2019 in Austria explained

Events from the year 2019 in Austria.

Incumbents

• President: Alexander Van der Bellen
• Chancellor: Sebastian Kurz (until 28 May), Brigitte Bierlein (from 3 June)

Governors

• Burgenland: Hans Niessl (until 28 February); Hans Peter Doskozil (from 28 February)
• Carinthia: Peter Kaiser
• Lower Austria: Johanna Mikl-Leitner
• Salzburg: Wilfried Haslauer Jr.
• Styria: Hermann Schützenhöfer
• Tyrol: Günther Platter
• Upper Austria: Thomas Stelzer
• Vienna: Michael Ludwig
• Vorarlberg: Markus Wallner

Events

• 1 January - Same-sex marriage becomes legal in Austria.^[1]
• 18 May – Vice chancellor and FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache announces his resignation following the Ibiza affair, he and all of the other FPÖ cabinet members left the government 4 days later.^[2] This left Kurz government as a ÖVP minority government.
• 28 May - Kurz government was dismissed after a motion of no confidence being passed.
• 3 June - President Van der Bellen appointed former president of Constitutional Court Brigitte Bierlein as the first independent chancellor after WWII, as well as the first female to hold the office. She and her technocratic cabinet are expected to leave their positions when a new government is formed after the legislative election to be held in late September.
• 1 November - Austria becomes one of the last European countries to ban smoking in bars and restaurants, after years of debate.^[3]

Sports

• 20 February–3 March: The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships are held in Seefeld in Tirol.

Deaths

• 20 May – Niki Lauda, 70, racing driver and airline owner, Formula One world champion (1975, 1977, 1984).^[4]

See also

• 2019 European Parliament election

Notes and References

1. Web site: Austria just legalised gay marriage. https://web.archive.org/web/20171205140353/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/austria-same-sex-gay-marriage-legal-constitutional-court-lgbt-rights-start-date-couples-a8092516.html . 2017-12-05 . limited . live. 5 December 2017. The Independent. en. 31 January 2019.
2. News: Live-Ticker: Hochspannung vor Kurz' Statement, Neuwahl laut FPÖ-Kreisen fix. Kurier. 18 May 2019. 18 May 2019.
3. News: What you need to know about Austria's new indoor smoking ban. 1 November 2019. The Local Austria. en. 10 February 2020.
4. News: Niki Lauda, Austrian Formula 1 legend, dies at 70. BBC News. BBC. 21 May 2019.