2008 in Austria

Events from the year 2008 in Austria

← 2007 2006 2005 2008 in Austria → 2009 2010 2011
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See also:	Other events of 2008 List of years in Austria

Incumbents

• President: Heinz Fischer
• Chancellor:
  • Alfred Gusenbauer (till December 2)
  • Werner Faymann (from December 2)

Governors

• Burgenland: Hans Niessl
• Carinthia:
  • Jörg Haider (till October 11)
  • Gerhard Dörfler (from October 11)
• Lower Austria: Erwin Pröll
• Salzburg: Gabi Burgstaller
• Styria: Franz Voves
• Tyrol:
  • Herwig van Staa (till July 1)
  • Günther Platter (from July 1)
• Upper Austria: Josef Pühringer
• Vienna: Michael Häupl
• Vorarlberg: Herbert Sausgruber

Events

March

• March 1 – Austria and other countries in Central Europe are hit by Cyclone Emma. Aside from property damage in the millions, ^[1] one woman was killed by a tree falling on her car. ^[2]
• March 9 – 2008 Lower Austrian state election: The Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) retained its majority and Erwin Pröll remains Governor of Lower Austria. The major opposition party, the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ), suffered substantial losses. The Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) partially recovered from its 2003 losses, more than doubling its voteshare and tripling its number of seats. ^[3]

April

• April 26 – Fritzl Case: Elisabeth Fritzl and her children are released from their captivity, leading to the discovery of the crimes committed by her father Josef Fritzl. He had kept her imprisoned for 24 years in a hidden room of his basement, where he continually sexually abused and raped her, which resulted in the birth of seven children. ^[4]

June

• June 8 – 2008 Tyrolean state election: The governing parties Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) and Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) both lose about ten percent, while the newly founded Fritz Dinkhauser List takes second place with 18.4% of votes. The ÖVP (which had the most votes by far with over 40%) forms a coalition with the SPÖ and replaces Herwig van Staa with Günther Platter as new Governor of Tyrol. ^[5]

July

• July 7 – Vice-Chancellor, Finance Minister and Chair of the Austrian People's Party Wilhelm Molterer resigns from the governing grand coalition (led by the Social Democratic Party of Austria) and calls for re-elections. ^[6]

August

• August 8 – Werner Faymann is elected as the new Chair of the Social Democratic Party of Austria. ^[7]

September

• September 28 – 2008 Austrian legislative election: The governing parties Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) and Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) both experience their worst election results up to that point, due to common dissatisfaction with the grand coalition. Far-right parties Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) and Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ) gain over six percentage points of votes each, but still remain behind the SPÖ and ÖVP. ^[8]
• September 29 – Following the results of the legislative election Wilhelm Molterer steps down as Chair of the Austrian People's Party. ^[9]

October

• October 3 – Alexander Van der Bellen steps down as Spokesperson of The Greens and is provisionally replaced by Eva Glawischnig. ^[10]
• October 11 – Jörg Haider, Chair of the Alliance for the Future of Austria, dies in a car crash near Köttmansdorf in the state of Carinthia. ^[11]

November

• November 23 – Despite their losses in the 2008 Austrian legislative election the previous ruling parties Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) and Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) agree to renew the grand coalition. ^[12]
• November 29 – Josef Pröll is elected as the new Chair of the Austrian People's Party. ^[13]

December

• December 2 – The new government, later known as First Faymann government, is officially sworn in. Werner Faymann (Chair of the Social Democratic Party) becomes Chancellor of Austria, while Josef Pröll (Chair of the Austrian People's Party) is declared Vice-Chancellor of Austria. ^[12]

Sports

• UEFA Euro 2008

Deaths

January

• January 13 – Walter Zimper, 65, Austrian politician (b. 1942). ^[14]
• January 14 – Vincenz Liechtenstein, 57, Austrian politician (b. 1950). ^[15]

February

• February 6 – Kurt Nemetz, 81, Austrian Olympic cyclist (b. 1926). ^[16]
• February 10 – Peter Marginter, 73, Austrian author (b. 1934). ^[17]
• February 21 – Hans Janitschek, 73, Austrian journalist, heart attack (b. 1934). ^[18]

March

• March 17 – Claude Farell, 93, Austrian actress (b. 1918). ^[19]
• March 29 – Josef Mikl, 78, Austrian painter, cancer (1929). ^[20]

April

• April 9 – Daniela Klemenschits, 25, Austrian tennis player, abdominal cancer (b. 1982). ^[21]
• April 28 – Hans Eder, 81, Austrian Olympic skier (b. 1927). ^[22]

May

• May 7 – Gernot Zippe, 90, Austrian engineer (b. 1917). ^[23]
• May 27 – Ed Arno, 91, Austrian-American cartoonist, caricaturist, illustrator and comics artist (b. 1916). ^[24]

June

• June 7 – Horst Skoff, 39, Austrian tennis player, heart attack (b. 1968). ^[25]
• June 17 – Josef Pohnetal, 83, Austrian Olympic cyclist (b. 1925). ^[26]
• June 23 – Judith Holzmeister, 88, Austrian actress (b. 1920). ^[27]

August

• August 5 – Bruno Dallansky, 79, Austrian actor (b. 1928). ^[28]
• August 11
  • Günther Schifter, 84, Austrian journalist and radio presenter (b. 1923). ^[29]
  • Fred Sinowatz, 79, Austrian politician, chancellor of Austria (1983–1986) (b. 1929). ^[30]
• August 16 – Alfred Rainer, 20, Austrian Nordic combined skier, paragliding accident (b. 1987). ^[31]

