Editing Franz Vranitzky

{{Short description|Chancellor of Austria from 1986 to 1997}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Franz Vranitzky
| nationality         = Austrian
| image               = Franz Vranitzky.jpg
| caption             = Vranitzky in 2020
| office              = [[Chancellor of Austria]]
| term_start          = 16 June 1986
| term_end            = 28 January 1997
| president           = [[Rudolf Kirchschläger]]<br />[[Kurt Waldheim]]<br />[[Thomas Klestil]]
| 1blankname          = {{nowrap|Vice-Chancellor}}
| 1namedata           = [[Norbert Steger]]<br />[[Alois Mock]]<br />[[Josef Riegler]]<br />[[Erhard Busek]]<br />[[Wolfgang Schüssel]]
| predecessor         = [[Fred Sinowatz]]
| successor           = [[Viktor Klima]]
| office1             = [[Chair of the Social Democratic Party of Austria|Chair of the Social Democratic Party]]
| term_start1         = 11 May 1988
| term_end1           = 9 April 1997
| predecessor1        = [[Fred Sinowatz]]
| successor1          = [[Viktor Klima]]
| office2             = [[Federal Ministry of Finance (Austria)|Minister of Finance]]
| term_start2         = 10 September 1984
| term_end2           = 16 June 1986
| chancellor2         = [[Fred Sinowatz]]
| predecessor2        = [[Herbert Salcher]]
| successor2          = [[Viktor Klima]]
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1937|10|4|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Vienna]], [[Federal State of Austria]]<br/>(now [[Austria]])
| spouse              = {{marriage|Christine Christen|1962}}
| party               = [[Social Democratic Party of Austria|Social Democratic Party]]
| signature           = Signature of Franz Vranitzky.png
}}
'''Franz Vranitzky''' ({{IPA|de|fʁants vʁaˈnɪtski|lang}}; born 4 October 1937) is an [[Austria]]n politician. A member of the [[Social Democratic Party of Austria]] (SPÖ), he was [[Chancellor of Austria]] from 1986 to 1997.

==Early life and career==
As the son of a [[foundryman]], Vranitzky was born into humble circumstances in Vienna's 17th district. He attended the Realgymnasium Geblergasse and studied economics, graduating in 1960. He financed his studies teaching Latin and English and as a construction worker.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}

As a young man, Vranitzky played [[basketball]] and was a member of Austria's national team, which in 1960 unsuccessfully tried to qualify for the [[1960 Summer Olympics]] in Rome.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}

In 1962, Vranitzky joined the [[Social Democratic Party of Austria]] (SPÖ).{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}

In 1962, Vranitzky married Christine Christen<!---Yes, that is her maiden name. Don't change it!!!--->, with whom he fathered two children.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}

Vranitzky began his career in 1961 at [[Siemens-Schuckert]], but within the year switched to Austria’s central bank [[Oesterreichische Nationalbank]]. In 1969, he received a doctorate in International business studies. The following year, [[Hannes Androsch]], [[List of Ministers of Finance (Austria)|finance minister]] under Chancellor [[Bruno Kreisky]], appointed him economic and financial advisor. Vranitzky served as deputy director of the [[Creditanstalt|Creditanstalt-Bankverein]] (1976–1981), briefly as its director general  and as director general of the [[Länderbank]] (1981–1984).{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}

In 1984, Vranitzky joined the SPÖ-[[Freedom Party of Austria|Freedom Party]] (FPÖ) government coalition under Chancellor [[Fred Sinowatz]] as [[List of Ministers of Finance (Austria)|finance minister]]. He was criticized for receiving multiple compensations from his various functions in government-run businesses.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}

==Chancellor of Austria==
In the presidential elections of 1986, Chancellor Sinowatz vociferously opposed [[Kurt Waldheim]], the candidate of the [[Austrian People's Party]] (ÖVP) opposition. The former [[UN Secretary General]]'s campaign for office caused international controversy due to allegations about his role as a German army officer in [[World War II]]. When Waldheim was elected on 8 June, Sinowatz resigned from the government, proposing Vranitzky as his successor.<ref name=olive>{{cite news | title = Israel extends olive branch to new Austrian chancellor | newspaper = [[Ottawa Citizen]] | page = 8 | date = 1986-06-24 }}</ref>

