41-553: Werner Faymann ( German: [ˈvɛʁnɐ ˈfaɪman] ; born 4 May 1960) is an Austrian former politician who was Chancellor of Austria and chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) from 2008 to 2016. On 9 May 2016, he resigned from both positions amid widening criticism within his party. Werner Faymann was born in Vienna and also attended grammar school there. After graduating from grammar school he enrolled at
82-535: A Bohemian and Hungarian chancellery, he created the office of an Austrian chancellor in Vienna , responsible for the Archduchy of Austria proper (i.e. Upper and Lower Austria ) with the Inner Austrian territories and Tyrol . Under Emperor Leopold I (1658–1705) the term again became Hofkanzler with Johann Paul Freiherr von Hocher (1667–1683), and Theodor von Strattman (1683–1693). The eighteenth century
123-430: A failure. Nevertheless, when Maximilian's grandson Ferdinand I succeeded him as Archduke of Austria in 1521, his elder brother Emperor Charles V (1519–1556) appointed Mercurino Gattinara as "Grand Chancellor of all the realms and kingdoms of the king" ( Großkanzler aller Länder und Königreiche ). The separate position of an Austrian Court Chancellor appeared as a Österreichische Hofkanzlei around 1526, when
164-658: A government with the Green Party , the first coalition between these two parties at the federal level. Brigitte Bierlein was the Second Republic's first Kanzlerin , forming a nonpartisan caretaker government between a vote of no confidence in Kurz's first government in June 2019 and the formation of his second in January 2020. Austria's chancellor chairs and leads the cabinet , which
205-512: A more aggressive push to combat unemployment in Europe. Measures to halt immigration inflows along the so-called "Balkan route" subsequently strained relations between the two countries. The reversal angered parts of the Social Democrats but failed to stop Norbert Hofer , a right-wing politician, from taking more than 35 per cent of the vote in the first round of the 2016 presidential election, then
246-591: A scandal within the party, as no party committee had been involved in deciding the shift. The pro-EU Austrian People's Party ( ÖVP ) cancelled the existing coalition, thus causing new elections. Faymann was known for his good relationship to Dichand, who would also support him in the following election campaign. Although the SPÖ lost 11 seats, and had a 6% swing against it (in fact, their worst result since World War II), they came out ahead of their main rivals Austrian People's Party in regard to seats (57 to 51) as well as to share of
287-450: Is composed of the chancellor, the vice chancellor and the ministers . Together with the president , who is head of state , the cabinet forms the country's executive branch leadership . Austria is a parliamentary republic , the system of government in which real power is vested in the head of government. However, in Austria most executive actions of great extent can only be exercised by
328-493: The Cabinet of Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer . Moreover, Gusenbauer appointed him as coalition co-ordinator. Soon Faymann was seen as the likely successor of Gusenbauer. He never challenged Gusenbauer openly, but the chancellor faced an internal party rebellion in June 2008 and voluntarily relinquished the party leadership. On 16 June 2008 Faymann succeeded Gusenbauer as chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) and led
369-686: The Habsburg monarchy arose with the Bohemian and Hungarian inheritance; it was however once again merged with the equivalent Reichshofkanzlei office of the Holy Roman Empire in 1559. Upon the 1620 Battle of White Mountain and the suppression of the Bohemian revolt, Emperor Ferdinand II had separate Court Chancelleries established in order to strengthen the unity of the Habsburg hereditary lands. Beside
410-475: The Metternich system had become a synonym for his reactionary politics, the title of a State Chancellor was abolished upon the 1848 revolutions . The position became that of a Minister-President of Austria , equivalent to Prime Minister, with the exception of Count Friedrich Ferdinand von Beust (1867–1871) the title only re-emerging at the birth of German Austria after World War I in 1918, when Karl Renner
451-587: The University of Vienna (jurisprudence, political science, and history of art). Faymann is Roman Catholic . He is in his second marriage and has two children. In 1981, Faymann became provincial chairman of the Socialist Youth Vienna (Sozialistische Jugend Wien). From 1985 to 1988 Faymann was a consultant to the Zentralsparkasse (now part of Bank Austria ). The bank at the time was closely linked to
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#1732868986994492-679: The chancery writing office can be traced back as far as the 9th century, when under King Louis the German the office of the Archchancellor ( Erzkanzler ), later Imperial Chancellor ( Reichserzkanzler ), was created as a high office on the service of the Holy Roman Emperor . The task was usually fulfilled by the Prince-Archbishops of Mainz as Archchancellors of the German lands . In
533-529: The dissolution of Austria-Hungary . The first head of government after the monarchy was the State Chancellor of German-Austria , an office again only held by one person; Karl Renner . After allied powers declined a union between Austria and Germany , the office was renamed to just State Chancellor of Austria and later changed to Federal Chancellor, which remained the position's final form until present day. The official residence and executive office of
574-594: The federal chancellor the Republic of Austria ( German : Bundeskanzler der Republik Österreich ), is the head of government of the Republic of Austria . The current officeholder is Karl Nehammer of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), who was sworn in on 6 December 2021 following the resignations of Sebastian Kurz and Alexander Schallenberg , of the same party, as party leader and Chancellor. All three leaders formed
