of Austria
• Election results of the Austrian federal presidential elections
• UHBP

literature

• Ernst Hofbauer: Heinz Fischer. The man in the shadows. Iberia-Verlag, Vienna 2004, ISBN 3-85052-179-6 .
• Elisabeth Horvath: Heinz Fischer. The biography. Kremayr & Scheriau, Vienna 2009, ISBN 978-3-218-00805-1 .

Web links

Commons : Heinz Fischer  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Heinz Fischer on the website of the Austrian Parliament
• Literature by and about Heinz Fischer in the catalog of the German National Library
• digitalehofburg.at , project idea of ​​the former federal president (now under http://www.bundespraesident.at / continued)
• Archive recordings with and about Heinz Fischer in the online archive of the Austrian Mediathek (speeches, interviews, radio reports)

swell

1. ^ WZ online - Dossier : Heinz Fischer: The Austrian Federal President ( Memento from September 1, 2004 in the Internet Archive ), July 8, 2004.
2. ↑ Rudolf Fischer. In: dasrotewien.at - Web dictionary of the Viennese social democracy. SPÖ Vienna (ed.).
3. ↑ ^{a b c} Dr. Heinz Fischer> Career. (No longer available online.) In: bundespraesident.at. 2011, archived from the original on June 12, 2012 ; accessed on October 9, 2018 . 
4. ↑ Federal Ministry of Defense and Sport : Visit by Federal President Dr. Heinz Fischer in his former barracks , press release from March 15, 2010. Accessed on October 9, 2018.
5. ↑ One in the foreground. Taras Borodajkewycz , see scriptures .
6. ↑ FISCHER Heinz, BP aDoUniv.-Prof. Dr. , Directory of external lecturers, Institute for Political Science at the University of Innsbruck, accessed on October 9, 2018.
7. ↑ u: find - Doz. Heinz Fischer. In: ufind.univie.ac.at. University of Vienna , accessed on May 28, 2017 . 
8. ↑ Die Presse : Biography of a flawless person: Fischer-Heinzi very close ( memento of October 10, 2018 in the Internet Archive ), print edition of November 27, 2009.
9. ↑ It can also be the registry office ( Memento from July 10, 2018 in the Internet Archive ). From: www.bundespraesident.at, accessed on October 9, 2018.
10. ↑ "Little is about fame and splendor ..." ( Memento of June 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive ). In: BIG Business, No. 1/2007, p. 61 f. (PDF, 4.25 MB), accessed on October 9, 2018.
11. ↑ https://www.parlament.gv.at/PAKT/VHG/XIV/WD/WD_00001/imfname_215529.pdf
12. ↑ https://www.parlament.gv.at/ZUSD/STATISTIKEN/GPXVII/XVII._GP_-_E_-_ANHANG_-_6_Klubs.pdf
13. ↑ Nina Weissensteiner: "I'm sorry ..." In: Falter of January 14, 2004 ( Memento of October 21, 2010 in the Internet Archive ).
14. ↑ YouTube video: Statement by Federal President Dr. Heinz Fischer on the re-candidacy 2010 , Der Standard: Fischer is running again .
15. ^ Federal Ministry of the Interior: Federal President Election 2010 ( Memento from October 31, 2014 in the Internet Archive ).
16. ^ Fischer sworn in for a second term . on ORF from July 8, 2010, accessed on October 9, 2018.
17. ↑ Federal President Election 2016: Guessing a lady . Format issue 51/2015, accessed on December 30, 2015.
18. ↑ words of warning and appeals goodbye. In: ORF . July 8, 2016, accessed October 9, 2018 . 
19. ↑ Heinz Fischer's new life in the attic of the Hofburg. In: kurier.at. September 25, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2017 . 
20. ^ Government gives Fischer and Faymann volunteer jobs. In: DiePresse.com. May 19, 2016, accessed December 31, 2017 . 
21. ↑ Parliament 1989: Heinz Fischer shouted "Sieg Heil". In: diepresse.com. April 6, 2010, accessed January 28, 2018 . 
22. Jump up ↑ Fischer's "Sieg Heil" teller. In: oe24.at. April 7, 2010, accessed January 28, 2018 . 
