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Last Updated: Oct 11, 2008 - 8:35:03 AM |
VIENNA, Austria -- Austrian politician Joerg Haider, whose far-right
rhetoric at times cast a negative light on the Alpine republic, has
died in a car accident at age 58.
Carinthian province police official Friedrich Hrast said the accident
happened early Saturday in the south of the country when Haider's car
veered off the road near the city of Klagenfurt and overturned while
trying to overtake another car. He said Haider suffered severe injuries
to his head and chest and was taken to a hospital where he was
pronounced dead. Haider was alone in the car at the time of the
accident.
Haider, who was born Jan. 26, 1950 in Upper Austria, was governor of
the province of Carinthia and leader of the far-right Alliance for the
Future of Austria at the time of his death.
"For us, it's like the end of the world," Haider's spokesman, Stefan
Petzner, told the Austria Press Agency.
Austrian President Heinz Fischer described Haider's death as a "human
tragedy."
In 1999, Haider received 27 percent of the vote in national elections
as leader of the Freedom Party. The party's subsequent inclusion in the
government led to months of European Union sanctions over Haider's
statements, which were seen as anti-Semitic or sympathetic to Adolf
Hitler's labor policies.
Haider had since significantly toned down his rhetoric. Over the
summer, he staged a comeback in national politics and helped his
Alliance for the Future of Austria significantly improve their standing
in Sept. 28 national elections.
Haider and his supporters broke away from the Freedom Party in 2005 to
form the new movement meant to reflect a turn toward relative
moderation.
In particular, Haider wanted to distance himself from his rightist
past, which included a comment in 1991 that the Third Reich had an
"orderly employment policy" and a 1995 reference to concentration camps
as "the punishment camps of National Socialism."
Haider, known for his charisma and intelligence, enjoyed tremendous
popularity in Carinthia.
He is survived by a wife, two daughters and his mother, whose 90th
birthday he and his family had planned to celebrate over the weekend.
Source:Ocnus.net 2008
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