Austria: Haider was speeding at twice limit

Carinthia Governor crashes near Klagenfurt; Austrian President says Haider's death is a "human tragedy."

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
J?rg Haider Jorg 224 88 (photo credit: AP [file])
J?rg Haider Jorg 224 88
(photo credit: AP [file])
Austrian investigators on Sunday said far-right politician Joerg Haider was speeding at more than twice the posted limit before the car crash in which he died Saturday morning. Police reconstructing the accident in southern Austria said the speedometer in the wreckage of Haider's Volkswagen sedan was stuck at 142 kilometers per hour. The speed limit on the stretch of road where he died was just 70 kph. Investigators released their preliminary findings Sunday, a day after the 58-year-old governor of Carinthia province and leader of the rightist Alliance for the Future of Austria was killed. Prosecutor Gottfried Kranz said the speed appeared to be the main factor in the deadly crash. Police said the accident happened early Saturday morning in the south of the country when his car veered off the road near the city of Klagenfurt and overturned. He suffered severe injuries to his head and chest. It was not immediately clear if he died at the scene or in a hospital. Haider, who was born Jan. 26, 1950, in Upper Austria, was governor of Carinthia and leader of the far-right Alliance for the Future of Austria at the time of his death. "For us, it's like the end of the world," Haider's spokesman, Stefan Petzner, told the Austria Press Agency. Austrian President Heinz Fischer described Haider's death as a "human tragedy." In 1999, Haider raked in 27 percent of the vote in national elections as leader of the Freedom Party. The party's subsequent inclusion in the government led to months of European Union sanctions over Haider's statements, which were seen as anti-Semitic or sympathetic to Adolf Hitler's labor policies. He had since significantly toned down his rhetoric. Over the summer, Haider staged a comeback in national politics and helped his Alliance for the Future of Austria significantly improve its standing in Sept. 28 national elections. Haider and his supporters broke away from the Freedom Party in 2005 to form the new movement meant to reflect a turn toward relative moderation. In particular, Haider wanted to distance himself from his rightist past, including a comment in 1991 that the Third Reich had an "orderly employment policy" and a 1995 reference to concentration camps as "the punishment camps of National Socialism." Haider, known for his charisma and intelligence, enjoyed tremendous popularity in Carinthia. Haider is survived by a wife, two daughters and an aging mother. Haider and his family had planned to celebrate his mother's 90th birthday over the weekend.