Peter Westenthaler (6. November 1967 in Wien; gebürtig Peter Hojač) ist ein österreichischer Politiker und langjähriger Spitzenrepräsentant der FPÖ, später des BZÖ. Westenthaler ließ seinen Familiennamen Hojač auf den Geburtsnamen der Mutter ändern.

Peter Westenthaler will not be top candidate for BZÖ. Westenthaler received a sentence of nine months on probation for perjury during his testimony at the trial of one of his bodyguards charged with assault last March. The bodyguard attacked a spokesman for former Justice Minister Karin Gastinger in a Vienna nightspot on the evening of the 1 October 2006, but Westenthaler, who witnessed the attack, said during his testimony that he had witnessed nothing.

Occasional walks in green area of Schmelz proved to be useful, because there I observed sheets of papers fixed to the lampposts. It was announcement of upcoming meeting with FPÖ leader H.Strache, and no additional info was available on Internet.
Around nine o’clock today Strache appeared in the gateway of Schutzhaus restaurant.
The private gathering, presented mostly by retired persons greeted him admirably.

Strache is extremely good-looking blue-eyed man with trim figure.
Once when I photographed him in Graz two years ago, something in his posture reminded me of Mussolini, how Duce was depicted by old film chronics.
Perhaps, sex with such a person could be enjoyable performance.
I heard Strache promised he would occupy Vienna mayor post after new elections in 2010.
I wanted to understand what makes Strache rather popular among Austrians.
May be popularity is something one can not control, but only constant years-long work gives chance to this miracle to happen.
As anybody else collecting political information, I come across constant reports about activities of Strache. One can sense his vibes.
What can be hardly said about others.
For example, when I lived in Graz I had impression that all Austria was dark red. Red as tomato.
Nowadays I hear nothing of persons who shared their incomes with poor to get chairs and corresponding salaries in Landtag.

The daily newspaper ÖSTERREICH published in its Sunday edition the results of recent survey on upcoming elections.

Survey predicts that for the first time seven parties of the country would enter the parliament. ÖVP gained 29% of voices, SPÖ – 25%. At the third place was the FPÖ with 15% of voters, being ahead of the Greens by one per cent. The BZÖ got 7%, Dinkhauser – 6%, and Liberal Forum – 4%.

In the election campaign barometer of ÖSTEREICH social democrat Werner Faymann is the leader. 38% of the Austrian voters have favorable impression of him. Alexander Van der Bellen of the Greens gains sympathies of 31% of voters and he is two points ahead of H.C. Strache from the FPÖ. ÖVP leader Wilhelm Molterer and Fritz Dinkhauser gained only 21% of supporters. Translated from OTS News by Galina Toktalieva

Haider was a long-time leader of the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ). When he stepped down as party’s chairman in 2000, he remained its major figure until 2005. In April 2005 he founded a new party, the “Alliance for the Future of Austria” (BZÖ-Bündnis Zukunft Österreich)

Joerg Haider was born in 1950 in Bad Goisern, Upper Austria. His father Robert Haider worked as a shoemaker, his mother Dorothea Rupp was a teacher.

Both parents were active members of the Nazi Party. Robert Haider joined the ‘Hitler Jugend’ when he was fifteen. In 1933, after Nazi organisations were banned in Austria, he participated in several illegal actions. In 1934 he took part in the failed nazi putsch and was forced to flee to Bavaria, where he joined the nazi party. (more…)

Migration statistics Austria
International migration balance to and from Austria by citizenship 2000-2007
2000/Total 17 272 (Austrian citizens: -4 315; Foreign citizens:+21587)
2007/Total 32 714 (Austrian citizens: -5 509; Foreign citizens: +38 223);
38 223 foreign citizens migrated from abroad and settled in Austria in 2007,
and 20 464 Austrians left the country (it is minus 5 500 in total)
Statistics Austria. Compiled on 16 May 2008

Today I visited press conference with Joerg Haider and Peter Westenthaler in BZOe quarters. For a long time already, I wished I could photograph Joerg Haider. His speech was rather short though. As I was not satisfied with regular shots I made, which looked rather boring, similar to millions of other press snaps, I prefer to transform them including tiny part of my personality in every picture.
Pressekonferenz mit BZÖ-Chef Klubobmann Peter Westenthaler
und Landeshauptmann Jörg Haider. Thema: “Aktuelles zur Nationalratswahl”
Несколько трансформированных снимков, сделаных мной сегодня во время пресс-конференции с Йоргом Хайдером и Петером Вестенталером в штаб-квартире BZOe
в Вене на улице Доротеергассе – на подходе. Йорг Хайдер – очень колоритная фигура, один из немногих австрийских политиков, о ком вы наверно что-нибудь слышали.

About 120,000 people in colorful clothes took part in Vienna’s annual Rainbow Parade on Saturday to call for equal rights for gays, lesbians and transvestites. I must add that to be transvestite does not necessarily mean to be homosexual. Some transvestites are fascinated with women’s clothes only, and want to feel themselves, at least temporarily, the object of passionate desire. Some quite normal from traditional point of view heterosexual relationships may lack real intimacy. When I was looking at gays and lesbians, especially those ones who not only demonstrated presence of homo feelings, but obviously had them – tenderly holding their partner’s hand, I knew to be really intimate with somebody and to be understood, you can be of any gender you feel yourself comfortable with. Person posing for photo and person depicted in his natural environment or unaware have different energetic levels and expressiveness, why I am still devoted to street photography. From my point of view many shows, manifestations and demonstrations have zero expressive value

Alfred Gusenbauer, the tenth chancellor in the history of the Second Austrian Republic, will be remembered for his short time in that position.
Gusenbauer has been Chancellor for 545 days. With an early general election likely to be held by the end of September, he will have been Chancellor for slightly more than 700 days before stepping down.

Austrian Times, 08.07.08

We were waiting for a long time outside of social democrats party quarters. It rained.
When at last we were let in, it was hard to find the place to photograph, as reporters and TV operators stood like a wall. One of securities shoved me, when I tried to cross the room behind the backs of three party leaders.
Gusenbauer looked much older than two month before when I last photographed him, and he was throwing nervous side-long glances at journalists. Everybody who takes position of responsibility must be prepared his achievement and smallest failures will be equally magnified, when he gains power and loses it.