109-410: VDB or VdB may refer to: People [ edit ] Alexander Van der Bellen , current President of Austria Victor David Brenner , designer of U.S. one-cent coin bearing Abraham Lincoln's image Paul Vanden Boeynants , Belgian prime minister Frank Vandenbroucke (cyclist) Vicente del Bosque , former Spanish footballer, currently manager of
218-476: A Provisional Government to function for over a month. The Latvian Central Council was set up as an underground organisation in 1943, but it was destroyed by the Gestapo in 1945. In Estonia in 1941, Jüri Uluots proposed restoration of independence; later, by 1944, he had become a key figure in the secret National Committee . In September 1944, Uluots briefly became acting president of independent Estonia. Unlike
327-522: A naturalized citizen of Austria together with his parents in 1958. He is a descendant of the former Russian Empire 's aristocratic Van der Bellen family of patrilineal Dutch ancestry dating back to 18th century. He was a member of the National Council representing the Green Party there from 1994 to 2012, and served as both leader of the party as well as its parliamentary group. He ran as
436-549: A "broad-minded left-liberal " over the course of his political career. In his 2015 autobiography, Van der Bellen described himself as a liberal positioned in the political centre while downplaying his earlier description as left-liberal, and said he was inspired by the Anglo-Saxon liberal tradition, particularly John Stuart Mill . He is strongly supportive of the European Union , and advocates European federalism . During
545-673: A 150-page notice of appeal to the Constitutional Court , which was intended to highlight deficiencies in the conduct of the second voting round. On 1 July 2016, the Constitutional Court consented the electoral appeal of the Freedom Party. Because of irregularities that occurred in the counting of postal votes, the election had to be repeated in the whole of Austria. Van der Bellen also won the second runoff election postponed to 4 December 2016, receiving 53.8% of valid votes (with
654-684: A ZIB 2 elections interview with Armin Wolf (18 May 2016). According to Van der Bellen, he is no longer a Freemason. After Van der Bellen's victory in the 2016 Austrian presidential elections, President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves congratulated him. The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs have stated that Van der Bellen could get back his Estonian passport at any time. This is possible because Van der Bellen's parents were citizens of Estonia as of 16 June 1940; children of such parents are automatically accepted as citizens. Urmas Paet , former foreign minister of Estonia and MEP said: "the election results are
763-409: A lead of 31,026 votes on Hofer. The voter turnout was 72.7%. The complete final result was announced with a correction (in a constituency votes were counted twice), after which the difference has been reduced to less than 31,000 valid votes between Van der Bellen and Hofer, but this had little effect on the total percentage. (The changes only affected the third decimal place.) Following the election,
872-731: A longtime friend and managing director of the Greens Club, Doris Schmidauer . He lives in Vienna and in Kaunertal , Tyrol . As a young man Van der Bellen left the Lutheran Church, because he was upset about his local pastor. According to his own words he does not believe in the one God , but in a "message or vision" (" Botschaft oder Vision "), which in his view the New Testament states. However, in an interview in 2019 he stated, that he had rejoined
981-548: A nominally independent candidate supported by the Greens in the 2016 presidential election , and finished second out of six in the first round before winning the second round against Norbert Hofer , a member of the Freedom Party . On 1 July, before he was due to be sworn into office, the results of the second round of voting were annulled by the Constitutional Court due to absentee votes being improperly counted too early, requiring
1090-636: A number of years. The Soviets had previously carried out mass deportations in 1940–41, but the deportations between 1944 and 1952 were even greater. In March 1949 alone, the top Soviet authorities organised a mass deportation of 90,000 Baltic nationals. The total number deported in 1944–55 has been estimated at over half a million: 124,000 in Estonia , 136,000 in Latvia and 245,000 in Lithuania. The estimated death toll among Lithuanian deportees between 1945 and 1958
1199-746: A period of annexation of Estonia , Latvia and Lithuania by the Soviet Union from 1940 until its dissolution in 1991 . For a brief period, Nazi Germany occupied the Baltic states after it invaded the Soviet Union in 1941. The initial Soviet invasion and occupation of the Baltic states began in June 1940 under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact , made between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany in August 1939 before
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#17328550624141308-562: A puppet regime set up by the Soviets on the first day of the Winter War . The Soviets organised a press campaign against the allegedly pro-Allied sympathies of the Baltic governments. In May 1940, the Germans invaded France , which was overrun and occupied a month later. In late May and early June 1940, the Baltic states were accused of military collaboration against the Soviet Union by holding meetings
1417-514: A reason to congratulate Austrians twice. For Estonia and its people, the fact that Austria has elected an Estonian citizen as its president also plays a role." Van der Bellen is sometimes also called "Sascha" (which is an abbreviation of his first name) by his friends, colleagues, and within his party. Van der Bellen was a member of the Social Democratic Party from the mid-1970s until the late 1980s, but his interests later turned towards
1526-509: A size of roughly 10,000 men. Its goal was to fight the approaching Red Army, provide security and conduct anti-partisan operations within the territory claimed by Lithuanians. After brief engagements against Soviet and Polish partisans, the force self-disbanded. Its leaders were arrested and sent to Nazi concentration camps , and many of members were executed by the Nazis. Latvian Legion , created in 1943, consisted of two conscripted divisions of
