Wolfgang Schüssel , born the June 7th 1945 with Vienna, is a Austrian Politician .

Of 1968 with 1975, he was secretary of the parliamentary group of the Party of the Austrian people (ÖVP, conservative)

Of 1975 with April 1991, he was general secretary of the Austrian Federation of the Businesses, an professional organization subordinate to the Party.

The April 2nd 1995, Wolfgang Schüssel was elected leader of the Party, at the time of his XXXe Congrès.

It reaches the capacity following the elections of the October 3rd 1999 thanks to an inversion of alliance: it at the head breaks the coalition of its party with SPÖ, however arrived, to be combined with FPÖ Jörg Haider, populist party and xenophobe made at equality with his party, in spite of the protests and the threats of suspension of the other countries of the European Union and the Commission. He thus hopes to control on the right and bring this party to more moderate in the long term positions. If the FPÖ forever disavowed its at the very least extreme positions on the questions of immigration and safety, it did not take either ascendent it on the ÖVP, which imposes its government program and quickly takes the ascending one on the party of Haider, which tears in-house.

The coalition is renewed with the capacity in 2002. However, the conservatives dominate désomais largely with more than 40% of the voices compared with 10% with a FPÖ completely divided on its participation in the government and more generally as for its political positioning.

With the general surprise, in spite of good performances and a considerable approval rating, the party of Wolfgang Schüssel collects only 34,2% of the voices at the time of the legislative elections of October 1st 2006, vis-a-vis the SPÖ of Alfred Gusenbauer which obtains 35,7%.

At the conclusion of the post-electoral negotiations which lead to the formation of a great coalition between the SPÖ and the ÖVP, it yields its seat of chancellor to the social democrat leader and also leaves his functions with the head of the ÖVP, and he becomes chief of the preserving parliamentary group to the Nationalrat.

Governmental functions

• April 24th 1989: Minister for the Economic affairs in the social democrat/preserving coalition government directed by Franz Vranitzky.
• May 4th 1995: vice-chancellor and Foreign Minister (Vranitzky government)
• January 28th 1997: vice-chancellor and Foreign Minister (government Viktor Klima)
• February 4th 2000: federal chancellor (first Schüssel government)
• February 28th 2003 - January 11th 2007: federal chancellor (second Schüssel government)
• January 1st 2007 - January 11th 2007: Minister of Interior Department to replace Jubilation Prokop deceased suddenly.

Simple: Wolfgang Schüssel