Wolfgang Schüssel: The Chancellor of the Wall is celebrating his 80th birthday today!

Wolfgang Schüssel: The Chancellor of the Wall is celebrating his 80th birthday today!

Wolfgang Schüssel, who has entered the history of Austria as the "Chancellor of the Wall", celebrates his 80th birthday on June 7, 2025. Schüssel, a former politician of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), was born on June 7, 1945 in Vienna, only shortly after Austria was liberated. His mother survived a bomb attack during pregnancy, a fact that describes the formative circumstances of his early childhood. After the divorce of his parents in 1948, he grew up with his mother and later studied law at the University of Vienna, where he received his doctorate in 1968

he started his political career in the 1960s as a club secretary in the federal ÖVP. As of 1989, Schüssel took responsibility in the cabinet of Franz Vranitzky as Minister of Economics and then ventured into the office of Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor. He was elected Chancellor on February 4, 2000 after the ÖVP had only reached third place in the 1999 election. This led to the controversial coalition with Jörg Haider's Freedom Party (FPÖ), which triggered numerous protests and international criticism.

political turn and reforms

bowl is mainly associated with its reform program, which was under the motto "Less state, more private". During his tenure, he implemented a variety of reforms, including pension reforms and tax reliefs to promote investments. Nevertheless, his government was overshadowed by controversy, such as the sale of state businesses and the purchase of the Euro-Fighter.

The "Buwog affair", which has become a central topic of the political debate in recent years, led to the conviction of Schüssels Finance Minister Karl-Heinz Grasser in 2025. This political scandal and the turning of the voters led to Schüssel's defeat in 2006 and his retreat from active politics until 2011.

A look back at the political career

Overall, Wolfgang Schüssel served as Chancellor from 2000 to 2007 and was an influential player in the political system of Austria until the end of his political career. During his tenure, he was the first Chancellor to no longer led the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ), which was a striking change in the political landscape. When he resigned from active politics in 2011, this was in the middle of growing allegations of corruption against members of his government.

Today Schüssel lives with his family in Vienna and is optimistic about the future, especially for the following generation. He is involved in various organizations and remains an important figure in the European political landscape, including his role as chairman of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and as President of United Europe.

The documentary about Wolfgang Schüssel, "The Chancellor of the Wall", will be broadcast on ORF 2 and ORF ON on June 9th at 10:15 p.m., and offers a comprehensive insight into life and the political career of this dazzling personality.

Further information on Wolfgang Schüssel can be found in detailed reporting on Wikipedia as well as in a historical context about the political development of Austria on Democracy Center.org .