Doris Bures

Doris Bures (born 3 August 1962) is an Austrian politician of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) who serves as the Second President of the Austrian National Council. From September 2014 to November 2017, she was its President. She served as Minister of Transport, Innovation and Technology from 2008 to 2014.

Doris Bures
Second President of the National Council
Assumed office
9 November 2017
PresidentWolfgang Sobotka
Preceded byKarlheinz Kopf
President of the National Council
In office
2 September 2014 – 8 November 2017
DeputyKarlheinz Kopf
(Second President)
Norbert Hofer
(Third President)
Preceded byBarbara Prammer
Succeeded byElisabeth Köstinger
Minister of Transport, Innovation
and Technology
In office
2 December 2008 – 1 September 2014
ChancellorWerner Faymann
Preceded byWerner Faymann
Succeeded byAlois Stöger
Personal details
Born (1962-08-03) 3 August 1962
Vienna, Austria
Political partySocial Democratic Party
Children1 daughter

Education and early career

Bures attended elementary school and a commercial school. She became a federal secretary of the International Union of Socialist Youth in 1980 and worked in a project with unemployed young people between 1985 and 1986. Between 1988 and 1994 Bures was employed as secretary in a local social democratic organisation in Vienna and became general secretary of the Austrian tenant association in 1995. Afterwards Bures was Bundesgeschäftsführerin (executive director) of the SPÖ between 2000 and 2007 and also 2008.

Political career

Early beginnings

Bures started her political career as a district councillor in Wien-Liesing between 1987 and 1990. She has been deputy to the party leader in the district of Liesing since 1995 and was chairwoman of the SPÖ-women in Liesing between 2000 and 2006.

Career in national politics

Bures was a member of the National Council of Austria between 5 November 1990 and 15 January 2007, and between 3 July 2008 and 2 December 2008. She served as a minister without portfolio in the Gusenbauer cabinet between 11 January 2007 and 28 February 2007, and was Minister for Women, Media and Public Service. Since 2 December 2008 Bures has served as Minister of Transport, Innovation and Technology. In September 2014 she was elected President of the National Council.

On 8 July 2016, when Austrian President Heinz Fischer left office, the position of Acting President fell jointly to the three presidents of the National Council – Bures, Norbert Hofer, and Karlheinz Kopf.[1] Alexander Van der Bellen was elected President on 4 December 2016, receiving support from 53.3% of voters and defeating Hofer.[2][3] Hofer, Bures, and Kopf remained as joint acting President until Van der Bellen was sworn into office[1] in January 2017.[4]

In addition to her committee assignments, Bures has been a member of the Austrian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) since 2018, where she serves on the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy.[5]

Other activities

Controversy

In March 2018 an Austrian court found a hiring decision by her, as the Minister of Transport, to have been gender discrimination. She had selected a less-qualified female candidate for the ministry department manager job instead of the man who later filed the discrimination case. The man was awarded $390,000 as a compensation from the state.[7]

References
  1. Tasch, Barbara (1 July 2016). "An Austrian court just overturned the presidential election narrowly lost by a far-right candidate". International Business Times. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  2. "Austria far-right candidate Norbert Hofer defeated in presidential poll". BBC Online. 4 December 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  3. Oltermann, Philip (5 December 2016). "Austria rejects far-right candidate Norbert Hofer in presidential election". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  4. Renon, Danielle (4 December 2016). "Autriche. Van der Bellen président: un soulagement face au populisme". Courrier International (in French). Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  5. Doris Bures Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
  6. 2016 Transparency Report National Council.
  7. Persio, Sofio (March 20, 2018). "Man wins $390,000 in gender discrimination case because a woman got the promotion he was more qualified for". Newsweek. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
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