Norbert Hofer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Norbert Hofer
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Hofer in 2019
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| Third President of the National Council | |
| In office 23 October 2019 – 23 October 2024 |
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| President | Wolfgang Sobotka |
| Preceded by | Anneliese Kitzmüller |
| Succeeded by | Doris Bures |
| In office 29 October 2013 – 18 December 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Martin Graf |
| Succeeded by | Anneliese Kitzmüller |
| Chair of the Freedom Party | |
| In office 14 September 2019 – 1 June 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Heinz-Christian Strache |
| Succeeded by | Herbert Kickl |
| Minister of Transport, Innovation and Technology |
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| In office 18 December 2017 – 22 May 2019 |
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| Chancellor | Sebastian Kurz |
| Preceded by | Jörg Leichtfried |
| Succeeded by | Valerie Hackl |
| Member of the National Council | |
| In office 23 October 2019 – 24 October 2024 |
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| Nominated by | Himself |
| Affiliation | Freedom Party |
| In office 24 May 2019 – 22 October 2019 |
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| Constituency | 1 – Burgenland |
| In office 28 October 2008 – 18 December 2017 |
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| Constituency | 1 – Burgenland |
| In office 30 October 2006 – 27 October 2008 |
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| Nominated by | Heinz-Christian Strache |
| Affiliation | Freedom Party |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Norbert Gerwald Hofer
2 March 1971 Vorau, Hartberg-Fürstenfeld, Styria, Austria |
| Political party | Freedom Party |
| Spouse | Verena Malus |
| Children | 4 |
Norbert Gerwald Hofer was born on March 2, 1971. He is an Austrian politician. From June 2019 to June 2021, he was the leader of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ). Before that, he served as the Minister of Transport, Innovation, and Technology from 2017 to 2019. He worked under Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.
Hofer also served as the Third President of the National Council from 2013 to 2017. The National Council is like one of Austria's main law-making bodies. He was his party's choice for president in the 2016 Austrian presidential election. He won the first round of voting. However, he lost to The Greens' candidate, Alexander Van der Bellen, in the final vote.
After the election, he became the Minister for Transport in the government led by Sebastian Kurz. He became the official leader of the Freedom Party in September 2019. He had been acting leader since May 2019. He stepped down as party leader in 2021. This happened after he had a disagreement with Herbert Kickl.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Norbert Hofer was born in Vorau, Austria. His father was a local politician and director of an electric power station. Hofer grew up in a regular family in Pinkafeld, Burgenland.
He finished high school at the HTBLA Eisenstadt. He specialized in aeronautics, which is about designing and building aircraft. From 1990 to 1991, Hofer completed his military service. After that, from 1991 to 1994, he worked as an aeronautical engineer. He worked at a company called Lauda Air Engineering.
Political Career
Hofer started working his way up in the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ). He became a close helper to Heinz-Christian Strache. Strache took over as the leader of the Freedom Party in 2005.
From 1996 to 2007, Hofer was a key party official for the FPÖ in Burgenland. He was also a council member for the City of Eisenstadt from 1997 to 2007. Since 2006, he has been a deputy leader for the party in his region. He also spoke for the FPÖ on energy and environmental issues. He was a spokesperson for people with disabilities in the National Council.
Hofer became the Third President of Austria's National Council on October 29, 2013. This is an important role in the Austrian Parliament.
Austrian Presidential Election, 2016
On January 28, 2016, the FPÖ announced Hofer as their candidate for president. He won the first round of the election on April 24. He was very close in votes to Alexander Van der Bellen. Van der Bellen was a former spokesperson for the Green Party.
Hofer's campaign focused on "putting Austria first." He received the most votes in the first round, with 35.1 percent. This meant he would go to a second round of voting. This was the best result for the Freedom Party at a national level since 1956. Hofer gained support during a time when many people were seeking safety in Austria. About 90,000 people applied for asylum in Austria. This put a strain on the country's resources. The Freedom Party had disagreed with the government's original welcoming approach.
Hofer said during his campaign that he wanted to dissolve the Parliament. This would mean calling for new elections. He also stated he might not approve certain laws. One example was a planned trade agreement between the European Union and the United States.
The second round of the election was held on May 22, 2016. Hofer received 49.7% of the votes. Van der Bellen, his opponent, received 50.3%. The difference was only about 30,863 votes. Later, it was shown that some absentee ballots were counted too early. This could have changed the result. So, on July 1, the Constitutional Court of Austria canceled the second round results. They ordered the election to be held again. The president at the time, Heinz Fischer, left office on July 8. So, the three presidents of the National Council – Doris Bures, Karlheinz Kopf, and Hofer – became acting presidents of Austria together.
The Court-ordered election was held again on December 4, 2016. Van der Bellen won again. More people voted in this election than in May. Van der Bellen won by a larger margin this time. He received about 53.3% of the votes. Hofer accepted the results soon after they were announced. He posted on Facebook: "I congratulate Alexander Van der Bellen for his success." He also asked all Austrians to work together. Hofer remained an acting president until Van der Bellen officially took office on January 26, 2017.
Federal Minister
The FPÖ did well in the 2017 Austrian legislative election. They formed a government with the Austrian People's Party. Hofer was chosen to lead the Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology. This ministry deals with transportation, new ideas, and technology.
Ideology and Political Positions
Many news sources describe Hofer as "far-right." However, some say he is a more moderate face of the FPÖ. They see him as less extreme than former party leader Heinz-Christian Strache.
Hofer himself has said he is a patriot, not a nationalist. He describes the FPÖ as a "centre-right party with a high degree of social responsibility." He has mentioned former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as someone who influenced his political ideas.
In February 2015, Hofer suggested that South Tyrol should become part of Austria. South Tyrol is a German-speaking area in Italy that used to be part of Austria-Hungary. In 2016, Hofer said he would want Austria to vote on leaving the European Union. This would happen if the European Parliament gained more power or if Turkey joined the EU. Hofer also supports the right to gun ownership.
Personal Life
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Norbert Hofer is married for the second time. He has four children: two daughters, Anna-Sophie and Vivien, and two sons, Yanik and Jeremie. He was raised Catholic but later became Protestant. His wife and children are Catholic. He lives in southern Burgenland.
Hofer is an honorary member of a conservative student group called Marko-Germania zu Pinkafeld. He is also an honorary knight of the Order of St. George.
In August 2003, Hofer had a serious accident while paragliding in Stubenberg. He hurt his spine badly. He spent six months recovering. He went from using a wheelchair to needing a cane to walk.
He enjoys guns and carries a Glock handgun. Besides his native German, Hofer also speaks English.
See also
In Spanish: Norbert Hofer para niños
