View source for Hubert Gorbach

{{short description|Austrian politician}}
{{Expand German|topic=bio|Hubert Gorbach|date=August 2011}}
{{Infobox officeholder 
| name            = Hubert Gorbach
| image           = Gorbach Hubert 20050826 Lb Feier (052).JPG
| imagesize       = 
| caption         = Gorbach in 2005
| office          = [[Vice-Chancellor of Austria]]
| chancellor      = [[Wolfgang Schüssel]]
| term_start      = 21 October 2003
| term_end        = 11 January 2007
| predecessor     = [[Herbert Haupt]]
| successor       = [[Wilhelm Molterer]]
| office1         = [[Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology|Minister of Transport]]
| chancellor1     = Wolfgang Schüssel
| term_start1     = 28 February 2003
| term_end1       = 11 January 2007
| predecessor1    = Mathias Reichhold
| successor1      = [[Werner Faymann]]
| birth_date      = {{birth date and age|1956|7|27 |df=y}}
| birth_place     = [[Frastanz]], [[Vorarlberg]], [[Austria]]
| party           = [[Alliance for the Future of Austria|Alliance for the Future]]
}}
'''Hubert Gorbach''' ({{IPA|de|ˈhuːbɛʁt ˈɡɔʁˌbax}}; born 27 July 1956)<ref name="cv parliament">{{cite web |title=Hubert Gorbach |url=https://www.parlament.gv.at/person/15464 |website=[[Austrian Parliament]]|access-date=1 November 2025}}</ref> is an [[Austria]]n politician and a member of the [[Alliance for the Future of Austria]] (BZÖ). Gorbach graduated from a {{lang|de|Handelsakademie}} (a type of secondary school focussed on business, accounting and economics), before working in the textile industry in his home state of [[Vorarlberg]] for a decade.<ref name="cv parliament" /> Until April 2005, he was a leading member in the [[Austrian Freedom Party|Freedom Party]]. Born in [[Vorarlberg]], he was vice-governor ({{langx|de|Landeshauptmannstellvertreter}}) of Vorarlberg until 2003.

In 2003, he succeeded [[Herbert Haupt]] as [[Vice-Chancellor of Austria]]. From February 2003 until June 2004, Gorbach was Federal Minister for Transport, Innovation and Technology in Austria in a [[coalition]] government headed by the [[Austrian People's Party|People's Party]].

==Controversies==
After attending the [[2010 Belarusian presidential election]] as an [[election observer]], Gorbach praised [[Alexander Lukashenko]]'s [[Belarus]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Gedächtnisverlust |url=https://www.diepresse.com/620166/gedaechtnisverlust |access-date=1 November 2025 |work=[[Die Presse]]}}</ref> stating its elections are "up to West European standards" and likening the elections to a "folk festival".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Schmölzer |first1=Michael |title="Die Wahlen waren wie ein großes Volksfest" |url=https://www.wienerzeitung.at/h/die-wahlen-waren-wie-ein-grosses-volksfest |access-date=1 November 2025 |work=Wiener Zeitung}}</ref>

In October 2011, Hubert Gorbach lost his driving licence because of [[driving under the influence]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.profil.at/articles/1142/560/310156/gorbach-gorbachs-fuehrerscheinprobleme |title=Gorbachs Fuehrerscheinprobleme |date=2011-10-22 |publisher=[[profil (magazine)|Profil]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Gorbach soll Führerschein entzogen worden sein |url=https://www.derstandard.at/story/1319182060379/nach-alkoholfahrt-gorbach-soll-fuehrerschein-entzogen-worden-sein |access-date=1 November 2025 |work=[[Der Standard]]}}</ref> His [[blood alcohol concentration]] (BAC) was alleged to have been 0.19 percent. Gorbach's driving licence was suspended for a period of 6 months, which led to allegations of preferential treatment on the part of the local authority in [[Feldkirch, Vorarlberg|Feldkirch]].<ref>{{cite news |title=APA: Gorbach bekommt Führerschein zurück |url=https://vorarlberg.orf.at/v2/news/stories/2508471/ |access-date=1 November 2025 |work=[[Austrian Broadcasting Corporation]]}}</ref> There were reports that Gorbach's license had been reinstated a few days after the incident.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dolm der Woche: Hubert Gorbach |url=https://www.falter.at/zeitung/20111109/dolm-der-woche-hubert-gorbach |access-date=1 November 2025}}</ref>

