This is the new Ombudsman Christoph Luisser

"Mr. Corona Fund" Christoph Luisser is the new Ombudsman, and on Tuesday he was sworn in alongside his colleagues Gabriela Schwarz and Bernhard Achitz by Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen. The FPÖ politician was responsible for the controversial fund as a regional councilor in Lower Austria. A publicly conducted dispute on the subject with former Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) made Luisser known nationwide. Privately, the lawyer is a passionate ice swimmer.

Career of the New Ombudsman

Luisser attended high school in Mödling and then studied law at the University of Vienna and the Universidad de Alcala in Madrid. In 2001, he became a Magister, and after his court year, Luisser completed his dissertation at the Vienna Juridicum in 2006. Following the completion of the bar exam, his career path led him to the cabinet of the then FPÖ Justice Minister Dieter Böhmdorfer. The move to the Ombudsman Board is a comeback for Luisser, as he had already worked there as an advisor to Ombudsman Walter Rosenkranz.

Politically, Luisser was rather a nobody until after the state election in 2023. Observers were greatly surprised when the Freedom Party pulled him out of the hat as the new regional councilor in March 2023. The lawyer immediately took over the handling of the Corona fund, which was perhaps the most controversial point of the working agreement between the ÖVP and FPÖ. The asylum agendas also moved from former FPÖ regional councilor Gottfried Waldhäusl to Luisser, where he later implemented a separate payment card for refugees in Lower Austria.

Luisser Defended Corona Fund

Speaking of Corona: The virus and the consequences of the pandemic can certainly be seen as Luisser's main theme. Privately, he prefers to strengthen his immune system with ice baths rather than immunizations. "I am unvaccinated, and I will remain so," he announced in a statement in December 2023.

Politically, he vehemently defended the Corona fund, which was also controversial due to funding applications from associations around Covid denier Martin Rutter, even in a verbal duel with Rauch at a press conference in Emmersdorf in the Melk district. Luisser's remarks on the subject of compensation for vaccine injuries brought the then Health Minister to the end of his patience and led to his premature departure from the press event.

About the person: Christoph Luisser, born on April 22, 1976, father of two children. From 2000 to June 2025, municipal councilor in Biedermannsdorf (Mödling district). From March 2023, regional councilor in Lower Austria.

(APA/Red)

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