biography
pronunciation:
[hiyder]
| sex:
| male
|
| lived:
| (1950– )
|
| biography:
| Austrian politician, born in Upper Austria. He obtained his PhD in law from the University of Vienna in 1976 and, after a short break at Harvard, embarked on an academic career as assistant law professor (1977–8). At 29, he entered the national parliament as a representative of the ultra-right wing Freedom Party (FPÖ - Freiheitspartei Österreich) in Carinthia, and in 1983 was elected chairman of the Carinthian Freedom Party. From 1986 to 2000 he was leader of the national FPÖ. With a mix of social populism, nationalism, and Euroscepticism, he campaigned against further immigration, expressed sympathy for the Nazi cause, and was endorsed by a majority of Austria's blue-collar workers, rural voters, and neo-Nazis to return the FPÖ as Austria's second largest party in the October 1999 elections. In February 2000 he became, as leader of the Freedom Party, the junior partner in the coalition government with the conservative People's Party. Protests erupted in Austria against the Freedom Party's presence in the national government, and bilateral European Union sanctions were introduced in 2000 by member states. Shortly afterwards, Haider resigned as leader of the Freedom Party and returned to his base as governor of Carinthia. |
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