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Haider, Austrian Rightist, to Step Down November 25, 2002 By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 10:14 a.m. ET VIENNA, Austria (AP) -- Joerg Haider, the far-right leader known for his visits to Iraq and praise of Adolf Hitler's policies, said Monday that he would resign as governor of an Austrian province and may leave politics following his party's poor showing in general elections. Haider, who led the anti-immigration Freedom Party until May 2000, told Austrian state radio that he planned to meet with party leaders later in the day to discuss his plans. In the radio interview, Haider said he has had enough of politics because, he explained: ``If one has done reconstruction work for so many years and is presented with such a bill, one should know which decision to make for oneself.'' Haider has said in the past that he would leave politics, but his vow Monday was taken more seriously after the disastrous showing of his Freedom Party, which received just 10 percent of the vote Sunday compared to nearly 27 percent in 1999 elections. The conservative People's Party of Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel won over 42 percent in Sunday's vote, according to preliminary results released by the Interior Ministry. The Social Democrats, the strongest party in the elections in 1999, received just under 37 percent of the vote, and the environmentalist Greens came fourth at 9 percent. Despite its poor showing, the Freedom Party was still expected to be able to form part of the next ruling coalition. Both the Greens and the Social Democrats appear unwilling to ally themselves with the conservatives. ``Breathtaking,'' Schuessel said of his party's win. He declined to discuss his plans for coalition partners, saying he would enter talks with all other major parties. The People Party's win was closely linked to the loss of popularity of Haider and his party, following months of infighting that forced popular moderates out of government and left it dominated by rightists loyal to Haider. Although some former Freedom Party voters drifted to the Social Democrats, most appeared to have backed the People's Party, preferring Schuessel's pro-business policies to Gusenbauer's emphasis on boosting social spending. The Schuessel-led government had a mixed record, increasing some benefits and balancing the budget but also raising taxes. Still, most Freedom Party swing voters identified more closely with his party's conservative ideology than the leftist Social Democrats. When Haider's party first came to power in 1999, the European Union imposed seven months of diplomatic sanctions on Austria, alarmed by his anti-foreigner stance, veiled slights of Jews and open admiration for some of Adolf Hitler's policies. Israel withdrew its ambassador and still has not replaced him. Weariness with the status quo pushed many voters in 1999 to embrace Haider and his establishment-bashing line that Austria's problems were caused by the corruption and favoritism of ``those in power.'' To broaden the party's appeal and ease Austria's isolation in Europe, Haider gave up the party leadership in favor of Susanne Riess-Passer, a moderate, on May 1, 2000. Under her, the party claimed credit for its role in increasing social benefits to families with young children and trimming union powers. However, Carinthia, the province Haider now governs, was too small to contain his political ambitions. Picking a fight over the government's failure to cut taxes, he forced his party out of the coalition and left it again dominated by the anti-foreigner rightist faction that only the most loyal Haider fans appeared to have supported Sunday. His three trips to Iraq in little more than a year also drew local and international criticism. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Austria-Election.html?ex=1039244304&ei=1&en=e62b4034599138a1 HOW TO ADVERTISE --------------------------------- For information on advertising in e-mail newsletters or other creative advertising opportunities with The New York Times on the Web, please contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit our online media kit at http://www.nytimes.com/adinfo For general information about NYTimes.com, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! 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