615-1024: The Austrian ambassador. In August 2016, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Faymann as the United Nations ' Special Envoy on Youth Unemployment. In this capacity, he works closely with Ahmad Alhendawi , the Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth . In September 2016, Faymann and his former spokesperson Matthias Euler-Rolle founded their own communications consultancy in Vienna. Chancellor of Austria Wöginger • Rendi-Wagner • Kickl • Maurer • Meinl-Reisinger • [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The chancellor of Austria , officially
656-714: The Austrian defeats by the French at the battles of Marengo and Hohenlinden in 1800 and he was replaced by Count Ludwig von Cobenzl (1800–1805), his predecessor's cousin, but who in turn was dismissed following the Austrian defeat at Austerlitz in 1805. With the consequent dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire and founding of the Austrian Empire , Francis II abdicated the former Imperial Throne, but remained Emperor Francis I of Austria in 1806. He had replaced Cobenzl with Johann Philipp Stadion, Count von Warthausen (1805–1809)
697-643: The Chancellor The Chancellor also convenes the Federal Assembly if the National Council moves to have the President removed from office, or if the National Council moves to lift the immunity of the President from criminal prosecution. In the former case, the Federal Assembly votes on whether to allow a referendum on the matter. In the latter case, the assent of the Federal Assembly is required for
738-500: The Chancellor and the cabinet to operate as a caretaker government until a new National Council is in session and a new majority leader has emerged. In fact, the constitution expressly encourages the President to use a Chancellor as the interim successor. A Chancellor is typically appointed or dismissed together with all of the ministers, which means the whole government. Technically, the President can only appoint ministers on advice of
779-495: The Chancellor requests removed, and partly from the Chancellor's position of leadership in the party or coalition controlling the National Council. Most articles of the constitution that mention the office of Chancellor are tasking the incumbent with notarizing decisions by the President or by various constitutional bodies, with ensuring that these decisions are duly announced to the general public, or with acting as an intermediary between various branches of government. In particular,
820-447: The Chancellor, so the Chancellor is appointed first. Having been sworn in, the Chancellor presents the President with a list of ministers; they will usually have been installed just minutes later. Neither Chancellors nor ministers need to be confirmed by either house of parliament; the appointees are fully capable of discharging the functions of their respective offices immediately after having been sworn in. The National Council can force
861-466: The People's Party, were both historically eliminated in the first round of the presidential elections held on 24 April 2016, resulting in a run-off between Norbert Hofer of the right-wing populist Freedom Party of Austria and Alexander Van der Bellen , an independent endorsed by The Greens . Hofer announced that as president he could dissolve the National Council in order to hold elections, which would at
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#1732868986994902-544: The President to dismiss a Chancellor or a minister through a vote of no confidence . The President is constitutionally required to sack any minister whom the National Council wants gone. Opposition parties will sometimes table votes of no confidence against ministers, and occasionally whole cabinets, in order to demonstrate criticism; these votes had not been expected to pass. The first successful vote of no confidence in Austrian federal politics took place in May 2019 when Sebastian Kurz
943-497: The President's immunity to be rescinded. Finally, the Chancellor becomes Acting President if the President is incapacitated. However, if the President remains incapacitated beyond twenty days or has died, the role of Acting President is passed on to the three Presidents of the National Council. Norbert Hofer Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include
984-548: The age of 18. In practice, a Chancellor is unable to govern without the confidence of the National Council. For this reason, the Chancellor usually is the leader of the largest party in the National Council, or the senior partner in a coalition government . A notable exception to this occurred after the 1999 election . The Freedom Party won the most seats and went into coalition with the People's Party . While this would have normally made Freedom Party leader Jörg Haider Chancellor, he
1025-429: The breach of trust case, which the opposition Freedom Party (FPÖ) had asked prosecutors to investigate. By November 2013, Austrian authorities dropped their investigation. On 9 May 2016, Faymann resigned as chancellor and party leader, after losing confidence from a considerable number of party members, despite retaining confidence from a majority of them. His party's candidate and the candidate from its coalition partner,
1066-565: The chancellor commonly is the leader of the party most represented in the National Council , with the leader of the party able to grant a majority, usually serving as the vice chancellor. The first Austrian sovereign head of government was the State Chancellor of the Austrian Empire, a position only held by Klemens von Metternich . The office was later renamed to Minister-President of the Austrian Empire and remained from there on until
1107-512: The chancellor is the chancellery , which is located at the Ballhausplatz in the center of Vienna . Both the chancellor as well as the cabinet are appointed by the president and can be dismissed by the president. The current officeholder is Karl Nehammer , who was sworn in as chancellor on 6 December 2021 by President Alexander Van der Bellen . The use of the term Chancellor ( Kanzler , derived from Latin : cancellarius ) as head of
