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In the end, however, the return was bumpy at best: Strache, who 15 years ago pulled the Freedom Party out of the basement and into the government, has likely missed the entrance to the city’s parliament. from Vienna.
Strache laid the first stone of his current path, unintentionally, in the summer of 2017 when he fell into the “lure” trap in Ibiza. In May 2019, the wave of success for the former FPÖ chief came to an abrupt halt: the video of the two-year-old agent provocateur was made public and put the already controversial vice chancellor in the right-wing extremist milieu, in dire straits. At the meeting, which was banned from the cinema, he explained to a supposed Russian millionaire how he could make a donation to the FPÖ by going through the audit office. The rest is history: the government with the ÖVP collapsed, Strache resigned as president and vice chancellor.
- Video: Strache still hasn’t lost hope
Strache certainly did not envision the end of his long party career in this way: he started climbing the blue ladder at the age of 21 and became the youngest district councilor of Vienna-Landstrasse in 1991. Furthermore, Strache se He trained as a dental technician and also father of two children at a relatively young age with his wife, who came from a prominent Viennese family of restorers.
Hope despite neo-Nazi accusations
Politically, things turned up fast. Long before his 30th birthday, he won a term in Vienna’s state parliament and was quickly seen as a beacon of hope for the traditionally strong regional group. Initially still a fan of Jörg Haider, he made his way to his strongest internal opponent of the match during Schwarz-Blau. Strache was also one of the leading figures at the Knittelfelder delegate meeting, which expelled Susanne Riess-Passer from the party and politics, and Strache’s growing popularity was probably one of the reasons Haider said goodbye to the FPÖ. with the BZÖ.
In 2005, it was time for Strache: he became leader of the party. Surrounded by a loyal staff, with Herbert Kickl, Harald Vilimsky and Norbert Hofer, he consolidated the party both financially and among voters. Recurring accusations from the past, for example in the neo-Nazi scene, did not stop Strache’s path. Anti-EU and anti-Islam policies have proven to be consistent campaign successes.
The decline of the SPÖ-ÖVP coalition even brought it to the top of the polls at times in the 2017 polls, it was only Sebastian Kurz’s freestyle towards the ÖVP president that allowed the people of freedom to sink a little bit. For Strache, now married to former SPÖ assistant Philippa, this also had its advantage. Because the new head of ÖVP did not shy away from bringing Strache and his followers to the government.
Makeover
The fact that Kurz dared to do this was also due to the makeover of the FPÖ boss himself. Sales Strache used to be potential partners with rude election campaigns and tacky appearances, for example wearing a frat cap on his head at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, but over the years he increasingly tried to take on. an increasingly similar role to that of a statesman. In 2017, then-SPÖ boss Christian Kern even explored a collaboration.
Having risen to the governing function, the long-term party leader did not do much in terms of content, which was also related to his narrow departments of public service and sports. Strache featured more on social media as a romantic husband, father month father (his third child, born early last year) and a dog lover. First of all, it was important to him that the whole turquoise project run its course.
This plan failed, but Strache did not want to accept its political end from the start. His constant requests to speak and ultimately the charges against him caused the barrel to overflow, his successor Norbert Hofer finally pulled the rope and Strache was expelled from the FPÖ, a day after renegade Viennese city councils launched the Alliance for Austria (DAÖ).
Expenses, Ibiza and Residence Debate
Strache isn’t just struggling with expense allegations and Ibiza memories. Before the Vienna elections, allegations were raised again that he had only pretended to report on his main residence in Erdberg, but actually lived with his family in Klosterneuburg in Lower Austria. However, the electoral authority decided in his favor and allowed Strache to appear at the polls now defeated.
About the person: Heinz-Christian Strache, born on June 12, 1969 in Vienna, two children from his first marriage, another from the current one, married. Trained dental technician. Since 1991 member of the district representation (district council) of Wien-Landstraße, since 1993 chairman of the district party of the FPÖ Wien-Landstraße, 1996-2006: Vienna state deputy, president of the 2004 regional party of the FPÖ Vienna, 2005-2019 President of the Federal Party FPÖ, December 2017 to May 2019 Vice Chancellor.
