Terezija Stoisits
Encyclopedia
Terezija Stoisits [ˈtɛrɛzija ˈstɔjʃitɕ] (born November 14, 1958 in Stinatz/Stinjaki
, Burgenland
) is an Austrian politician of the Green Party. Since July 2007 she serves as an ombudswoman
of the Republic of Austria
. Before that she was the longest serving member of parliament
of her party.
and is fluent in both German
und Croatian
. She went to high school in Güssing
and concluded her maturity exam
in 1977. She studied law
at the University Vienna, graduating with a master's degree
in 1985. Thereafter she completed a one year judiciary internship and was then employed at the Federal Ministry of Education, Arts and Sports
.
. From 1992 to 1996 she was member of the federal board of trustees of her party, representing the so-called 10th state, i.e. ethnic groups and minorities. In the parliament Stoisits served as spokeswoman of her party - mainly for
minorities, human rights
, migration
and justiciary - and actively took part in several committees, including interior affairs
, armed services
and culture
. From 1999 to 2002 she chaired the Austrian Parliamentary Committee for Human Rights. Stoisits was a member of the Austrian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
(in 2000) and of the Austria Convent (deliberating from 2003 to 2005 about a state reform). She was elected to the Board of the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism
and the Versöhnungsfond, an Austrian fund for the compensation of forced labourers during the Nazi regime.
On June 30, 2007 she left the National Council, taking over the function of Ombudswoman of the Republic of Austria the next day. Stoisits is the first representative of The Greens elected in this position.
As a member of parliament Stoisits often addressed issues neglected, ignored or opposed by other parties. She used to start her parliament speeches always with the Croatian phrase: "Dobar dan, poštovane dame i gospodo" ("Have a good day, Ladies and Gentlemen!"), which angered some members of the nationalistic FPÖ
and regularly caused uproar.
In December 1993 Terezija Stoisits was the target of a letter bomb by Franz Fuchs
, who was motivated by racism
and xenophobia
. As the bomb was detected in time, it did not explode.
Terezija Stoisits is living in a longterm partnership with Bruno Aigner, the speaker of Austria's president Heinz Fischer
. Together they have a son, Philipp Andreas.
Stinatz
Stinatz is a town in the district of Güssing in Burgenland in Austria. According to the last census 62% of the population are members of the Burgenland Croat minority.-Geography:...
, Burgenland
Burgenland
Burgenland is the easternmost and least populous state or Land of Austria. It consists of two Statutarstädte and seven districts with in total 171 municipalities. It is 166 km long from north to south but much narrower from west to east...
) is an Austrian politician of the Green Party. Since July 2007 she serves as an ombudswoman
Ombudsman
An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...
of the Republic of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. Before that she was the longest serving member of parliament
National Council of Austria
The National Council is one of the two houses of the Austrian parliament. According to the constitution, the National Council and the complementary Federal Council are peers...
of her party.
Education and profession
Terezija Stoisits grew up as a Burgenland CroatBurgenland Croats
Burgenland Croats are ethnic Croats in the Austrian state of Burgenland. Although an enclave hundreds of kilometres away from their original homeland, they have managed to preserve culture and language for centuries...
and is fluent in both German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
und Croatian
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
. She went to high school in Güssing
Güssing
Güssing is a town in Burgenland, Austria. It is located at , with a population of 3,811 , and is the administrative center of the Güssing district.The Güssing Castle, built in 1157, is the oldest castle in Burgenland and a regional landmark....
and concluded her maturity exam
Matura
Matura or a similar term is the common name for the high-school leaving exam or "maturity exam" in various countries, including Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia,...
in 1977. She studied law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
at the University Vienna, graduating with a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in 1985. Thereafter she completed a one year judiciary internship and was then employed at the Federal Ministry of Education, Arts and Sports
Federal Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture (Austria)
The Federal Ministry for Education, Arts and Culture is a ministry of the Austrian federal government. It has offices in Vienna...
.
Political career
On November 5, 1990 Stoisits was sworn in as member of the National Council of AustriaNational Council of Austria
The National Council is one of the two houses of the Austrian parliament. According to the constitution, the National Council and the complementary Federal Council are peers...
. From 1992 to 1996 she was member of the federal board of trustees of her party, representing the so-called 10th state, i.e. ethnic groups and minorities. In the parliament Stoisits served as spokeswoman of her party - mainly for
minorities, human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
, migration
Migration
Migration, Migratory behavior, or Migratory may refer* Gene migration, a process in evolution and population genetics* Animal migration, the travelling of long distances in search of a new habitat...
and justiciary - and actively took part in several committees, including interior affairs
Internal affairs
Internal affairs may refer to:* Internal affairs of a state* Internal affairs , a division of a law enforcement agency which investigates cases of lawbreaking by members of that agency...
, armed services
Armed Services
Armed Services is a collective term that refers to the major organisational entities of national armed forces, so named because they service a combat need in a specific combat environment. In most states Armed Services include the Army also known as Land Force or Ground Force, Navy also know a...
and culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
. From 1999 to 2002 she chaired the Austrian Parliamentary Committee for Human Rights. Stoisits was a member of the Austrian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe , which held its first session in Strasbourg on 10 August 1949, can be considered the oldest international parliamentary assembly with a pluralistic composition of democratically elected members of parliament established on the basis of an...
(in 2000) and of the Austria Convent (deliberating from 2003 to 2005 about a state reform). She was elected to the Board of the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism
National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism
The National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism, , is a fund created by the Republic of Austria to seek to apply restitution for property confiscated by the Nazis during World War II...
and the Versöhnungsfond, an Austrian fund for the compensation of forced labourers during the Nazi regime.
On June 30, 2007 she left the National Council, taking over the function of Ombudswoman of the Republic of Austria the next day. Stoisits is the first representative of The Greens elected in this position.
As a member of parliament Stoisits often addressed issues neglected, ignored or opposed by other parties. She used to start her parliament speeches always with the Croatian phrase: "Dobar dan, poštovane dame i gospodo" ("Have a good day, Ladies and Gentlemen!"), which angered some members of the nationalistic FPÖ
FPO
FPO may refer to:*Fleet Post Office, a "city" designation in military mail *Field post office, a term for military post offices in military mail systems *For position only, a designation for placeholder graphics...
and regularly caused uproar.
In December 1993 Terezija Stoisits was the target of a letter bomb by Franz Fuchs
Franz Fuchs
Franz Fuchs was a xenophobic Austrian terrorist. Between 1993 and 1997 he killed four people and injured 15, some of them seriously, using three improvised explosive devices and five waves of 25 mailbombs in total.Fuchs' mailbomb campaigns and his personality features are according to criminal...
, who was motivated by racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
and xenophobia
Xenophobia
Xenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange". It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear."...
. As the bomb was detected in time, it did not explode.
Terezija Stoisits is living in a longterm partnership with Bruno Aigner, the speaker of Austria's president Heinz Fischer
Heinz Fischer
Heinz Fischer GColIH is the President of Austria. He took office on 8 July 2004 and was re-elected for a second and last term on 25 April 2010. Before he took office, Fischer was a member of the Social Democratic Party of Austria...
. Together they have a son, Philipp Andreas.