Vranitzky entered his new office on 16 June 1986. At first he continued the government coalition with the [[Freedom Party of Austria|Freedom Party]]. On 13 September 1986, however, radical FPÖ politician [[Jörg Haider]] was elected chairman of his party, ousting the moderate [[Vice Chancellor of Austria|vice chancellor]] [[Norbert Steger]]. Vranitzky ended cooperation with his coalition partner and had parliament dissolved.<ref name=shadow>{{cite magazine| url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,962435,00.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071205012109/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,962435,00.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = December 5, 2007 | title = Austria: The Past's Long Shadow | access-date = 2010-01-30 | date = 1986-09-29 | magazine = [[Time (magazine)|Time]]}}</ref>

In the [[1986 Austrian legislative election|subsequent elections on 23 November 1986]], the SPÖ remained the strongest party. In January 1987, Vranitzky formed a government, based on a ''[[grand coalition]]'' with the second-largest party, the [[Christian democrat]] ÖVP, with [[Alois Mock]] serving as vice-chancellor and foreign minister. In 1988, Vranitzky also succeeded Fred Sinowatz as chairman of his party.

Until 1992, Austria's foreign policy had to deal with the repercussions of the Waldheim controversy, as the Austrian president was shunned in some diplomatic circles. The [[United States]] regarded Waldheim as a [[persona non grata]], thereby barring him from entering the country in 1987, while [[Israel]] had recalled its ambassador after Waldheim's election. Vranitzky managed to normalise Austria's relations with both countries and frequently stepped in to perform diplomatic duties commonly assigned to the president.

On 8 July 1991, in a speech in parliament, Vranitzky acknowledged a share in the responsibility for the pain brought, not by Austria as a state, but by citizens of this country, upon other people and peoples", thereby departing from the hitherto official portrayal of Austria as "Hitler's first victim."
[[File:Franz Vranitzky und Otto Stich.jpg|thumb|Franz Vranitzky and [[Otto Stich]], 1986]]
After the end of the [[Cold War]], Vranitzky focused on furthering relations with the nations of Eastern Europe and membership in the [[European Union]], of which Vranitzky and his foreign minister, Alois Mock, were strong advocates. After a referendum on 12 June 1994 resulted in 66% in favour of EU membership, Austria joined the European Union in January 1995. Austria's military [[Neutrality (international relations)|neutrality]], which had been espoused during the Cold War, was reaffirmed in the process.

In party politics, Vranitzky kept his distance from [[Jörg Haider]]'s Freedom Party – a stance the latter decried as a "policy of exclusion." In the [[1990 Austrian legislative election|election of 1990]], Vranitzky's coalition government was confirmed when the Social Democrat vote remained stable while the ÖVP lost 17 seats, mainly to the FPÖ. The [[1994 Austrian legislative election|1994 election]] saw heavy losses by both coalition parties, which nonetheless remained the two largest parties, while FPÖ and others made further gains. Vranitzky renewed the coalition with the ÖVP, which after May 1995 was led by foreign minister [[Wolfgang Schüssel]]. Later in the year, the grand coalition broke apart over budget policy, leading to the [[1995 Austrian legislative election|elections of December 1995]], which however only saw slight changes in favor of SPÖ and ÖVP. Vranitzky and Schüssel resumed their coalition in March 1996.

In January 1997, Vranitzky resigned as chancellor and as party chairman.<ref name=resigning>{{cite news| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/19/world/after-10-years-austria-leader-is-resigning.html?pagewanted=1 | title = After 10 Years, Austria Leader Is Resigning | access-date = 2010-01-30 | date = 1997-01-19 | newspaper = [[The New York Times]]}}</ref> He was succeeded in both positions by his minister of finance, [[Viktor Klima]].<ref name=haider>{{cite web| url = http://mondediplo.com/1997/02/08austria | title = Austria's fascination with Jörg Haider | access-date = 2010-01-30 | publisher = [[Le Monde diplomatique]]}}</ref>