1635-505: A voter turnout of 74.2%). While Van der Bellen's lead in the run-off vote in May 2016 amounted to barely less than 31,000 votes, he was able to expand his lead in the second run-off vote in December 2016 to over 348,000 valid votes. On 22 May 2022, Van der Bellen announced his plans to run for a second term. He later won re-election in the 2022 presidential election on 9 October 2022 with 56.2% of
1744-462: Is freedom to demonstrate as long as it is peaceful. ... Everyone that accepts the right to demonstrate, has to see that the same rights – such as freedom of speech, press freedom, independent justice system, and freedom to demonstrate are being denied in Turkey by President Erdogan." Amid the 2024 Austrian legislative election , Van der Bellen pledged to ensure the formation of a government that respects
1853-489: The Austrian Armed Forces . He underwent the medical examination for military service twice, the first one resulting in him being rated unfit ( untauglich ). However, he successfully passed the second one. Later, he received several respites during his studies and due to his marriage. After that Van der Bellen was no longer summoned for service, due to his subsequent professorship. Van der Bellen studied economics at
1962-685: The Landtag ", he still did not accept the Gemeinderat mandate after the elections and remained in the National Council til 5 July 2012. On 14 June 2012, Van der Bellen announced in a press conference to swap from the National Council to the Vienna Gemeinderat and Landtag . On 5 July 2012 he left the National Council. The inauguration took place in September 2012 at the first Gemeinderat meeting after
2071-505: The 2008 legislative elections , he was proposed by the Greens, who were no longer the third strongest party, as a counter-candidate to the controversial FPÖ candidate Martin Graf for the post of Third President of the National Council, however, he failed to win the vote on 28 October 2008: Graf was elected with 109 out of 156 valid votes, Van der Bellen only received 27, and the remaining 20 votes went to other MPs. In February 2011, Van der Bellen
2180-471: The 2010 Viennese state elections on 10 October Van der Bellen stood as a candidate on the 29th place of the list of the Vienna Greens. With the elections slogan "Go Professor go!" he reached 11,952 preferred votes and thus achieved a precedence on the first place. Although he stated in multiple interviews: "Should I get the preferential votes and it comes to a red-green government, I will definitely move into
2289-569: The Battle of Velikiye Luki in winter 1942/43. It participated in the capture of Tallinn in September 1944. About 20,000 Lithuanians, 25,000 Estonians, and 5000 Latvians died in the ranks of the Red Army and labor battalions. The Nazi administration also conscripted Baltic nationals into the German armies. The Lithuanian Territorial Defense Force , composed of volunteers, was formed in 1944. The LTDF reached
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#17328550624142398-637: The Bolsheviks and migrated to the newly independent Estonia. Before this, Van der Bellen's grandfather Aleksander von der Bellen served as head of the civilian regional government in Pskov . In Estonia, the family changed its name from von der Bellen to Van der Bellen . In 1931, Van der Bellen's father Alexander married his Estonian mother, Alma Sieboldt in Kihelkonna , Saaremaa , Estonia. Subsequently, his father obtained Estonian citizenship as well. In 1940, Estonia
2507-652: The Die Betriebswirtschaft , Econometrica, Journal of Economic Theory, Österreichische Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft , Public Choice, Wirtschaftspolitische Blätter and the Zeitschrift für öffentliche und gemeinwirtschaftliche Unternehmen . Van der Bellen married when he was 18 years old and became a father for the first time at 19. His relationship with Brigitte (born Hüttner, 1943–2018) lasted over 50 years, until they divorced in 2015. He had two sons with her. Since December 2015 Van der Bellen has been married to
2616-729: The French and the Poles , the Baltic states had no governments in exile located in the West. Consequently, Great Britain and the United States lacked any interest in the Baltic cause while the war against Germany remained undecided. The discovery of the Katyn massacre in 1943 and callous conduct towards the Warsaw uprising in 1944 had cast shadows on relations; nevertheless, all three victors still displayed solidarity at
2725-584: The Greens in the National Council and thus resigned as university professor in January 2009. Van der Bellen retired in February 2009. Van der Bellen's research focused on planning and financing procedures in the public sector, infrastructure financing, fiscal policy, public expenditure, government regulation policy, public undertakings, and environmental and transport policy. He has published in professional journals such as
2834-578: The NKVD . In addition, destruction battalions were formed under the command of the NKVD. Hence, Baltic nationals fought in both German and Soviet army ranks. There was the 201st Latvian Rifle Division. The 308th Latvian Rifle Division was awarded the Red Banner Order after the expulsion of the Germans from Riga in the autumn of 1944. An estimated 60,000 Lithuanians were drafted into the Red Army. During 1940, on
2943-763: The Protestant Church of the Augsburg Confession the same year. According to his own statement, Van der Bellen joined the only existing Freemason chapter in Innsbruck at the time, although he participated at meetings for a year, which he described as "being active". "After that, as a purely passive member, I paid the membership fee for about 10 years and finally left on my explicit request" (" Danach habe ich als rein passives Mitglied noch etwa 10 Jahre lang den Mitgliedsbeitrag bezahlt und bin schließlich auf meinen expliziten Wunsch hin ausgeschieden "), Van der Bellen in
