Background
Heinz Fischer was born on October 9, 1938 in the family of famous Austrian social democrats. His father, Rudolf Fischer, had been the secretary of state for some time in Austrian Department of Commerce.
Heinz Fischer was born on October 9, 1938 in the family of famous Austrian social democrats. His father, Rudolf Fischer, had been the secretary of state for some time in Austrian Department of Commerce.
Fischer attended the Gymnasium, focusing on humanities.
In 1956 Heinz entered Vienna University on the Law faculty, where he defended his doctor’s dissertation. After that he became the doctor of jurisprudence and a professor of Vienna University.
He got his first experience of political fight in Vienna. Later he said about it: “One of my first political events was the Hungarian Revolution. I was 18 and worked in the transit camp Treiskirchen, where I washed the dishes for refugees. We pasted leaflets and posters with a slogan “Freedom for Hungary” on buildings in the center of Vienna, spreaded anticommunist literature among refugees and foreigners, who arrived in Vienna by that time”.
However, the real Fischer’s political career, which was closely connected with the Austrian Social Democratic party (ASDP), started in 1962 with a reader position of the second president of Austrian National Council. After that he worked as the secretary at the ASDP’s parliamentary faction, than he was the faction’s manager, after that till 1990 he was the National Council deputy from the ASDP and finally he became the first President of Austrian National Council. In 2002 he became the second President of the National Council. At that time Fischer was also the vice-president of the European social party and headed many social organizations such as Austrian society of Nature’s friends and National Fund for Nazi Victims, he also taught a Law in Innsbruck University and was a federal secretary of science and researches.
On April 25, 2004 Fischer won the presidential elections in Austria, when he polled 52, 41 percent of the votes. According to politologists’ opinion the main reasons for Heinz victory are a forty years old political experience, excellent knowledge of Austrian legal system and also the ability of settling controversies and trouble shootings. In the Parliament, where Fischer has been worked for many years, for his peacemaking talent he was nicknamed as a sage “Uncle Solomon”. The main role in Austrians’ choice played personal qualities of a current federal president, namely modesty and caution. Fischer, who used to catapult in his childhood and his father had to pay a fine for this, came to politic and tried to avoid thoughtless statements and rash actions. He proved his personal modesty and disinterestedness right away after elections, when he refused a president apartment at public cost, making a supreme leader residence at his own apartment.
Right away after inauguration Fisher, a staunch supporter of democratic principles and ideas of social justice, claimed that namely a president with his view of situation and his restraint can positively influences on the development of democratic processes in society.
sozialistische Partei Österreichs (SPÖ, Socialist Party of Austria)