Biography

Alfred Gusenbauer was Prime Minister of Austria, 2007-2008.

He was Chancellor of Austria from January 2007 to December 2008 and the leader of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) from 2000 to 2008.

Gusenbauer was born in Sankt Pölten in the state of Lower Austria. He was educated at a high school in Wieselburg and studied political science, philosophy and jurisprudence at the University of Vienna, where he gained a doctorate in political science. He has spent his whole professional life in politics, either as an employee of the SPÖ or as a parliamentary representative. He was a senior research fellow in the economic policy department of the Lower Austria Chamber of Labour from 1990 to 1999.

Gusenbauer was federal leader of the SPÖ youth wing, the Socialist Youth (SJ) from 1984 to 1990, vice-president of the Socialist Youth International (IUSY) from 1985 to 1989 and vice-president of the Socialist International in 1989.

In 1991, Gusenbauer was elected SPÖ chairman in Ybbs an der Donau and a member of the Lower Austria party executive. In the same year he was elected to the Bundesrat, the upper house of the Austrian Parliament, as a Deputy for Lower Austria. He was a member of the Austrian delegation to the parliamentary meeting of the Council of Europe in 1991 and was chairman of the social committee of the Council of Europe from 1995 to 1998.

In the Bundesrat, Gusenbauer was Chairman of the Committee for Development Co-operation from 1996 to 1999. In 2000, he was elected leader of the SPÖ Group in the Bundesrat and also as Secretary-General of the SPÖ. Under his leadership in the 2002 elections the SPÖ improved its vote and gained four seats, but failed to defeat the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) government of Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel.

During 2006, the SPÖ was handicapped by its involvement in the "BAWAG scandal" in which directors of BAWAG, an Austrian bank owned by the Austrian Trade Union Federation (Österreichischer Gewerkschaftsbund, ÖGB), were accused of corruption, embezzlement and illicit speculation. The scandal led in March to the resignation of ÖGB head Fritz Verzetnitsch. The SPÖ was not involved in the alleged fraud. Gusenbauer was forced to exclude ÖGB leaders from the lists of SPÖ candidates, drawing criticism from the ÖGB.[1]

After the election, although the SPÖ was the largest single party, no one party was able to form a majority government, and a grand coalition between the ÖVP and the SPÖ was considered the most likely outcome. After prolonged negotiations, Gusenbauer became Chancellor on January 11, 2007 at the head of an SPÖ-ÖVP coalition.

Gusenbauer immediately received a certain amount of criticism, because of his decision to change his pre-election promises to abolish university tuition fees, it was decided by the SPÖ instead for students to do community service for 60 hours. This resulted in student protests and criticism from other parties and even from SPÖ members.

On June 16, 2008, Gusenbauer was replaced as SPÖ chief by his Minister of Transport Werner Faymann. This change was the result of bitter infighting over Gusenbauer's ability to lead his party.

In early July 2008, a snap legislative election was called when the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) led by Wilhelm Molterer left the governing coalition.

Gusenbauer served the shortest time as Chancellor of Austria, whose government was formed in a coaliton (although the duration of the Vranitzky's government between 1994-1995 was much shorter, Vranitzky however was the fourth time chancellor already). 

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