Was "always loyal"

Former FPÖ politician Johannes Hübner (68) dies

From the left: ÖVP MP Erwin Rasinger and FPÖ MP Johannes Hübner (archive photo)(Bild: APA/Robert Jäger)

The former leading Freedom Party politician Johannes Hübner has died at the age of 68. He was a member of the National Council and, until his retirement from politics, a member of the Federal Council. Hübner began his political career in 1986 as a district councillor in Wieden.

In 2008, Hübner joined the National Council, where he served until 2017. After the Vienna elections in 2020, the foreign policy expert was delegated by the Vienna state parliament as a member of the Federal Council. He left this body in 2023. Hübner was married, father of two daughters and grandfather to several grandchildren.

"Johannes Hübner has - in addition to his profession as a lawyer - worked for the liberal community with full strength and passion in all his functions over decades," said Vienna FPÖ leader Dominik Nepp and Vienna club chairman Maximilian Krauss in a statement on Monday. He had never shied away from confrontation and had "always stood by the party loyally, even in difficult times". Hübner's death was "sudden".

"In him, we have lost a highly deserving companion and a great friend and comrade who we will always remember with honor. Our thoughts are with his family, his friends and all his surviving relatives in these difficult hours," said FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl in a statement.

Visit to Taliban
Hübner recently made the headlines due to a visit to the Taliban regime in Afghanistan with other ex-Blue Party members. He had travelled to Afghanistan at the end of September 2023 with the former blue EU mandatary Andreas Mölzer and met the foreign minister of the unrecognized Taliban rulers, among others. The FPÖ leadership subsequently announced that the trip had not been agreed.