3052-536: The Skrunda-1 radar station until it was decommissioned on 31 August 1998. The Russian Government then had to dismantle and remove the radar equipment; this work was completed by October 1999 when the site was returned to Latvia. The last Russian soldier left the region that month, marking a symbolic end to the Russian military presence on Baltic soil. During the 1940–1941 and 1944–1991 occupations 605,000 inhabitants of
3161-489: The University of Innsbruck and obtained a master's degree in 1966. With his dissertation Kollektive Haushalte und gemeinwirtschaftliche Unternehmungen: Probleme ihrer Koordination ("Collective households and public-service enterprises: Problems of their coordination") he was awarded the title of Dr. rer. oec (doctor rerum oeconomicarum) in 1970. From 1968 to 1971 he served as scientific assistant to Clemens August Andreae at
3270-629: The Yalta conference in 1945. By 1 March 1944 the siege of Leningrad was over and Soviet troops were on the border with Estonia . The Soviets launched the Baltic Offensive , a twofold military-political operation to rout German forces, on 14 September. On 16 September the High Command of the German Army issued a plan in which Estonian forces would cover the German withdrawal. The Soviets soon reached
3379-596: The dissolution of the Soviet Union . Russia started to withdraw its troops from the Baltics starting with Lithuania in August 1993. However, it was a violent process and Soviet forces killed several Latvians and Lithuanians. The full withdrawal of troops deployed by Moscow ended in August 1994. Russia officially ended its military presence in the Baltics in August 1998 by decommissioning the Skrunda-1 radar station in Latvia. The dismantled installations were repatriated to Russia and
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3488-621: The escape of an interned Polish submarine on 18 September. On 24 September, the Estonian foreign minister was given an ultimatum : The Soviets demanded a treaty of mutual assistance to establish military bases in Estonia. The Estonians were coerced to accept naval, air and army bases on two Estonian islands and at the port of Paldiski . The corresponding agreement was signed on 28 September 1939. Latvia followed on 5 October 1939 and Lithuania shortly thereafter, on 10 October 1939. The agreements permitted
3597-462: The "foundations of our liberal democracy ". Despite the far-right Freedom Party winning a plurality, Van der Bellen asked caretaker Chancellor Karl Nehammer of the People's Party to form the next government instead, citing other parties' refusals to join a coalition with the Freedom Party. Since August 2014 Van der Bellen has already been regarded as a presidential candidate. The Green Party reserved
3706-737: The 1917 October Revolution in Russia. However, many of them were killed during the Great Purge in the 1930s. The new regimes of 1944 were established mostly by native communists who had fought in the Red Army . However, the Soviets also imported ethnic Russians to fill political, administrative and managerial posts. The period of stagnation brought the crisis of the Soviet system. The new Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in 1985 and responded with glasnost and perestroika . They were attempts to reform
3815-510: The 2016 presidential election, he appealed to the political centre and used "Unser Präsident der Mitte" (Our President of the centre) for his campaign slogan. During the European migrant crisis , Van der Bellen has argued that Europe should accept refugees who have fled from war zones in Syria and elsewhere, and has often mentioned his own background as the son of refugees in debates. He has opposed
3924-410: The 26th Cavalry Regiment was disbanded. During the 1941 June deportations over 320 officers and soldiers of 29th Corps were arrested and deported to concentration camps or executed. The 29th Corps collapsed with the German invasion into Soviet Union: on June 25–26 a rebellion broke in its 184th Rifle Division. The other division of the 29th Corps, the 179th Rifle Division lost most of its soldiers during
4033-461: The Austrian Greens, with almost eleven years in office. He assumed chairmanship with the party having 4.8% approval in polls at that time. He led the party through three elections, each higher than the last: in the 1999 legislative elections the party got 7.4% of the vote, in the 2002 legislative elections it got 9.5% of the vote, and in the 2006 legislative elections the party got 11.05% of
4142-534: The Baltic area, was the most effective of four units. German policy forced the Jews into ghettos . In 1943 Heinrich Himmler ordered his forces to liquidate the ghettos and to transfer the survivors to concentration camps . Some Latvians and Lithuanian conscripts collaborated actively in the killing of Jews, and the Nazis managed to provoke pogroms locally, especially in Lithuania. Only about 75 percent of Estonian and 10 percent of Latvian and Lithuanian Jews survived
4251-484: The Baltic national armies at the wake of the occupation in 1940. Most of the senior officers were arrested and many of them murdered. During the German invasion, the Soviets conducted a forced general mobilisation that took place in violation of the international law . Under the Geneva Conventions , this act of violence is seen as a grave breach and war crime, because the mobilised men were treated as arrestants from
4360-424: The Baltic states argued that the entire occupation process violated both international law and their own law. Therefore, they argued, they were merely reasserting an independence that still existed under international law. By mid-June, after unsuccessful economic blockade of Lithuania , the Soviets started negotiations with Lithuania and the other two Baltic republics. The Soviets had a bigger challenge elsewhere, as
4469-819: The Baltic states. In 1992 there were still 120,000 Russian troops there, as well as a large number of military pensioners, particularly in Estonia and Latvia. During the period of negotiations, Russia hoped to retain facilities such as the Liepāja naval base, the Skrunda anti-ballistic missile radar station, the Ventspils space-monitoring station in Latvia and the Paldiski submarine base in Estonia, as well as transit rights to Kaliningrad through Lithuania. Contention arose when Russia threatened to keep its troops where they were. Moscow tied its concessions to specific legislation guaranteeing
