Republic mourns

Brigitte Bierlein has died

(Bild: APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)

The first female Austrian Chancellor Brigitte Bierlein died unexpectedly on Monday - exactly five years after her inauguration. According to the "Krone" newspaper, the former President of the Constitutional Court succumbed to a short, serious illness. Bierlein was 74 years old. The Republic of Austria mourns across party lines.

Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) paid tribute to Bierlein in a post on X. She had "taken on responsibility at a difficult time, out of love for the Republic and her homeland Austria", wrote Nehammer. Austria is therefore greatly indebted to her.

"Shining example of self-determination"
Bierlein will remain a "shining example of self-determination, equality and breaking through glass ceilings" for future generations, continued the Chancellor, who was shocked by her untimely death. The Republic mourns the loss of a distinguished lawyer, a conscientious public servant and a great Austrian.

Inaugurated as Chancellor five years ago
Bierlein was appointed the first woman to head the Austrian federal government by Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen on June 3, 2019 - exactly five years ago today - following the Ibiza scandal and the collapse of the turquoise-blue coalition under Sebastian Kurz. Bierlein led Austria to new elections without much ado after the Ibiza turmoil. She then ended her public career.

Brigitte Bierlein was Austria's Federal Chancellor from June 2019 to January 2020.

(Bild: APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)

The Federal President was also deeply saddened by Bierlein's death. She had "served the Republic faithfully in many functions, as the guardian of our constitution and also as the first female Federal Chancellor", he wrote on X. Van der Bellen also paid tribute to Bierlein as a "courageous, disciplined woman". She had taken on responsibility when her country needed her. "She will continue to act as a role model for many girls and women, for all of us, in the future," concluded Van der Bellen.

Many thanks for Bierlein's work
Vice-Chancellor and Green Party leader Werner Kogler expressed his "gratitude that I was always able to have in-depth and insightful discussions with her, especially in difficult times." At X, Kogler also paid tribute to Bierlein's significant commitment to Austria's culture as Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of Bundestheater-Holding. Former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) wrote on X that Bierlein had "ensured stability in Austria with a steady hand during a turbulent time". She deserves "thanks from all of us" for her work.

"A certain ambition"
Bierlein is considered a "pioneer" in this country. Not only was she the first female head of government, she was also the first woman to make it to the top of the Constitutional Court. She herself once attested to a "certain ambition". From February 2018 until her inauguration, the career lawyer, who completed her law degree in just four years, was President of the Constitutional Court (VfGH), before which she was Advocate General at the Procurator General's Office from 2003 to 2018.

Determined advocate of the rule of law
Constitutional Court President Christoph Grabenwarter said that the Court had lost an impartial former President and a highly esteemed person, and that Austria had lost a staunch defender of the rule of law. 

SPÖ leader Andreas Babler emphasized that Austria had lost a committed jurist and highly respected personality in Bierlein, who had not hesitated to take on responsibility in one of the most serious crises of the Second Republic after the abrupt end of the black-blue federal government. FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl praised her as a "great personality, lawyer and politician". NEOS leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger spoke of a "sad day for Austria" and called Bierlein "a role model for many" as the first female federal chancellor.

In the judiciary, Bierlein had not only attracted attention with her professional qualifications, but also with her resolutely self-confident demeanor and straightforward and straightforward statements. Switching from judges to public prosecutors in 1977, she became involved in the Association of Austrian Public Prosecutors - and was elected President in 2001. She had to relinquish this function when she joined the Constitutional Court.

The Viennese woman had no time for a family, she could not have imagined combining a job and children, Bierlein said in interviews. Her partner of many years, the judge Ernest Maurer, died in 2021.

Lawyer with a passion for culture
In her free time, Bierlein enjoyed attending art openings and exhibitions, as well as opera and theater when time permitted. She also collected art. The daughter of a civil servant and an artist once even considered enrolling at the art academy herself, before her mother's advice led her to prioritize her interest in law.

"Krone" cover almost exactly five years ago

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Kronen Zeitung)

Only marginally related to culture was the fact that she was appointed head of the special commission into the scandal at the Vienna Ballet Academy. Bierlein was also active in the Independent Victim Protection Commission against Abuse and Violence and was Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of the Forum Constitution Foundation.