The Eighth Tribe, 1979 (6. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1979-09-01 / 9. szám
Szeptember, 1979 THE EIGHTH TRIBE Page 9 Tapestry — Col. Kováts — by Ilona Bodó OTTO VON HABSBURG Europe’s “Man of the Hour” Otto von Habsburg, 66, the eldest son of the last Austro-Hungarian emperor, was elected June 10 as one of West Germany’s 81 representatives to the enlarged and strengthened European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. His victory at the polls could have a wide-ranging effect on the future of the entire European continent. Von Habsburg’s candidacy was one of the main issues in the election campaign leading to the June balloting, in which voters in the nine nations of the European Community went to the polls to choose, for the first time, directly elected candidates to the European Parliament. He is possibly the most controversial of all the 410 members who will enter the new assembly. The election of the one-time archduke resulted from a 60 percent victory by the Christian Social Union (CSU) slate in Bavaria. Von Habsburg’s candidacy, however, did not go uncontested. The Social Democratic Party (SPD), in power in Bonn under the leadership of Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, vigorously attacked von Habsburg, charging that he was unfit to be a representative of West German democracy. Who is this man who has drawn such heated accusations and generated such widespread controversy? Though fairly well known on the Continent, von Habsburg is little known in the United States and elsewhere. In months to come, however, his views may well cause the entire world to stand up and take notice of the dramatic developments unfolding on the European Continent. Just to look at him, von Habsburg does not seem very “menacing.” Lean, bald on top, with graying moustache, he is mild-looking and bears a pleasant smile and demenaor. He immediately strikes one as being intelligent and cultured. Yet many who have met him comment that he exudes a sense of tremendous energy, drive, and purpose. Otto von Habsburg was born in Austria in 1912, the eldest son of Emperor Charles and Empress Zita of Austria-Hungary. Charles lost the thrones of Austria and Hungary when the Central Powers were defeated at the end of World War I—only two years after he had succeeded his grand-uncle, Emperor Franz Josef I. Exiled to Switzerland in March 1919, Charles was formally deposed by the Austrian National Assembly one month later, at which time all the family
