The 69-year old non-party lawyer was presented in the afternoon by the president in a press conference. Previously her name had been circulated in the Austrian press.
The Viennese will be 70 at the end of June, thus reaching the age limit for judges in Austria. Actually, she would have retired. Now she will serve as head of the interim government until the snap elections held in autumn.
Van der Bellen spoke of Bierlein as “prudent and far-sighted.” He was sure that as “the supreme guardian of the constitution” Bierlein was well suited for the current situation.
Austria is in a political crisis. After the publication of the so-called Ibiza video, in which the former vice-chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache (FPO) spoke openly about illegal political financing with an alleged Russian oligarch, the coalition government collapsed and Sebastian Kurz (OVP) stepped down after a vote of no-confidence in parliament.
Bierlein is said to have good contacts not only with the OVP but also with the FPO. She is solidly right of center but not reputed to be a zealot. During her time as a prosecutor, she was noted for her tough-on-crime stance, although her years on the bench have earned her a reputation for civility and for working well with ideological opponents.
The lawyer made her two biggest career leaps under right-of-center coalition governments respectively: in 2003 she was appointed first female vice-president, and in early 2018 she became the first female president of the Constitutional Court.
FPO boss Norbert Hofer is pleased that for the first time a woman is Chancellor. “The president informed me today that Bierlein is a very respectful and highly respected personality and decides completely independently.”
In the next few days, the ministers will be decided between the president, the chancellor and the parliament. “We do not want active and formerly active politicians to lead the government,” said Hofer on Thursday in parliament.
