Forefather of the FPÖ

Haider would have been 75: What Kickl has in common with him

Media star Haider: In 2000, the right-wing populist even made it onto the cover of the American magazine "Time". He caused fear and excitement.

(Bild: Time.com, APA/GERT EGGENBERGER)

Jörg Haider, who died in 2008, would have turned 75 on Sunday. His successor Herbert Kickl is now likely to become chancellor. Companions analyze similarities and what separates the two.

Jörg Haider, one of the most colorful and controversial politicians of the Second Republic, would have turned 75 on Sunday. His former speechwriter Kickl achieved what Haider had been denied: first place with the FPÖ in the National Council elections, the door to the chancellorship wide open. But what is the difference between the two?

ÖVP grandee Andreas Khol (83) is considered the architect of the black-blue coalition under Wolfgang Schüssel in 2000: "A coalition was almost out of the question in 1999. Haider wanted a Third Republic. This was accompanied by the rejection of the CDU/CSU. And there was the FPÖ's tendency to put pressure on parliament by demonstrating on the streets. Combined with Germanism. But Haider has begun to revise his positions."

He had renounced Germanism and committed himself to parliamentary democracy and the Union. In contrast, Kickl is someone who insists on his positions.

Haider formed a "perfect symbiosis" with Kickl, "characterized by mutual respect", says Stefan Petzner.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER, krone.tv, APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

"No shot was too far away for him"
 "Haider was very clever. He knew that if the People's Party was to be a partner, he had to nurture it, not beat it up. He stopped using aggressive tones before the election and used conciliatory tones afterwards." Haider was also very communicative, statesmanlike and well educated. And close to the people. Khol: "We were on vacation in Ossiach. Visited the new fire station. Who greeted me there? The governor Haider. No fire engine was too far away for him." The media star was also very well connected internationally - as evidenced by his sensational contacts with dictators Muammar al-Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein, for example.

Haider "gave a lot of affection, but also wanted it back"
 Kickl is a different type. He avoids the public and the media. "He tends to keep to himself, whereas Jörg was someone who always liked to be with people on a daily basis. You don't generally see that in any politician today," says companion Gerhard Dörfler (69), himself Carinthia's governor from 2008 to 2013. According to Dörfler, Haider wanted to be loved, "he gave a lot of affection, but also wanted it back".

Muammar Gaddafi, Jorg Haider and Hubert Gorbach on April 18, 2004, during a meeting in Tripoli

(Bild: APA/GERT EGGENBERGER)

Gaddafi's son Saif even visited him at Lake Wörthersee (picture from 2004)

(Bild: AP)

What Haider and Kickl have in common is their enthusiasm for sport. Both very good mountaineers. For FPÖ veteran Andreas Mölzer, Haider was a tribune of the people, a pioneer of the charismatic party leader type, ahead of his time. Stefan Petzner (44), former press spokesman and "man of life", agrees.

"Haider and Kickl combined the highest level of skill and intellect. Together they formed a perfect election campaign symbiosis. What Kickl tinkered with, Haider brought to the people. What was gold with Jörg, Herbert got: his respect." Nevertheless, there was a separation and split (Haider with the BZÖ). Reconciliation took place shortly before Haider's death. "That was very important for everyone," says communications professional Petzner, who got to know Haider and Kickl when he was 19. For him, one thing is certain: "If Haider were looking down from a cloud today, he would be proud of what Kickl has achieved."

Spectacular end
But one thing is also certain: the talented right-wing populist and people catcher Jörg Haider was also regarded as a divider and cynic who knew how to play with and exploit moods. And his accidental death in 2008 not only created myth and glorification, but probably also prevented legal problems - the billion-dollar Hypo grave - for the forefather of the Blue Party. It was a spectacular end to an equally spectacular life. Stefan Petzner: "He left when he was still quite a young, attractive man. Nobody could have imagined Jörg Haider as old."