Timeline
Born in Vienna, Austria.
Obtained Austrian citizenship.
Awarded Dr. rer. oec. from University of Innsbruck.
Became a member of the National Council representing the Green Party.
Became party chairman and spokesman of the Austrian Green Party.
Resigned as spokesman of the Green Party.
Won the re-held presidential election.
Began serving as President of Austria.
Biography
Alexander "Sascha" Van der Bellen, born 18 January 1944, is the current president of Austria, serving since 2017. Previously, he was a professor of economics at the University of Vienna and the spokesman of the Austrian Green Party. He served as a member of the National Council for the Green Party from 1994 to 2012, also leading the party and its parliamentary group. In the 2016 presidential election, he ran as a nominally independent candidate supported by the Greens, winning the re-held second round. Van der Bellen identifies as a centrist liberal, supporting green and social liberal policies, and advocates for European federalism. He is the first directly elected Green president of a European Union country.
Early Life & Background
Van der Bellen was born in Vienna, Austria, on 18 January 1944, to Russian and Estonian parents who were refugees from Soviet-occupied Estonia. His patrilineal ancestors, of Dutch origin, emigrated to the Russian Empire in the 18th century. His grandfather served as head of civilian regional government in Pskov. The family moved from Estonia to Nazi Germany in 1941, eventually settling in Vienna, then escaping to Tyrol as the Red Army approached. He obtained Austrian citizenship in 1958, along with his parents, having previously held Estonian citizenship. He was baptized into the Lutheran Church.
Education
Van der Bellen completed primary school in Innsbruck and his Matura at the Academic Grammar School Innsbruck in 1962. He studied economics at the University of Innsbruck, earning a master's degree in 1966 and a Dr. rer. oec. in 1970. He worked as a scientific assistant and research fellow before becoming a university assistant and receiving his habilitation in 1975. He was an associate professor at the University of Innsbruck from 1976 to 1980, and an extraordinary university professor for economics at the University of Vienna from 1980 to 1999, also serving as dean of the faculty for economics from 1990 to 1994. He resigned as professor in 2009.
Political & Professional Career
Alexander Van der Bellen was a member of the Social Democratic Party from the mid-1970s to the late 1980s before joining the Green Party. He served as a member of the National Council representing the Green Party from 1994 to 2012. From December 1997 to October 2008, he was the longest-serving spokesman and party chairman of the Austrian Greens, leading the party to increased vote shares in three legislative elections. He also served as parliamentary leader of the Green Party in the National Council from 1999 to 2008. In February 2011, he was elected Commissioner for Universities and Research for the City of Vienna. Running as a nominally independent candidate supported by the Greens, he won the 2016 presidential election, which was re-held after an annulment, taking office as President of Austria in 2017.
Key Achievements & Legacy
Serving as President of Austria since 2017., Became the first directly elected Green president of a European Union country., Served as the longest-serving spokesman in the history of the Austrian Greens (almost eleven years)., Led the Green Party to increasing vote shares in three consecutive legislative elections (1999, 2002, 2006)., Successfully transitioned from a distinguished academic career to a prominent political leader.