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4578-549: The Baltic territories into the Third Reich where "suitable elements" would be assimilated and "unsuitable elements" exterminated. In practice, the implementation of occupation policy was more complex; for administrative convenience the Baltic states were included with Belorussia in the Reichskommissariat Ostland . The area was governed by Hinrich Lohse who was obsessed with bureaucratic regulations. The Baltic area
4687-591: The Estonian Supreme Soviet declared the Soviet Union an occupying power and announced the start of a transitional period to independence. On 4 May 1990, the Latvian Supreme Soviet made a similar declaration. The Soviet Union immediately condemned all three declarations as illegal, saying that they had to go through the process of secession outlined in the Soviet Constitution of 1977 . However,
4796-584: The Estonian capital Tallinn, where the NKVD 's first mission was to stop anyone escaping from the state; however, many refugees did manage to escape to the West. The NKVD also targeted the members of the National Committee of the Republic of Estonia . German and Latvian forces remained trapped in the Courland Pocket until the end of the war, capitulating on 10 May 1945. After reoccupying the Baltic states,
4905-556: The Germans invaded the Soviet Union . The Baltic states, recently Sovietized by threats, force, and fraud, generally welcomed the German armed forces. In Lithuania, a revolt broke out and an independent provisional government was established. As the German armies approached Riga and Tallinn , attempts to reestablish national governments were made. Baltic citizens hoped that the Germans would reestablish Baltic independence. Such hopes soon evaporated and Baltic cooperation became less forthright or ceased altogether. The Germans aimed to annex
5014-565: The Green Party Congress, therefore discussions about the party basis as well as a possible non-unanimous voting result were bypassed. As an independent candidate, it would legally not have been necessary for him to disclose the campaign donations. Nevertheless, the Association "Together for Van der Bellen" still published them on their website. In the first round of the 2016 presidential election, Van der Bellen ranked second with 21.34% of
5123-537: The Green Party still supported him during his campaign; establishing the Association "Together for Van der Bellen – Independent Initiative for the 2016 Presidential Election" which comprised six employees and premises as well as 1.2 million euros financial aid. The association is headquartered within the Green Party's head office, executive director of the association is Van der Bellen's campaign manager Lothar Lockl. For
5232-568: The Institute for Public Finance at the University of Innsbruck, and from 1972 to 1974 as a research fellow at the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB). He was university assistant at the Institute for Public Finance at the University of Innsbruck and was awarded the qualification as university lecturer (habilitation) in 1975. He established friendship with Turkish economist Murat R. Sertel, with whom he worked on decision and preference theories and later on published several articles and discussion papers. In 1976 Van der Bellen became associate professor at
5341-433: The National Council, Van der Bellen also served as a member of the Budget, Main, Science, Financial, Industrial (as deputy chairman), Administrative and Foreign Affairs (as clerk and deputy chairman) committees as well as member of several subcommittees. In 2009–10 he was a substitute member and from 2010 to 2012 a member of the Austrian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg . After
5450-446: The Red Army occupied the state. On 16 June 1940, Latvia and Estonia also received ultimata. The Red Army occupied the two remaining Baltic states shortly thereafter. The Soviets dispatched Andrey Vyshinsky to oversee the takeover of Latvia and Andrey Zhdanov to Estonia. On 18 and 21 June 1940, new " popular front " governments were formed in each Baltic country, made up of Communists and fellow travelers . Under Soviet surveillance,
5559-480: The Russian Federal Republic proclaimed sovereignty in June. Simultaneously the Baltic republics also started to negotiate directly with the Russian Federal Republic. After the failed negotiations the Soviets made a dramatic but failed attempt to break the deadlock and sent in military troops killing twenty and injuring hundreds of civilians in what became known as the " Vilnius massacre " in Lithuania and " The Barricades " in Latvia during January 1991. In August 1991,
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#17328550624145668-429: The Soviet Union duly accepted the requests in August, thus sanctioning them under Soviet law. Lithuania was incorporated into the Soviet Union on 3 August, Latvia on 5 August, and Estonia on 6 August 1940. The deposed presidents of Estonia and Latvia, Konstantin Päts and Kārlis Ulmanis , were deported to the USSR and imprisoned. They died later in the Tver region and Central Asia respectively. In June 1941,
5777-492: The Soviet Union recaptured most of the Baltic states as a result of the Red Army 's Baltic Offensive , trapping the remaining German forces in the Courland Pocket until their formal surrender in May 1945. During the 1944–1991 Soviet occupation many people from Russia and other parts of the former USSR were settled in the three Baltic countries, while the local languages, religion and customs were suppressed in an "extremely violent and traumatic" occupation. Colonization of
5886-456: The Soviet Union that changed the demographics dramatically. Lithuania also received immigration but on a smaller scale. Ethnic Estonians constituted 88 percent before the war, but in 1970 the figure dropped to 60 percent. Ethnic Latvians constituted 75 percent, but the figure dropped 57 percent in 1970 and further down to 50.7 percent in 1989. In contrast, the drop in Lithuania was only 4 percent. Baltic communists had supported and participated
