Peter Westenthaler

Peter Westenthaler

National Council
In office
October 2006  December 2013
Leader of the Bündnis Zukunft Österreich (BZÖ)
In office
June 2006  August 2008
Preceded by Jörg Haider
Succeeded by Jörg Haider
Personal details
Born (1967-11-06) 6 November 1967
Nationality Austrian
Political party Bündnis Zukunft Österreich

Peter Westenthaler (born "Peter Hojač", 6 November 1967, Vienna) is an Austrian politician. He assumed his mother's maiden name Westenthaler instead of his former surname Hojač (Czech). A member of Jörg Haider's Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) up to the so-called "Knittelfeld Putsch" of 2002,[1] he then worked for Frank Stronach's Magna Steyr, and in June 2006 was elected chairman of the newly founded Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ).

As leader of the BZÖ, Westenthaler was engaged in a heated dispute with FPÖ chairman Heinz-Christian Strache over which of the two political parties is the legal successor to the former FPÖ (the party before the split of 2005 which was a candidate at the Austrian legislative election, 2002).

On 30 August 2008, Peter Westenthaler was officially replaced as chairman of the Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ) by party founder Jörg Haider.

References

  1. Art, David. The Politics of the Nazi Past in Germany and Austria. New York, NY: Cambridge UP, 2006. 193.
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