Ex-Austrian Chancellor Kreisky Dies
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VIENNA — Former Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky, the most popular political leader in postwar Austria, died today, doctors said. He was 79.
Kreisky was hospitalized with a heart condition last week and had been in critical condition, one of his doctors said Saturday.
Kreisky dominated Austrian political life for two decades and was chancellor from 1970 to 1983.
He stepped down as chancellor after his Socialist Party failed to win a majority in parliamentary elections.
In 1986, after indecisive elections forced the Socialists to form a government with the Austrian People’s Party, their conservative rivals, Kreisky broke with the party and even renounced his honorary chairmanship.
He had lived in virtual seclusion for the last few years, largely because of his health problems. Kreisky had undergone a kidney transplant several years ago.
He had received medical treatment for circulatory problems for some time, but his heart condition had “seriously worsened during the last 24 hours,” the Austria Press Agency quoted Dr. Wolfgang Enekel as saying Saturday.
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