5995-418: The Soviet Union to establish military bases on the Baltic states' territory for the duration of the European war and to station 25,000 Soviet soldiers in Estonia , 30,000 in Latvia and 20,000 in Lithuania starting October 1939. In May 1940, the Soviets turned to the idea of direct military intervention, but still intended to rule through puppet regimes . Their model was the Finnish Democratic Republic ,
6104-418: The Soviet system from above to avoid revolution from below. The reforms occasioned the reawakening of nationalism in the Baltic republics. The first major demonstrations against the environment were Riga in November 1986 and the following spring in Tallinn . Small successful protests encouraged key individuals and by the end of 1988 the reform wing had gained the decisive positions in the Baltic republics. At
6213-422: The Soviets implemented a program of sovietization , which was achieved through large-scale industrialisation rather than by overt attacks on culture, religion or freedom of expression. The Soviets carried out massive deportations to eliminate any resistance to collectivisation or support of partisans . Baltic partisans, such as the Forest Brothers , continued to resist Soviet rule through armed struggle for
6322-468: The Spain national football team Donny van de Beek , Dutch footballer playing for Manchester United Science & Engineering [ edit ] dBV, voltage measurement on a decibel scale VDB Catalog, list of reflection nebulae compiled by Sidney van den Bergh Video Data Bank , video art distribution service of the Art Institute of Chicago Computers & Technology [ edit ] dBase , abbreviated as VdB /var/db/pkg ,
6431-448: The University of Innsbruck, where he remained until 1980. During this time he moved to Vienna to study and research from 1977 to 1980 at the Federal Academy of Public Administration. From 1980 to 1999 he was extraordinary university professor for economics at the University of Vienna . Between 1990 and 1994 he there also became dean of the faculty for economics at University of Vienna. In October 1999 he became parliamentary leader of
6540-403: The Waffen-SS. On 1 July 1944 the Latvian Legion had 87,550 men. Another 23,000 Latvians were serving as Wehrmacht "auxiliaries". Among other battles, they participated in the Siege of Leningrad , in the Courland Pocket fighting,the defence of the Pomeranian Wall , at the Velikaya River for Hill "93,4" and in the defence of Berlin . The 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian)
6649-415: The abbreviation VdB , is an Austrian politician serving as the 12th president of Austria since 2017. He previously served as a professor of economics at the University of Vienna , and after joining politics, as the spokesman of the Austrian Green Party . Van der Bellen was born in Austria to Russian and Estonian parents who were refugees from the occupation of the Baltic states , and he became
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#17328550624146758-599: The basis of disbanded Lithuanian Army, Soviet authorities organized 29th Territorial Rifle Corps. Decrease in quality of life and service conditions, forceful indoctrination of Communist ideology, caused discontent of recently Sovietized military units. Soviet authorities responded with repressions against Lithuanian officers of the 29th Corps, arresting over 100 officers and soldiers and subsequently executing around 20 in Autumn 1940. By that time allegedly near 3,200 officers and soldiers of 29th Corps were considered "politically unreliable". Due to high tensions and soldiers' discontent
6867-548: The biggest manifestation of opposition to the Soviet rule. In December 1989, the Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union condemned the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact and its secret protocol as "legally untenable and invalid." On 11 March 1990 the Lithuanian Supreme Soviet declared Lithuania's independence . Pro-independence candidates had received an overwhelming majority in the Supreme Soviet elections held earlier that year. On 30 March 1990, seeing full restoration of independence not yet feasible due to large Soviet presence,
6976-452: The civil rights of ethnic Russians, which was seen as an implied threat in the West, in the U.N. General Assembly and by Baltic leaders, who viewed it as Russian imperialism. Lithuania was the first to see complete the withdrawal of Russian troops—on 31 August 1993 —owing in part to the Kaliningrad issue. Subsequent agreements to withdraw troops from Latvia were signed on 30 April 1994, and from Estonia on 26 July 1994. Continued linkage on
7085-451: The designated President Van der Bellen reaffirmed his views on the Freedom Party and stated that he would not charge them with the task to form a government, even if they became the largest party. This would have been a novelty in the history of the Second Republic, since so far all Presidents had charged the chairperson of the largest party with the government formation. On 8 June, Freedom Party chairman Heinz-Christian Strache brought in
7194-474: The domain "vdb2016.at" through the media agency Media Brothers for a possible presidential candidacy of Van der Bellen in November 2014. After its reservation the party delegated the domain to the Association "Together for Van der Bellen" as of 6 January 2016. On 8 January 2016, Van der Bellen officially announced his candidacy for the 2016 presidential election by video message. Van der Bellen ran as an independent candidate and thus non-party nominee for
7303-410: The eastern parts of Estonia (5% of prewar territory) and Latvia (2%). The Soviets made large capital investments for energy resources and the manufacture of industrial and agricultural products. The purpose was to integrate the Baltic economies into the larger Soviet economic sphere. In all three republics, manufacturing industry was developed resulting in some of the best industrial complexes in
7412-420: The election to be re-held. On 4 December 2016, he won the ensuing election, taking approximately 54% of the vote. Van der Bellen has described himself as a centrist liberal , and supports green and social liberal policies. As discussed in his 2015 book, he is supportive of the European Union and advocates European federalism . During the presidential election, he appealed to the political centre and
