Austria's Far-Right Leader, Jörg Haider, Dies In Car Accident

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Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:34:15 +0000
AHN Staff

Vienna, Austria (AHN) - Austrian far-right politician, Jörg Haider, died early Saturday morning in a car crash near Klagenfurt in his home province of Carinthia.

The 58-year-old leader of the nationalist Alliance for Austria's Future and governor of the province suffered severe head and chest injuries when he lost control of the car on damp pavement and the vehicle veered off the road, police said.

Police said he was wearing a seat belt but the serious injuries were caused when the vehicle flipped repeatedly before coming to rest almost 40 yards away from the scene of accident.

Reports said Austrians were shocked to hear the news about his accident as he has been the most polarizing figure of the country and had recently helped his party regain a lead in national elections.

He led the party that is anti-immigrant and anti-European Union sentiment to secure 27 percent in the 1999 national elections along with combined with his former party, the Freedom Party, compared to 5 percent gain in 1986.

But he was also known for his remarks praising Adolf Hitler's employment policies and triggered controversy after he visited Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

His parents were early supporters of Hitler's National Socialist Party during the Germany's rule over Austria after it was annexed in 1938.

Haider, whose father was a shoemaker and mother a teacher, was born in Bad Goisern in the Upper Austria province and studied law at the University of Vienna.