Blecha, Karl#

b. Vienna, April 16, 1933, sociologist and politician (Austrian Social Democratic Party, SPOe). Chairman of Socialist youth and student organisations (VSStOe, JG), 1963-1975 head of the Institute of Empirical Social Research (IFES). 1976-1981 SPOe party secretary. 1970-1983 and 1989 member of the Nationalrat, 1983-1989 Minister of the Interior; resigned all offices in 1989 following accusations of involvement in illegal arms trading ("Noricum Scandal"), acquitted in 1993. Since 1999 president of the Pensioners' Association of the Austrian Social Democratic Party (SPOe).