Alexander Van der Bellen
Who was Alexander Van der Bellen?
Austrian economist and politician who has served as President of Austria since 2017, previously working as a professor of economics at the University of Vienna.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Alexander Van der Bellen (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Alexander Van der Bellen was born on January 18, 1944, in Vienna to Russian and Estonian parents who had escaped the Soviet occupation of Estonia. His family became Austrian citizens in 1958, and Van der Bellen went on to have a varied career in academia, politics, and public service. He comes from the aristocratic Van der Bellen family with Dutch roots that served in the old Russian Empire.
He studied at the Akademisches Gymnasium in Innsbruck before attending the University of Innsbruck, where he specialized in economics. He later became a professor of economics at the University of Vienna, gaining respect as a scholar before moving into politics.
Van der Bellen started his political career with the Austrian Green Party, where he was both party leader and parliamentary group leader. From 1994 to 2012, he represented the Greens in the National Council, Austria's lower house of parliament, and was known for advocating environmental and liberal policies. His political views blend green policies with social liberalism.
In 2016, Van der Bellen ran for President of Austria as an independent candidate with Green Party backing. He focused on pro-European Union positions, appealing to centrist voters. After coming second in the first round of voting, he faced Norbert Hofer of the Freedom Party in a runoff. Although he initially won, the Constitutional Court overturned the results due to issues with absentee ballots, leading to a new election in December 2016, which Van der Bellen won with about 54% of the vote.
Since becoming president in 2017, Van der Bellen has promoted European integration and federalism, ideas he detailed in his 2015 book. He has received several international honors, such as the Grand Star of the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria and awards from Italy, Germany, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. His presidency is noted for his support of multilateralism and European cooperation, making him an important figure in Austrian and European politics today.
Before Fame
Van der Bellen's early life was influenced by his family's experience as refugees. His Russian and Estonian parents fled Soviet occupation and settled in Austria, which later shaped his commitment to Europe and democracy. He did well in school, attended top institutions in Innsbruck, and became an economics professor at the University of Vienna.
He moved from academia to politics during a time of growing environmental awareness in Europe. The Austrian Green Party, started in 1986, gave intellectuals like Van der Bellen a way to blend environmental issues with broader liberal democratic ideas, paving the way for his national prominence.
Key Achievements
- Served as President of Austria since 2017
- Led the Austrian Green Party as both party leader and parliamentary spokesman from 1994-2012
- Won the 2016 Austrian presidential election, defeating far-right candidate Norbert Hofer
- Established career as economics professor at University of Vienna
- Became the first directly elected Green president in European Union history
Did You Know?
- 01.He is commonly referred to by the nickname "Sascha" and the abbreviation "VdB"
- 02.Van der Bellen is the second Green president of a European Union country after Latvia's Raimonds Vējonis, but the first to be directly elected by popular vote
- 03.The 2016 presidential election results were annulled by Austria's Constitutional Court due to absentee votes being counted prematurely, forcing a complete re-run of the second round
- 04.He has been married twice, first to Brigitte Van der Bellen and later to Doris Schmidauer
- 05.Van der Bellen wrote a book in 2015 outlining his vision for European federalism and integration
Family & Personal Life
Awards & Honors
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Star of the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria | — | — |
| honorary citizenship | — | — |
| Grand Collar of the Military Order of Saint James of the Sword | — | — |
| Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic | — | — |
| Grand Cross of the Order of the White Double Cross | 2019 | — |
| Grand cross of the Order of the White Lion | — | — |
| Decoration for Exceptional Merits | 2022 | — |
| Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany | 2025 | — |