Wilhelm Molterer
Encyclopedia
Wilhelm Molterer is Vice-President and member of the Management Committee of the European Investment Bank (EIB). Before joining the EIB, he was Member of the Austrian Parliament. He has been Vice Chancellor
and Finance Minister of Austria and chairman of the conservative Austrian People's Party
.
n town of Sierning
, and was raised by his aunt and her husband, Josef Molterer, who adopted him at the age of 14 years. He attended the College of Agriculture in Sankt Florian
, graduated in 1974, and studied Social Economic Sciences at the Johannes Kepler University Linz
.
While a student Molterer first engaged in politics; he became head of the Österreichische Studentenunion (ÖSU) local branch at his university, and a member of the local students' council. By 1978, when a long-simmering policy conflict within the Austrian ÖSU developed towards a split in the party, Molterer supported liberal positions which sometimes were quite grossly at odds with the more conservative mainstream opinion of the ÖSU's main sponsor, the Austrian People's Party
. Several Austrian journalists, consulters, entrepreneurs, academicians and finance people who enjoy national and international reputation today (for instance, Peter Adler, Helmut Brandstätter, Gerald Bast, Hermann Mucke
and Wolfgang Pilarz) were Molterer's immediate peers in the ÖSU national executive board at this time. In 1980, he obtained his master's degree.
. He was Austrian minister of agriculture from 1994 until 2003.
In 2003, he became the chairman of the party's parliamentary club. Just like any other leading politician in Austria at any time, he found it hard to resist the opportunity to politically intervene in the workings of the state-owned national television agency, the ORF
. In Molterer's case his critics coined the term Moltofon as a catchphase for the particularly frequent phone calls the agency reportedly received from his party office.
On 9 January 2007, Molterer was chosen to become managing chairman of the party. He was formally elected chairman of the party at the federal party convention on 21 April 2007. By terminating his party's participation in the Grand Coalition with the SPÖ , he precipitated the early re-elections held on 28 September 2008, which ended in the worst result for the ÖVP
(and the SPÖ) since their respective inception after World War II. Wilhelm Molterer stepped down as chairman of the party on 29 September 2008 and was succeeded by Josef Pröll
.
Vice Chancellor of Austria
In Austrian politics, the Vice-Chancellor is a member of the federal government acting as a deputy to the Federal Chancellor.Art. 69 of the Constitution of Austria states:...
and Finance Minister of Austria and chairman of the conservative Austrian People's Party
Austrian People's Party
The Austrian People's Party is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Austria. A successor to the Christian Social Party of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it is similar to the Christian Democratic Union of Germany in terms of ideology...
.
Youth and early years in politics
Molterer's birth name is Kletzmayr. He grew up in the Upper AustriaUpper Austria
Upper Austria is one of the nine states or Bundesländer of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders on Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as on the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Salzburg...
n town of Sierning
Sierning
Sierning is a municipality in the district of Steyr-Land in Upper Austria, Austria. As of 2009 estimates, there are 9.071 people living in the market town of Sierning, in an area of 38,2 km². Geographically, it is located between the city of Steyr and the health resort Bad Hall....
, and was raised by his aunt and her husband, Josef Molterer, who adopted him at the age of 14 years. He attended the College of Agriculture in Sankt Florian
Sankt Florian
Sankt Florian is a town in Upper Austria, Austria. It is 10 miles from Linz, with a population of 5,500 and an elevation of 296 meters above sea level.-St. Florian's Priory and basilica:...
, graduated in 1974, and studied Social Economic Sciences at the Johannes Kepler University Linz
Johannes Kepler University of Linz
The Johannes Kepler University of Linz is a public institution of higher education in Linz, the capital of Upper Austria...
.
While a student Molterer first engaged in politics; he became head of the Österreichische Studentenunion (ÖSU) local branch at his university, and a member of the local students' council. By 1978, when a long-simmering policy conflict within the Austrian ÖSU developed towards a split in the party, Molterer supported liberal positions which sometimes were quite grossly at odds with the more conservative mainstream opinion of the ÖSU's main sponsor, the Austrian People's Party
Austrian People's Party
The Austrian People's Party is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Austria. A successor to the Christian Social Party of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it is similar to the Christian Democratic Union of Germany in terms of ideology...
. Several Austrian journalists, consulters, entrepreneurs, academicians and finance people who enjoy national and international reputation today (for instance, Peter Adler, Helmut Brandstätter, Gerald Bast, Hermann Mucke
Hermann Mucke (bioscientist)
Hermann A. M. Mucke is an Austrian bioscientist with a peer-review publishing record in the fields of molecular biology, neuropsychiatry, cardiology and ophthalmology, mostly from the perspective of drug development...
and Wolfgang Pilarz) were Molterer's immediate peers in the ÖSU national executive board at this time. In 1980, he obtained his master's degree.
Professional politician
From 1981 to 1984, Molterer was active in the Austrian Farmers' Association. Starting in 1987, he worked in the Austrian ministry of agriculture, under the ministers Josef Riegler and Franz FischlerFranz Fischler
Franz Fischler is an Austrian politician. He was the European Union's Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries ....
. He was Austrian minister of agriculture from 1994 until 2003.
In 2003, he became the chairman of the party's parliamentary club. Just like any other leading politician in Austria at any time, he found it hard to resist the opportunity to politically intervene in the workings of the state-owned national television agency, the ORF
ORF
ORF may refer to:* ORF , the Austrian public service broadcaster.* Open reading frame, a portion of the genome.* The IATA airport code for Norfolk International Airport in Norfolk, Virginia.* ORF format , Olympus raw image file format....
. In Molterer's case his critics coined the term Moltofon as a catchphase for the particularly frequent phone calls the agency reportedly received from his party office.
On 9 January 2007, Molterer was chosen to become managing chairman of the party. He was formally elected chairman of the party at the federal party convention on 21 April 2007. By terminating his party's participation in the Grand Coalition with the SPÖ , he precipitated the early re-elections held on 28 September 2008, which ended in the worst result for the ÖVP
Austrian People's Party
The Austrian People's Party is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Austria. A successor to the Christian Social Party of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it is similar to the Christian Democratic Union of Germany in terms of ideology...
(and the SPÖ) since their respective inception after World War II. Wilhelm Molterer stepped down as chairman of the party on 29 September 2008 and was succeeded by Josef Pröll
Josef Pröll
Josef Pröll is a former Austrian politician and was the chairman of the Austrian People's Party from 2008 until 2011. He served as Vice Chancellor and Minister of Finance....
.