Rudolf Anschober
{{Short description|Austrian politician}}
{{Expand German|topic=bio|date=January 2020}}{{Infobox officeholder
| office = Minister of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection
| chancellor = Sebastian Kurz
| termstart = 7 January 2020
| image = 2020 Rudolf Anschober Ministerrat am 8.1.2020 (49351370946) (cropped).jpg
| caption = Anschober in 2020
| party = The Greens – The Green Alternative
| predecessor = Brigitte Zarfl
| successor = Wolfgang Mückstein
| birth_place = Wels, Upper Austria, Austria
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1960|11|21|df=y}}
| termend = 13 April 2021
| website = {{Official URL}}
}}
Rudolf Anschober (born 21 November 1960) is an Austrian politician of the Green Party who served as Minister of Social Affairs, Health, Care, and Consumer Protection in the second government of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz from January 2020 to April 2021.{{Cite web|url=https://www.parlament.gv.at/WWER/PAD_00024/index.shtml|title=Rudolf Anschober, Biografie|website=www.parlament.gv.at|language=de|access-date=12 January 2021}}
Political career
A former journalist and schoolteacher,{{cite news |last1=Murphy |first1=Francois |title=Austrian health minister steps down, exhausted by pandemic |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/austrian-health-minister-says-he-is-stepping-down-exhausted-2021-04-13/ |access-date=3 April 2025 |work=Reuters |date=13 April 2021}} Anschober served as a member of the National Council from 1990 until 1997. On 23 October 2003, he became part of the Upper Austrian state government.{{cite news |last1=Pöchinger |first1=Werner |title=Ein Missionar für das „Zurückholen der Zukunft“ |url=https://www.krone.at/3157679 |access-date=2 April 2025 |work=Kronen |date=5 November 2023 |language=de}} He was the only councillor in the Upper Austrian government to represent the Greens for 9 years, from the time he was elected until 2012.{{cite news |title=Burn-Out: Rudi Anschober nimmt Auszeit |url=https://www.nachrichten.at/politik/landespolitik/Burn-Out-Rudi-Anschober-nimmt-Auszeit;art383,970724 |access-date=2 April 2025 |work=Nachrichten |date=20 September 2012 |language=de}} In September 2012, he took a brief break as councillor to be on sick leave for three months because of burnout. In the government, he was a councillor representing flood protection and energy policy until he left in 2012. In 2015, he took on the responsibilities of integration and accommodation of refugees instead when rejoining the government.{{cite news |title=Landtag zur ersten Sitzung zusammengetreten |url=https://ooe.orf.at/v2/news/stories/2738538/ |access-date=2 April 2025 |work=ORF |date=23 October 2015 |language=de}}
Throughout his tenure in the federal government, Anschober worked on the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Austria. He consistently called for stricter lockdown measures in the face of high infection numbers, clashing with Chancellor Kurz and his party. By April 2021, he was diagnosed as suffering from high blood pressure, high blood sugar and early-stage tinnitus, which led him to resign from his office, effective 19 April 2021.{{cite news |last1=Gehrke |first1=Laurenz |title=Austrian health minister resigns, citing ill health |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/austrian-health-minister-resigns-citing-frail-health/ |access-date=3 April 2025 |work=POLITICO |date=13 April 2021}} At the time of his resignation, he was one of the country's most popular politicians. He started writing a political novel upon leaving.{{cite news |title=Neuer Job für Rudi Anschober – er tut's Freundin gleich {{!}} Heute.at |url=https://www.heute.at/s/neuer-job-fuer-rudi-anschober-er-tuts-freundin-gleich-100159931 |access-date=2 April 2025 |work=Heute |date=27 October 2021 |language=de}}
Personal life
His partner is Petra Ramsauer, a political scientist and author. They live in Vienna in an apartment.{{cite news |last1=Kahlweit |first1=Cathrin |title=Frühere Kriegsreporterin Petra Ramsauer und ihr Buch "Angst" |url=https://www.sueddeutsche.de/medien/angst-kriegsreporterin-petra-ramsauer-buch-1.5152056 |access-date=2 April 2025 |work=Süddeutsche |date=19 December 2020 |language=de}} He previously lived in Steyregg when he worked in the Upper Austrian government.{{cite news |title="Pühringer war einer der ersten Gratulanten" {{!}} Heute.at |url=https://www.heute.at/s/-puhringer-war-einer-der-ersten-gratulanten--55359397 |access-date=2 April 2025 |work=Heute |date=13 September 2021 |language=de}}
Other activities
- Fonds Gesundes Österreich, Chair of the Board of Trustees (since 2020){{cite web |title=Kuratorium {{!}} Fonds Gesundes Österreich |url=https://fgoe.org/Das_Kuratorium_des_Fonds_Gesundes_Oesterreich |website=fgoe.org |access-date=3 April 2025}}
- National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism, Member of the Board of Trustees (2020){{cite web |title=Organs - General Settlement Fund for Victims of National Socialism |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924153907/https://www.entschaedigungsfonds.org/organs/board-of-trustees |website=web.archive.org |access-date=3 April 2025 |date=24 September 2020}}
Bibliography
=Books=
- {{Cite book |last=Anschober |first=Rudi |date=April 11, 2022 |title=Pandemia |edition=1st |publisher=Zsolnay, Paul |isbn=978-3-552-07288-6}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website}}
- [https://www.parlament.gv.at/WWER/PAD_00024/index.shtml Rudolf Anschober] on the Austrian Parliament website
{{Cabinet Kurz II}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anschober, Rudolf}}
Category:Health ministers of Austria
Category:Ministers of social affairs of Austria