7521-412: The environmental movement. His former postgraduate Peter Pilz , back then the spokesman of the Green Party , brought Van der Bellen into his party. Van der Bellen later described these changes as a development "from an arrogant anti-capitalist to a generous left-liberal", although the latter self-image in his autobiography of 2015 also changed into a "liberal Anglo-Saxon coinage". In 1992, Van der Bellen
7630-426: The government's decision to impose a limit on how many asylum-seekers it will allow into Austria. Van der Bellen has commented that due to emerging Islamophobia and prejudice against women wearing headscarves, he could foresee a day when all non-Muslim women might also be asked to wear headscarves as a sign of solidarity with women who wear them on religious grounds. The remarks were criticized widely, especially on
7739-404: The hard-line members attempted to take control of the Soviet Union. A day after the coup on 21 August, the Estonians proclaimed full independence, after an independence referendum was held in Estonia on 3 March 1991, alongside a similar referendum in Latvia the same month. It was approved by 78.4% of voters with an 82.9% turnout. Independence was restored by the Estonian Supreme Council on
7848-583: The improvement of the relationship between the city of Vienna and the universities located there. At his initiative, regular meetings took place for the first time between representatives of the Viennese universities and the Municipal Department 35 (Municipal Department of the City of Vienna) in order to improve cooperation in immigration and residence matters for third-country students and researchers. The initiative
7957-604: The installed package database in FreeBSD and Gentoo Linux Other [ edit ] VDB, IATA code for Fagernes Airport, Leirin , Norway Volksdeutsche Bewegung , a former political party in Luxembourg Vrijzinnig Democratische Bond , a Dutch political party Verband der Berufsringer , a defunct German professional wrestling promotion Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
8066-469: The majority of Lithuanian territory to the Soviet Union. Under the secret protocol, Lithuania would regain its historical capital Vilnius , previously subjugated during the inter-war period by Poland . Following the end of the Soviet invasion of Poland on 6 October, the Soviets pressured Finland and the Baltic states to conclude mutual assistance treaties. The Soviets questioned the neutrality of Estonia after
8175-409: The new Soviet governments carried out mass deportations of " enemies of the people ". Estonia alone lost an estimated 60,000 citizens. Consequently, many Balts initially greeted the Germans as liberators when they invaded a week later. The Soviet Union immediately started to erect border fortifications along its newly acquired western border — the so-called Molotov Line . On 22 June 1941
8284-447: The new governments arranged rigged elections for new "people's assemblies." Voters were presented with a single list, and no opposition movements were allowed to file candidates. To get the required turnout to 99.6%, votes were forged. A month later when the new assemblies met their sole item of business for each of them was a resolution to join the Soviet Union. In each case, the resolution passed by acclamation . The Supreme Soviet of
8393-466: The night of 20 August. The Latvian parliament made similar a declaration on the same day. The coup failed but the collapse of the Soviet Union became unavoidable. After the coup collapsed, the Soviet government recognised the independence of all three Baltic states on 6 September 1991. The Russian Federation assumed the burden and the subsequent withdrawal of the occupation force, consisting of about 150,000 former Soviet, now Russian, troops stationed in
8502-476: The north, Finland , Estonia and Latvia were assigned to the Soviet sphere. Poland was to be partitioned in the event of its "political rearrangement"—the areas east of the Narev , Vistula and San Rivers going to the Soviet Union while Germany would occupy the west. Lithuania, adjacent to East Prussia , would be in the German sphere of influence, although a second secret protocol agreed in September 1939 assigned
8611-491: The office of President. As the longest-serving leader of the Green party (from 1997 to 2008) and as an afterwards still active party member, Van der Bellen's claimed nonpartisanism was questioned and challenged throughout his presidential campaign. However, Van der Bellen officially suspended his party membership at the Greens as of 23 May 2016, demonstrating his willingness to strive for a nonpartisan incumbency. Regardless of that
8720-456: The outbreak of World War II . The three independent Baltic countries were annexed as constituent Republics of the Soviet Union in August 1940. Most Western countries did not recognise this annexation, and considered it illegal. In July 1941, the occupation of the Baltic states by Nazi Germany took place, just weeks after its invasion of the Soviet Union . The Third Reich incorporated them into its Reichskommissariat Ostland . In 1944,
8829-405: The part of Russia resulted in a threat by the U.S. Senate in mid-July to halt all aid to Russia in case the forces were not withdrawn by the end of August. Final withdrawal was completed on 31 August 1994. Some Russian troops remained stationed in Estonia in Paldiski until the Russian military base was dismantled and the nuclear reactors suspended operations on 26 September 1995. Russia operated
8938-524: The party congress (Bundeskongress). With the beginning of the XIX. legislative period on 7 November 1994 Van der Bellen functioned as a member of the National Council for the first time and held this position until 2012. During the XXIV. legislative period he dropped out of the National Council on 5 July 2012. From 1999 to 2008 he was parliamentary leader of the Green Party in the National Council. During his time in
9047-1002: The political right. Van der Bellen has criticized U.S. President Donald Trump , warning of the dangers of right-wing populism . He has opined that the British withdrawal from the European Union is damaging to the economies of both the United Kingdom and Europe. He is opposed to recognising the Russian annexation of Crimea . He has stated that the Austrian embassy in Israel should remain in Tel Aviv . Van der Bellen has criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his supporters after mass pro-Erdoğan protests by Turks in Austria , saying: "In Austria there