==Later activities==
After leaving office, Vranitzky served as [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe]] representative for [[Albania]] from March to October 1997,<ref name=gunfire>{{cite news| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/15/world/albania-chief-s-associates-flee-gunfire-halts-evacuation-by-us.html?pagewanted=all | title = Albania Chief's Associates Flee; Gunfire Halts Evacuation by U.S. | access-date = 2010-01-30 | date = 1997-03-15 | newspaper = [[The New York Times]] | first=Jane | last=Perlez}}</ref> before returning into the banking sector, as political consultant to the [[WestLB]] bank. In December, he was elected to the board of governors of automotive supplier [[Magna International|Magna]]. He later occupied the same position for the tourism company [[TUI AG|TUI]] and Magic Life hotels.

In June 2005, he donated one of his [[kidney]]s to his wife Christine, who suffered from chronic kidney failure.

He actively supported his party's frontrunner [[Alfred Gusenbauer]] in the [[2006 Austrian legislative election|2006 elections]]. During the campaign it was revealed, that in 1999, Vranitzky had received a million Austrian schillings as a consultant to the [[BAWAG P.S.K.|BAWAG]] bank, which was then under public scrutiny. It was alleged that the payment was made without any service in return<ref>[[ORF (broadcaster)|ORF]]: [http://orf.at/070525-12672/?href=http%3A%2F%2Forf.at%2F070525-12672%2F12674txt_story.html ''"Keine Gegenleistung verlangt"''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821053141/http://orf.at/070525-12672/?href=http%3A%2F%2Forf.at%2F070525-12672%2F12674txt_story.html |date=2009-08-21 }}, 26. Mai 2007</ref> and that it constituted an "indirect party funding". Vranitzky denounced the allegations.<ref>[[Kurier]]: [http://www.kurier.at/nachrichten/wirtschaft/78756.php ''Vranitzky: "Ein aufgewärmter Käsekuchen"''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312154348/http://kurier.at/nachrichten/wirtschaft/78756.php |date=2012-03-12 }}, 26. Mai 2007</ref>

Vranitzky chairs the quarterly ''Vranitzky colloquia'', organised by the study group WiWiPol, which discusses economic topics and their impact on Austria and Europe. He is a former member of the Steering Committee of the [[Bilderberg Group]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/former-steering-committee-members.html |title=Former Steering Committee Members |work=bilderbergmeetings.org |publisher=[[Bilderberg Group]] |access-date=2014-02-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090630013226/http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/former-steering-committee-members.html |archive-date=2009-06-30 }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.c-span.org/person/?franzvranitzky Appearances] on [[C-SPAN]]

==Further reading==
* Wilsford, David, ed. ''Political leaders of contemporary Western Europe: a biographical dictionary'' (Greenwood, 1995) pp.&nbsp;465–73.

{{Commons}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Herbert Salcher]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Finance Minister of Austria]]|years=1984–1986}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Ferdinand Lacina]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Fred Sinowatz]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chancellors of Austria|Chancellor of Austria]]|years=1986–1997}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Viktor Klima]]}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Fred Sinowatz]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chair of the Social Democratic Party of Austria|Chairman of the Social Democratic Party]]|years=1988–1997}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Viktor Klima]]}}
{{s-ach|aw}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Gro Harlem Brundtland]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Recipient of the [[Charlemagne Prize]]|years=1995}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Beatrix of the Netherlands]]}}
{{end}}

{{AustrianChancellors}}
{{SPÖ party chairs}}
{{Magna International}}
{{Charlemagne Prize recipients}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vranitzky, Franz}}
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century chancellors of Austria]]
[[Category:Vienna University of Economics and Business alumni]]
[[Category:Government ministers of Austria]]
[[Category:Ministers of finance of Austria]]
[[Category:Members of the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg Group]]
[[Category:Politicians from Vienna]]
[[Category:Social Democratic Party of Austria politicians]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]]
[[Category:Austrian men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Austrian people of Czech descent]]
[[Category:People from Hernals]]
[[Category:People from Döbling]]
[[Category:20th-century Austrian sportsmen]]