Brigitte Bierlein

Brigitte Bierlein
Bierlein in 2019
Chancellor of Austria
In office
3 June 2019 – 7 January 2020
PresidentAlexander Van der Bellen
Vice-ChancellorClemens Jabloner
Preceded bySebastian Kurz
Succeeded bySebastian Kurz
President of the Constitutional Court
In office
23 February 2018 – 3 June 2019
Vice PresidentChristoph Grabenwarter
Preceded byGerhart Holzinger
Succeeded byChristoph Grabenwarter
Vice President of the Constitutional Court
In office
1 January 2003 – 22 February 2018
PresidentKarl Korinek
Gerhart Holzinger
Preceded byKarl Korinek
Succeeded byChristoph Grabenwarter
Personal details
Born(1949-06-25)25 June 1949
Vienna, Allied-occupied Austria
Died3 June 2024(2024-06-03) (aged 74)
Vienna, Austria
Political partyIndependent
Alma materUniversity of Vienna
Website

Brigitte Bierlein (German: [bʁiˈɡɪtə ˈbiːɐ̯laɪn]; 25 June 1949 – 3 June 2024) was an Austrian jurist who served as president of the Constitutional Court before serving as chancellor of Austria from June 2019 until January 2020. An independent, she was the first woman to hold either office.

Bierlein served as the advocate general of the Procurator's Office – essentially the country's chief public prosecutor – from 1990 to 2002, as well as a member of the executive board of the International Association of Prosecutors from 2001 to 2003. In 2003, Bierlein was made a member and the vice president of the Constitutional Court.

Following the Ibiza affair, President Alexander Van der Bellen named Bierlein Chancellor of Austria, after a parliamentary motion of no confidence dismissed the first government of Sebastian Kurz, the first successful motion of no confidence in Austrian modern history. She was the first woman to assume the role, and served until the next government led by Kurz was sworn in, following the legislative election which took place on 29 September 2019.[1]

  1. ^ Said-Moorhouse, Lauren (30 May 2019). "Austria names its first female chancellor". CNN. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2019.