9156-473: The previous winter. On 15 June 1940, the Lithuanian government was extorted to agree to the Soviet ultimatum and permit the entry of an unspecified number of Soviet troops. President Antanas Smetona proposed armed resistance to the Soviets but the government refused, proposing their own candidate to lead the regime. However, the Soviets refused this proposal and sent Vladimir Dekanozov to take charge while
9265-469: The repetition of the second ballot, the association received a total of 18,398 private donations, which amounted to about 2.7 million euros. In comparison, Van der Bellen's run-off opponent Norbert Hofer was vested with 3.4 million euros by his party . The Greens however, suspected that this sum only encompassed monetary and no material donations. By running as a non-partisan candidate, Van der Bellen could also avoid an official requirement for approval of
9374-514: The retreat from Germans mostly to deserting of its soldiers. A total of less than 1,500 soldiers from initial strength of around 12,000 reached the area of Pskov by August 1941. By the second part of 1942, most of Lithuanians remaining in the Soviet ranks as well as male war refugees from Lithuania were organized into 16th Rifle Division during its second formation. 16th Rifle Division, despite officially called "Lithuanian" and mostly commanded by officers of Lithuanian origin, including Adolfas Urbšas ,
9483-776: The same time, coalitions of reformists and populist forces assembled under the Popular Fronts . The Supreme Soviet of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic made the Estonian language the state language again in January 1989, and similar legislation was passed in Latvia and Lithuania soon after. The Baltic republics declared their aim for sovereignty: Estonia in November 1988, Lithuania in May 1989 and Latvia in July 1989. The Baltic Way , that took place on 23 August 1989, became
9592-522: The site returned to Latvian control, with the last Russian soldier leaving Baltic soil in October 1999. Early in the morning of 24 August 1939, the Soviet Union and Germany signed a ten-year non-aggression pact, called the Molotov–Ribbentrop pact . The pact contained a secret protocol by which the states of Northern and Eastern Europe were divided into German and Soviet " spheres of influence ". In
9701-430: The sphere of electronics and textile production. The rural economy suffered from the lack of investments and the collectivization. Baltic urban areas had been damaged during wartime and it took ten years to recuperate housing losses. New constructions were often of poor quality and ethnic Russian immigrants were favored in housing. Estonia and Latvia received large-scale immigration of industrial workers from other parts of
9810-514: The summer break. In January 2015, it was announced that Van der Bellen would retreat from Vienna's municipal politics at the end of the legislative period. In the internal list election of the Vienna Greens on 14 February, after the application deadline, he did not compete in the internal party candidacy. Thus he was no longer on a selectable place on the electoral lists of the Greens in the 2015 Viennese state elections. In 2001, Van der Bellen said that he turned from an "arrogant anti-capitalist " into
9919-407: The three Baltic countries included mass executions, deportations and repression of the native population. While there has been a broad international consensus that the Baltic states were illegally occupied and annexed, the Soviet Union never acknowledged that they were forcefully taken over. The post-Soviet government of Russia maintains the claim that the incorporations of Baltic states
10028-820: The three countries in total were either killed or deported (135,000 Estonians, 170,000 Latvians and 320,000 Lithuanians). Their properties and personal belonging were confiscated and given to newly arrived colonists – economic migrants , Soviet military , NKVD personnel, as well as functionaries of the Communist Party . The estimated human costs of the occupations are presented in the table below. (2,409 executed) (9,400 died en route) (arrest, torture, political trials imprisonment or other sanctions) 300 Roma 1,900 Roma ~4,000 Roma 1948–49 3,000 died en route 8,000 died en route 1949: 32,735 11,000 perished 4,000 killed 3,000 killed The Soviet Union and its successors have never paid reparations to
10137-587: The title VDB . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=VDB&oldid=1237504481 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Alexander Van der Bellen Alexander " Sascha " Van der Bellen ( German: [alɛkˈsandɐ fan deːɐ̯ ˈbɛlən] ; born 18 January 1944), also referred to by
10246-420: The very beginning. In comparison with the general mobilisation proclaimed in the Soviet Union, the age range was extended by 9 years in the Baltics; all reserve officers were also taken. The aim was to deport all men capable to fight to Russia, where they were sent to convict camps . Almost half of them perished because of the transportation conditions, slave labour, hunger, diseases, and the repressive measures of
10355-530: The vote. After losses in the 2008 legislative elections , in which the Green Party's voteshare dropped to 10.11%, Van der Bellen, dubbed "the green professor" by the media, resigned on 3 October 2008 as spokesman of the Green Party. He handed over the office to the Third President of the National Council at the time, Eva Glawischnig . As designated spokesperson she was elected administrative party leader on 24 October and later officially endorsed and sworn in by
10464-538: The votes being behind Norbert Hofer with 35.05%. In the second round of voting (the runoff election) on 22 May 2016, the provisional final result excluding postal votes was: Norbert Hofer with 51.93% and Alexander Van der Bellen with 48.07%. Therefore, no winner could be determined on election night. On the following day (23 May 2016), Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka announced the final results including postal votes, according to which Van der Bellen received 50.35% and Hofer 49.64% of valid votes. Van der Bellen had
