Salzburger Regional Councilor Josef Schwaiger is dead

The Salzburg Finance and Agriculture Councillor Josef Schwaiger (ÖVP) passed away at the Salzburg State Hospital following a medical emergency on the night of Thursday. This was announced by the office of Governor Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP) in a statement on Thursday. The 60-year-old was admitted to the hospital last weekend, where he was cared for in the intensive care unit.

Schwaiger's Career

Schwaiger had been serving the state of Salzburg since 1993, initially as an employee of the agricultural department. In 1998, he moved to the office of his predecessor as Agriculture Councillor, Sepp Eisl (ÖVP), where he first got close to politics as the office manager. In 2001, he took over the management of a specialist department, and three years later, the entire department. In 2013, he was brought into the state government by Governor Wilfried Haslauer, where he took over, among other things, the agriculture and personnel departments.

Since 2023, he was responsible for the areas of agriculture, personnel, water, national park, energy, and the special organization for asylum and refugee accommodations. And since the departure of former Governor Wilfried Haslauer (ÖVP) from politics, the 60-year-old was also responsible for the state finances.

Schwaiger had already been in the hospital at the beginning of October due to a condition affecting the trigeminal nerve in his face. He returned from sick leave for the budget negotiations at the beginning of last week.

Edtstadler on Schwaiger

Schwaiger dedicated himself with great passion to his political work, particularly for agriculture and forestry, rural areas, and protection against natural disasters, according to the statement from the Governor. His work was always characterized by expertise, reliability, and the goal of improving the living conditions in the state of Salzburg in the long term. The deceased was appreciated far beyond party lines as a competent specialist politician, hands-on doer, and down-to-earth person who always took the concerns of the population seriously and sought pragmatic solutions.

"Our sincere condolences go to his family and relatives. We ask for understanding that we are currently not providing any further information and request that the family's privacy be respected during this difficult time," said Edtstadler.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.