October

• October 10 – Kurt Weinzierl, 77, Austrian actor (b. 1931). ^[32]
• October 11 – Jörg Haider, 58, Austrian politician, Governor of Carinthia (1989–1991, since 1999), leader of the FPÖ and BZÖ, car accident (b. 1950). ^[33]
• October 24 – Helmut Zilk, 81, Austrian politician, Mayor of Vienna (1984–1994), heart failure (b. 1927). ^[34]

November

• November 26 – Edwin Ernest Salpeter, 83, Austrian-born American astrophysicist, leukemia (b. 1924). ^[35]

December

• December 26 – Eberhard Kneisl, 92, Austrian Olympic alpine skier (b. 1916). ^[36]
• December 30 – Paul Hofmann, 96, Austrian writer, informant against the Nazis (b. 1912). ^[37]

References

1. ORF.at: Archived (Date missing) at orf.at (Error: unknown archive URL) 3 March 2008.
2. Sturm "Emma": Tod durch Baum vorhersehbar ORF 22 March 2008, retrieved 29 January 2009.
3. "State of Lower Austria – Landtag election 2008". Lower Austrian Government.
4. "The Amstetten Horror House: 8,516 Days in Darkness". Spiegel Online . 6 May 2008. Archived from the original on 8 May 2008. Retrieved 6 May 2008.
5. "Tyrol: Governor Van Staa resigns". Die Presse. 23 June 2008.
6. "BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Austria ruling coalition crumbles". News.bbc.co.uk. 7 July 2008. Archived from the original on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 26 November 2008.
7. Archived (Date missing) at bka.gv.at (Error: unknown archive URL) Website des BKA, retrieved 9 February 2013.
8. Pancevski, Bojan (29 September 2008). "Far Right storms election as Austrians back anti-EU rhetoric – Times Online". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 11 October 2011. Retrieved 26 November 2008.
9. ORF: Wechsel "möglichst rasch", 29 September 2008.
10. Peter Mayr, Michael Völker: Alexander Van der Bellen tritt zurück – Glawischnig folgt nach. In: Der Standard, Printed 4/5 October 2008, retrieved 7 May 2016.
11. "Austrian far-right leader Haider dies in crash". The Irish Times . 11 October 2008. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2008. "This is for us like the end of the world," said Mr Haider's spokesman, Stefan Petzner. He said Haider had been heading to a town near Klagenfurt in the mountainous southern province for a gathering of his family to mark his mother's 90th birthday.
12. "New Austrian government takes office". International Herald Tribune . Associated Press. 2 December 2008. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
13. Josef Pröll mit 89,6 % zum ÖVP-Chef gewählt, ORF NÖ, 28 November 2008.
14. "Walter Zimper gestorben". ORF (in German). 13 January 2008. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
15. "Vincenz Liechtenstein ist tot". ORF (in German). 14 January 2008. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
16. "Kurt Nemetz". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
17. "Peter Marginter 1934–2008". Der Standard (in German). 17 February 2008. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
18. Williams, Ian (4 March 2008). "The man who erected an elephant: remembering Hans Janitschek". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
19. "Monika Burg alias Claude Farell 89-jährig gestorben". Der Standard (in German). 27 March 2008. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
20. Masters, Christopher (16 April 2008). "Josef Mikl: Austrian abstract artist". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
21. "Former Austrian tennis player Daniela Klemenschits dies of cancer at age 25". Yahoo! News. 9 April 2008. Archived from the original on 14 April 2008. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
22. "Hans Eder". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
23. Bernstein, Jeremy (2014). "Unintended Consequences". Nuclear Iran. Harvard University Press. pp. 54–75. doi:10.2307/j.ctt9qdtf0. ISBN   978-0-67441-708-3. JSTOR   j.ctt9qdtf0.
24. "The Times & The Sunday Times". www.thetimes.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
25. "Tod im Hamburger Hinterhof". Der Standard (in German). 10 June 2008. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
26. "Josef Pohnetal". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
27. "Judith Holzmeister dies at 88". Austrian Times. 23 June 2008. Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
28. Wilhelm, Mario (August 2008). "Er war Oberinspektor Pfeiffer". Tatort-Fundus (in German). Archived from the original on 11 September 2008. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
29. "Günther "Howdy" Schifter ist tot". Kurier (in German). 11 August 2008. Archived from the original on 14 August 2008. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
30. "Former Austrian chancellor Sinowatz dies". Earth Times.org. 11 August 2008. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
31. "Austrian skier Rainer dies after paragliding fall". ESPN. Archived from the original on 25 September 2008. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
32. "Austrian actor Kurt Weinzierl dies at 77 years of age". Austrian Times. 13 October 2008. Archived from the original on 31 May 2011. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
33. "Austria's Haider dies in accident". BBC News. 11 October 2008. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
34. "Ex-Vienna mayor targeted by letter bomb dies at 81". Reuters. 24 October 2008. Archived from the original on January 11, 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
35. Lynden-Bell, Donald (5 March 2009). "Professor Edwin Salpeter: Seminal astrophysicist who made pivotal contributions to the study of the universe". The Independent. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
36. "Eberhard Kneisl". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
37. Tagliabue, John (1 January 2009). "Paul Hofmann, Author and Foe of Nazis, Dies at 96". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 September 2018.

1. Cellar father faces murder charge, BBC News. November 13, 2008.