23. ↑ Fischer heats up the dispute over gay marriage again: For the registry office and against the ban on adoption. In: News . January 29, 2010, accessed October 9, 2018 . 
24. ↑ Federal President Heinz Fischer speaks out in favor of homosexual partnerships at the registry office. In: pressemachrichten.at. January 29, 2010, accessed October 9, 2018 . 
25. ↑ Fischer: Conscription for women "long-term conceivable". In: derStandard.at. APA, July 22, 2010, accessed July 22, 2010 . 
26. ↑ Conscription for women “conceivable”. In: www.oon.at. Oberösterreichische Nachrichten, July 22, 2010, accessed on July 22, 2010 . 
27. ↑ Fischer rows back with conscription for women. In: derStandard.at. APA, July 22, 2010, accessed July 22, 2010 . 
28. ↑ Dr. Heinz Fischer becomes President of the Adult Education Centers! In: ots.at. APA, April 26, 2016, accessed May 18, 2020 . 
29. ^ New elections in the Association of Austrian Adult Education Centers. In: vol.at. Vorarlberg Online, May 9, 2019, accessed on May 18, 2020 . 
30. ↑ ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: Die Briefmarken or Post. ) In: Philatelie, October 2008 edition.
31. ^ Post congratulations: Postage stamp as a birthday present for Federal President Dr. Heinz Fischer. In: APA-OTS . October 7, 2008, accessed October 9, 2018 . 
32. ↑ Senta Berger, Heinz Fischer, Elizabeth T. Spira and Gabriele Zuna-Kratky present “Mein Hietzing”. In: ORF press release. APA, August 22, 2016, accessed August 22, 2016 . 
33. ↑ School campus Dr. Heinz Fischer: naming ceremony. In: NÖN. NÖN, November 8, 2016, accessed December 6, 2016 . 
34. ↑ ^{a b c} List of all decorations awarded by the Federal President for services to the Republic of Austria from 1952 (PDF; 6.9 MB)
35. ↑ ( page no longer available , search in web archives: Presidenza della Repubblica ).
36. ^ Boletín del Estado Online
37. ↑ State visit: Federal President Fischer praised relations with Liechtenstein! In: News . August 30, 2004. Retrieved October 9, 2018 . 
38. ↑ ^{a b} ENTIDADES ESTRANGEIRAS AGRACIADAS COM ORDENS PORTUGUESAS - Página Oficial the Order of Honoríficas Portuguesas. Retrieved September 18, 2019 . 
39. ↑ State visit of the Austrian Federal President Dr. Heinz Fischer at SMRO (No longer available online.) In: malteserkreuz.org. January 8, 2007; archived from the original on June 26, 2010 ; accessed on October 9, 2018 . 
40. ↑ Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunnan suurristin ketjuineen ulkomaalaiset saajat. Retrieved September 18, 2019 . 
41. ↑ Tildelinger of orders and medals. Retrieved September 18, 2019 (Norwegian). 
42. ↑ Le onorificenze della Repubblica Italiana. Retrieved September 18, 2019 . 
43. ↑ Fischer receives an honorary doctorate in Ukraine. (No longer available online.) In: Kleine Zeitung . July 8, 2009, archived from the original on July 9, 2009 ; accessed on October 9, 2018 . 
44. ↑ FG Forrest, as www.fg.cz, 2015: Seznam vyznamenaných. Retrieved September 18, 2019 (Czech). 
45. ^ Austrian Federal Fire Brigade Association : Yearbook 2010, special edition: 120 Years of the Austrian Federal Fire Brigade Association. ISBN 978-3-9502364-8-4 .
46. ↑ Heinz Fischer is honored for his services to the Friends of Nature Movement. In: naturfreunde.at. 2014, accessed October 9, 2018 . 
47. ^ Embassy> Sofia> News . In: bmeia.gv.at, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, award ceremony on 26./27. April 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
48. ↑ ^{a b} orf.at: Highest state order for Heinz Fischer . Article dated December 6, 2016, accessed August 8, 2018.
49. ↑ orf.at: Heinz Fischer becomes an honorary citizen . Article dated November 6, 2017, accessed November 6, 2017.