Norbert Darabos

Norbert Darabos
Minister of National Defence and Sport
Incumbent
Assumed office 11 January 2007
Chancellor	Werner Faymann
Preceded by	Günther Platter
Personal details
Born	31 May 1964 (1964-05-31) (age 47) Vienna, Austria
Political party	Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs (PES)
Profession	politician

Norbert Darabos (born May 31, 1964) is an Austrian politician. Since 11 January 2007, he is Minister of National Defence first in the Gusenbauer cabinet, then in the Faymann cabinet. He is a member of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ). Darabos is part of the ethnic minority of the Burgenland Croats. He is married and has two children.

Personal life and political career

Darabos was born in Vienna. In the years of 1982 till 1988 he studied History and Political Science at the University of Vienna, where he graduated in 1988.

In the period 1988 till 1991 Darabos was chief executive of the federal branch of the Dr.-Karl-Renner-Institute in Burgenland, a social democratic think tank. Between 1991 and 1998 he was Press Speaker for the Governor of the Province of Burgenland, Karl Stix. Since 1998 he is Executive Secretary of the SPÖ Burgenland. On 19 May 1999 he became a member of the federal parliament. Between December 2000 till March 2003, Darabos was the head of the Social Democratic Group in the federal parliament of Burgenland.

Since 3 March 2003 Darabos is Secretary General of the Social Democratic Party of Austria. In 2004 he ran the election campaign of later President of Austria Heinz Fischer, and in 16 June 2004 he became member of the Austrian parliament (SPÖ).

After the Austrian legislative election, 2006, in which the SPÖ gained the majority of the votes, Darabos became a member of the team that negotiated for a coalition with the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP). In the following Grand coalition, which took office in 11 January 2007, Darabos became Minister of National Defence. Since 2 December 2008 his duties also comprise sports.

Awards

In 2010, Darabos received the "Grand Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria in Gold with Sash" (Großes Goldenes Ehrenzeichen am Bande für die Verdienste um die Republik Österreich).

Notes and references

External links

• Biography, contact details and speeches since 1996 of Norbert Darabos at the Parliament of Austria (German)
• Norbert Darabos at the Website of the Austrian Defense Ministry

Political offices
Preceded by Günther Platter	Minister of National Defence and Sport 2007 – present	Incumbent

Persondata
Name	Darabos, Norbert
Alternative names
Short description	Minister of National Defence and Sport
Date of birth	May 31, 1964
Place of birth	Vienna, Austria
Date of death
Place of death