Alexander Van der Bellen

Infobox Politician
name = Alexander Van der Bellen

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caption = Alexander Van der Bellen
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office = Federal spokesperson of the Austrian Green Party
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predecessor = Christoph Chorherr
successor = Eva Glawischnig
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birth_date = Birth date and age|1944|1|18|mf=y
birth_place = Vienna
party = Austrian Green Party
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occupation = politician, professor of economics
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website = [http://www.vanderbellen.at/ www.vanderbellen.at]
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Alexander Van der Bellen (born January 18 1944) is an Austrian economist and politician, chairman of the parliamentary club and federal spokesperson of the Austrian Green Party from 1997cite web|title=Biographical data|publisher=Die Grünen|url=http://www.gruene.at/personen/alexander_van_der_bellen/|accessdate=2008-08-19] to 2008.http://orf.at/081003-30171/index.html]

Van der Bellen was born in Vienna and spent his childhood in Tyrol. In 1962, he graduated from the Akademisches Gymnasium in Innsbruck. He studied economics at the University of Innsbruck and received a doctorate in 1970. From 1968 to 1970 he worked as assistant at the "Institut für Finanzwissenschaft" of the University of Innsbruck, and from 1972 to 1974 at the "Internationales Institut für Management und Verwaltung" in Berlin. [aeiou|.v/v041218.htm] He achieved habilitation in 1975.

In 1976 he was appointed as professor extraordinarius at the University of Innsbruck; he later went to Vienna, where he taught from 1977 to 1980 as professor ordinarius for economics at the University of Vienna. Subsequently, he took over the chair for economics there. From 1990 to 1994 he was dean of the faculty for social sciences and economics.

A former member of the Austrian Social Democratic Party, Van der Bellen became Member of the National Council of Austria (Nationalrat) for the Austrian Green Party in 1994. Since 1997 he was their federal spokesperson, and since 1999 chairman of the parliamentary club of the Greens in the National Council. He resigned after the September 2008 election, when the Greens lost votes for the first time in a decade.

In all popularity rankings, Van der Bellen has always scored much higher than the political party he represents; Austrians approve of his considerate conduct even during heated debates, his honesty, and last but not least his vast knowledge in the field of economics.

Van der Bellen is married and has two adult sons. He is an avid fan of Scrooge McDuck comics and a self-confessed smoker.Fact|date=September 2008

Notes and references