Opening Remarks, Wednesday, 2. May 2018, 05:00pm

Michael Häupl is Vienna’s mayor and governor. Since 1994 he directs the fortunes of the city. He is thus the longest serving, elected mayor of Vienna.

After graduating from the Bundesrealgymnasium Krems / Danube, Michael Häupl studied biology and zoology at the University of Vienna. With a dissertation on the topic “functional anatomical examinations on the cranial skeleton and the head musculature of different kinds of the family Gekkonidae” he graduated in 1977 Dr. med. phil. From 1975 to 1983 he worked as Researcher at the Natural History Museum.

During his studies, Häupl was involved in the Association of Socialist Students of Austria (VSStÖ), whose federal chairman he was from 1975 to 1977. As a result, he participated in the SPÖ-Ottakring and took over various functions within the “Young Generation” of the SPÖ, as in 1982, the chairmanship of the Vienna State Group. In 1983 he moved to the Vienna state parliament and municipal council. In January 1988, he followed the resigned Helmut Braun as acting city councilor for environment, leisure and sport (from 1991: environment and sport). In November 1994, he finally followed Helmut Zilk as mayor and governor of Vienna. Already in April 1993, he took over the chairmanship of the Vienna SPÖ.

Häupl was at the head of a SPÖ single government from 1994 to 1996 and from 2001 to 2010.

As a result of his duties, Michael Häupl has served as President of the Austrian Association of Cities since 1995, among others. From 2004 to 2010, he was a member of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions. At the SPÖ federal level, Häupl is deputy federal party chairman and, in May / June 2016, temporarily led the party after the resignation of Werner Faymann.

In January 2018, Michael Ludwig took over the function of the state party chairman of Häupl and will succeed him on May 24, 2018 as mayor.