1148-591: The course of the Imperial reform , the Habsburg Emperor Maximilian I in 1498 attempted to counter the spiritual power of the Reichserzkanzler with a more secular position of an Imperial Court Chancellor ( Hofkanzler ), but the two became merged. These were also the times when attempts were made to balance Imperial absolutism by the creation of Imperial Governments ( Reichsregiment ), ultimately
1189-562: The highest vote that the party had ever secured in a national poll. In a media interview published amid the European migrant crisis in September 2015, Faymann said Hungary's decision to tell refugees that a train they were boarding was bound for the capital Budapest when in fact it was heading to a refugee camp was reminiscent "of the darkest chapter of our continent's history". In response to this comparison with Nazi deportations , Hungary summoned
1230-513: The municipal government dominated by the Social Democrats. He left the bank to become director and provincial chairman of the Viennese Tenants' counselling. Subsequently, Faymann became a member of the Viennese state parliament and municipal council, where he held various positions concerning housing construction and urban renewal. Faymann was Minister for Transport, Innovation and Technology in
1271-486: The party in the snap legislative elections , held on 28 September 2008. The election was famously preceded by Faymann and Gusenbauer announcing a shift in the party's position towards the signing of new EU treaties, which they did by writing an open letter to Hans Dichand , the editor of the yellow press medium Kronen Zeitung . At the time, the Kronen Zeitung was the largest newspaper in the country. The letter caused
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1312-403: The president, upon advice or with the countersignature of the chancellor or a specific minister. Therefore the chancellor often requires the president's consent to implement greater decisions. Neither the ministers nor the vice chancellor report to the chancellor. In legislature, the chancellor's power depends on the size of their affiliated parliamentary group . In case of a coalition cabinet ,
1353-565: The previous year, but his career was in turn cut short in 1809 following yet another Austrian defeat by Napoleon at the Battle of Wagram and subsequent humiliation at the Treaty of Schönbrunn . Prince Klemens von Metternich was appointed by Francis I to the positions of Hofkanzler and Staatskanzler (1821–1848). However, there is some opinion that the Chancellor title was not used between Prince Kaunitz-Rietberg's resignation in 1792 and 1821. As
1394-423: The remit of a parliamentary investigation into high-level corruption and ensured Faymann was not called to testify. In 2013, public prosecutors were looking into whether Faymann and a top aide, Josef Ostermayer, had swayed the ÖBB state railways and ASFiNAG motorway agency to place advertisements promoting him in newspapers during his tenure as infrastructure minister. Both had repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in
1435-457: The thousands of refugees fleeing wars in countries such as Syria and seeking asylum in Europe. Austria took in around 90,000 asylum-seekers in 2015, then more than 1 percent of its population. However, support for his policies fell, and the country's institutions struggled to cope with hundreds of thousands of arrivals in Austria, and he later criticized what he called Merkel's "wait-and-see" approach to tackling Europe's economic problems and demanded
1476-488: The time probably have led to a win of the populists and thereby forced Faymann to resign. During his tenure, Faymann is said to have moved his once solidly pro-European party toward a more eurosceptic course, but he kept his distance from the far-right parties. In domestic affairs, Faymann's administration was notable in enacting a wide range of reforms in areas such as education and social security. Initially, Faymann sided with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in supporting
1517-527: The vote (29.26% to 25.98%). Afterwards, Faymann renewed the coalition with the Austrian People's Party, as he had announced before the election. As head of the largest party in the National Council of Austria , Faymann was asked by Federal President Heinz Fischer on 8 October 2008 to form a new government. A coalition between the SPÖ and the ÖVP was agreed upon on 23 November 2008 and was sworn in on 2 December 2008. In 2012, Austria's government curbed
1558-599: Was appointed Staatskanzler . With the enactment of the Constitution of Austria on 10 November 1920, the actual term Bundeskanzler was implemented as head of the executive branch of the First Austrian Republic . The Chancellor is appointed and sworn in by the President . In theory, the President can appoint anyone eligible to be elected to the National Council , essentially meaning any Austrian national over
1599-473: Was deemed too controversial to be a member of the Cabinet, let alone Chancellor. He thus stepped aside in favour of People's Party leader Wolfgang Schüssel . There are no term limits for the Chancellor. As a matter of constitutional convention, the Chancellor usually offers their resignation to the President upon dissolution of the National Council. The President usually declines the offer of resignation and directs
1640-506: Was dominated by Prince Wenzel Anton of Kaunitz-Rietberg (1753–1792), who was Chancellor to four Habsburg emperors from Maria Theresa to Francis II , with the titles of both Hofkanzler and Staatskanzler . He was succeeded by Johann Philipp von Cobenzl (1792–1793), who was dismissed by Emperor Francis II over the Partition of Poland and was succeeded by Johann Amadeus von Thugut (1793–1800). Thugut's chancellorship did not survive
1681-423: Was ousted as Chancellor. The Chancellor chairs the meetings of the cabinet . The constitution does not vest the Chancellor with the authority to issue directions to ministers; it characterizes his or her role in the cabinet as that of a primus inter pares . The power of the office to set policy derives partly from its inherent prestige, partly from the fact that the President is required to dismiss ministers