Editing Franz Jonas (section)

== President of Austria ==
President [[Adolf Schärf]] of the [[Socialist Party of Austria]] (SPÖ) died in office, prompting [[1965 Austrian presidential election|a presidential election in 1965]].<ref name="Kohn 1971">{{Cite journal |last=Kohn |first=Walter S. G. |date=1 April 1971 |title=The Austrian Parliamentary Elections of 1971 |url=https://academic.oup.com/pa/article/25/2/163/1501684/THE-AUSTRIAN-PARLIAMENTARY-ELECTIONS-OF-1971 |journal=Parliamentary Affairs |doi=10.1093/oxfordjournals.pa.a051592 |pages=166–167 |issn=1460-2482|volume=25|issue=2|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Jonas won the election and was elected president on 23 May 1965.<ref name="Austrian Information 1974" /> He was elected by the SPÖ with a popular vote of 2,324,436, defeating [[Austrian People's Party]] (ÖVP) candidate [[Alfons Gorbach]] who received 2,260,888 votes.<ref name="Kohn 1971" /> Jonas's lack of a formal education was a major issue during the election.<ref name="Lentz 2014" /> He took office on 21 June 1951.<ref name="Müller 1999">{{Cite book |last=Müller |first=Wolfgang C. |title=Semi-Presidentialism in Europe |date=1999 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-159915-6 |editor-last=Elgie |editor-first=Robert |pages=22–47 |chapter=Austria|doi=10.1093/0198293860.003.0002}}</ref>

In 1966, Jonas was awarded the Grand Cross of [[The Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav]] with Collar, and in 1969 the [[Austrian Olympic Committee|ÖOC]] Pierre de Coubertin Medal.<ref>[http://www.la84foundation.org/OlympicInformationCenter/OlympicReview/1969/ore22/ore22o.pdf Newsletter No. 22] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614023721/http://www.la84foundation.org/OlympicInformationCenter/OlympicReview/1969/ore22/ore22o.pdf |date=14 June 2012 }}, Comité international olympique, Château de Vidy 1007 Lausanne, p. 402</ref>

Jonas used his power to reject government appointments in the 1960s to oppose the ÖVP government's choices for president of the administrative court and for ambassador to [[West Germany]].<ref name="Müller 1999" /> Jonas was popular among the public, to the point that SPÖ party leader [[Bruno Kreisky]] tried to make their names synonymous during the [[1970 Austrian legislative election|1970 legislative election]].<ref name="Kohn 1971" /> No party won a majority of seats, so Jonas was responsible for approving a negotiated government. The SPÖ held a plurality and Kreisky asked Jonas to appoint a [[minority government]] with the implicit endorsement of the [[Freedom Party of Austria]]. Rather than force coalition negotiations, Jonas agreed and appointed Kreisky as [[chancellor of Austria]].<ref name="Müller 1999" /> Jonas was reelected president [[1971 Austrian presidential election|on 25 April 1971]].<ref name="Austrian Information 1974" /> He received 2,488,372 votes, defeating ÖVP candidate [[Kurt Waldheim]] who received 2,225,368 votes.<ref name="Kohn 1971" /> Jonas's second term began on 9 June 1971.<ref name="Müller 1999" />

Continuing his interest in international affairs, Jonas visited Iran in 1965, the United Kingdom in 1966, Thailand and Canada in 1967, Yugoslavia in 1968, Switzerland and Romania in 1969, Belgium, Bulgaria, and Hungary in 1970, Finland in 1972, and West Germany in 1973.<ref name="Austrian Information 1974" /> His visit to the United Kingdom received widespread attention as it was the first time a leader of a former [[Axis powers|Axis]] nation visited an [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] nation.<ref name=":0" /> He also hosted several leaders in Vienna, including Norwegian king [[Olav V]], Soviet president [[Nikolai Podgorny]], Yugoslav president [[Josip Broz Tito]], British queen [[Elizabeth II]], and Romanian president [[Nicolae Ceaușescu]].<ref name="Austrian Information 1974" /> Jonas removed himself from his duties as president on 27 March 1974 following a diagnosis of stomach cancer.<ref name="Lentz 2014" /> He died in a [[Vienna University]] clinic<ref name="Austrian Information 1974" /> on 24 April 1974.<ref name="Müller 1999" />