Christian Kern

Christian Kern, born on January fourth, nineteen sixty-six, is a prominent Austrian businessman and former politician who held the esteemed position of Chancellor of Austria from May seventeenth, two thousand sixteen, to December eighteenth, two thousand seventeen. He also served as the chairman of the Social Democratic Party from June twenty-fifth, two thousand sixteen, until September twenty-fifth, two thousand eighteen.

Before entering the political arena, Kern made his mark as a business journalist and later transitioned into a senior management role at Verbund AG, Austria's leading electricity company. His career took a significant turn in two thousand ten when he was appointed CEO of the state-owned Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB). In two thousand fourteen, he took on the role of chair of the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), further solidifying his influence in the transportation sector.

Following the resignation of Werner Faymann during the presidential election, Kern was nominated by the governing Social Democrats to assume the office of Chancellor. Upon his swearing-in on May seventeenth, two thousand sixteen, he pledged to maintain the grand coalition with the People's Party while advocating for a New Deal aimed at job creation through reduced bureaucracy, ensuring that ordinary workers benefit from economic growth.

Kern was known for his candid criticism of the Austrian political elite, whom he described as power-obsessed and lacking a substantive political agenda for the nation's future. His tenure was marked by a commitment to reform and a vision for a more equitable society.