10573-498: The votes. Alexander Van der Bellen was inaugurated as President of Austria on 26 January 2017. After his inaugural speech he met with the Kern government and was greeted with a military ceremony as the new commander-in-chief of the Bundesheer . Austrian honours Foreign honours Other awards Occupation of the Baltic states The occupation of the Baltic states was
10682-428: The war. However, for the majority of Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians, the German rule was less harsh than Soviet rule had been, and it was less brutal than German occupations elsewhere in eastern Europe. Local puppet regimes performed administrative tasks and schools were permitted to function. However, most people were denied the right to own land or businesses. The Soviet administration had forcibly incorporated
10791-516: Was 20,000, including 5,000 children. The deportees were allowed to return after Nikita Khrushchev 's secret speech in 1956 denouncing the excesses of Stalinism , however many did not survive their years of exile in Siberia . After the war, the Soviets outlined new borders for the Baltic republics. Lithuania gained the regions of Vilnius and Klaipėda while the Russian SFSR annexed territory from
10900-872: Was born in 1944 and baptized into the Lutheran Church . As the Red Army approached Vienna, the family escaped to the Kauner valley in Tyrol , where his father later became active as a businessman again. In 1954, after completing primary school in Innsbruck, Van der Bellen switched to the Academic Grammar School Innsbruck (Akademisches Gymnasium Innsbruck), where he took his Matura in 1962. Until this time Van der Bellen had Estonian citizenship like his parents; he obtained Austrian citizenship around 1958. According to Van der Bellen, he did not complete mandatory service in
11009-440: Was elected by the red-green city and state government as Commissioner for Universities and Research (also: Commissioner of the City of Vienna for Universities and Research, denotation in 2013). While he himself volunteered this activity, in addition to his still exercised National Council mandate, the new infrastructure office for him with a budget of 210,000 euros annually was endowed. As a university commissioner, he campaigned for
11118-633: Was endorsed by the leaders of both the Social Democratic Party and the conservative People's Party . Van der Bellen is the second Green president of a European Union country (after Raimonds Vējonis of Latvia) and the first to be directly elected by popular vote. In the 18th century, Van der Bellen's patrilineal ancestors emigrated from the Netherlands to the Russian Empire . During the Russian Civil War (1917–1922) part of his family escaped from
11227-544: Was ethnically very mixed, with up to 1/4 of its personnel made of Jews and thus being the largest Jew formation of Soviet Army. Popular joke of those years said that 16th Division is called Lithuanian, because there are 16 Lithuanians among its ranks. The 7000-strong 22nd Estonian Territorial Rifle Corps got heavily beaten in the battles around Porkhov during the German invasion in summer 1941, as 2000 were killed or wounded in action, and 4500 surrendered. The 25,000—30,000 strong 8th Estonian Rifle Corps lost 3/4 of its troops in
11336-562: Was formed in January 1944 through conscription. Consisting of 38,000 men, it took part in the Battle of Narva , the Battle of Tannenberg Line , the Battle of Tartu , and Operation Aster . There were several attempts to restore independence during the occupation. On 22 June 1941 the Lithuanians overthrew Soviet rule two days before the Wehrmacht arrived in Kaunas, where the Germans then allowed
11445-660: Was in accordance with international law , and school textbooks state that the Baltic states voluntarily joined the Soviet Union after home-grown popular socialist revolutions . As most Western governments maintained that Baltic sovereignty had not been legitimately overridden, they thus continued to recognise the Baltic states as sovereign political entities represented by the Baltic Legations , which functioned in Washington and elsewhere as governments in exile . The Baltic states regained de facto independence in 1991 during
11554-576: Was invaded, occupied and annexed by the Soviet Union . In February or March 1941, Van der Bellen's father, mother, and older sister Vivian-Diana moved to Nazi Germany ; in line with the German–Soviet Frontier Treaty they were accepted as the so-called Volksdeutsche . Via Lauksargiai (former Laugszargen, Memelland ) and a German resettlement camp in Werneck at Würzburg , Van der Bellen's parents moved to Vienna , where their son Alexander
11663-507: Was nominated by the Greens for the office of the President of the Court of Audit; he was defeated by the ÖVP -close Franz Fiedler. After the Greens suffered significant losses in the 1995 legislative elections on 17 December, Van der Bellen took over the party chairmanship from Christoph Chorherr in December 1997 and remained until October 2008, being the longest-serving spokesman in the history of
11772-580: Was taken up by the Austrian Universities Conference – The Austrian Conference of Rectors (uniko) and extended from Vienna to the whole of Austria. On the initiative of University Commissioner Van der Bellen, the Vienna University Circle, an informal advisory board composed of rectors and vice-rectors of Viennese universities, including the research institution Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), were launched. At
11881-651: Was the only eastern region intended to become a full province of the Third Reich. Nazi racial attitudes to the peoples of the three Baltic countries differed between Nazi authorities. In practice, racial policies were directed not against the majority of Balts but rather against the Jews . Large numbers of Jews were living in the major cities, notably in Vilnius , Kaunas and Riga . The German mobile killing units slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Jews; Einsatzgruppe A , assigned to
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