After retiring from politics, Gorbach received more than {{Currency|268000|EUR}} from [[Telekom Austria]]. These payments were seen as payoff for favourable policies Gorbach enacted for the company during his tenure in government.<ref>{{cite news |title=Telekom-Affäre: Gorbach dürfte um Anklage herumkommen |url=https://kurier.at/politik/inland/telekom-affaere-gorbach-soll-statt-anklage-ein-bussgeld-von-1-680-euro-bekommen/ |access-date=1 November 2025 |work=[[Kurier]]}}</ref> Although Gorbach denied all allegations, he accepted a [[conditional discharge]], which allowed him to avoid a criminal indictment by paying a fine of {{currency|1680|EUR}}. Moreover, Gorbach had to pay partial restitution to Telekom Austria in the amount of {{currency|100000|eur}} as well as partially covering the costs of the investigation.<ref>{{cite news |title=Telekom: Gorbach nimmt Diversionsangebot der Justiz an |url=https://www.diepresse.com/5224443/telekom-gorbach-nimmt-diversionsangebot-der-justiz-an |access-date=1 November 2025 |work=[[Die Presse]]}}</ref> Commentators saw the discharge as too lenient considering the severity of the alleged offences. The fine was calculated based on Gorbach's net monthly income at the time, which was reported to be approximately {{currency|1600|eur}}.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Klenk |first1=Florian |title=Die billige Buße des Hubert Gorbach |url=https://www.falter.at/zeitung/20170607/die-billige-busse-des-hubert-gorbach |access-date=1 November 2025}}</ref>

In 2025, Gorbach received a fake knighthood from an organisation pretending to be the [[Sovereign Military Order of Malta]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mangard |first1=Joachim |title=Von wegen Malteser-Ritter: Gorbach wird offenbar zum Betrugsopfer |url=https://www.vol.at/von-wegen-malteser-ritter-gorbach-wird-offenbar-zum-betrugsopfer/9534038 |work=[[Vorarlberger Nachrichten]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Malteserorden warnt vor Fake-Orden |url=https://religion.orf.at/stories/3230996/ |access-date=1 November 2025 |work=[[Austrian Broadcasting Corporation]]}}</ref> Said fake order is alleged to have taken payments from recipients in exchange for fake knighthoods.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Klenk |first1=Florian |last2=Winterer |first2=Matthias |title=Hubert Gorbach, Malteserritter Möchtegern |url=https://www.falter.at/zeitung/20250707/hubert-gorbach-der-faschingsprinz |access-date=1 November 2025 |work=[[Falter]]}}</ref>

==Personal life==
He is married and is interested in [[horse]]s.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Aichinger |first1=Philipp |title=Politiker-Tiere: "First Cat" bis Frankenstein |url=https://www.diepresse.com/82574/politiker-tiere-first-cat-bis-frankenstein |access-date=1 November 2025 |work=[[Die Presse]]}}</ref>
==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* [http://www.worldwhoswho.com/views/entry.html?id=sl749853 GORBACH, Hubert] International Who's Who. accessed 8 September 2006.
* [http://www.gorbach-consulting.com GORBACH, Hubert] Homepage.
* [http://www.profil.at/articles/1142/560/310156/gorbach-gorbachs-fuehrerscheinprobleme] Profil Weekly Newspaper. Accessed 10-22-2011.

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Herbert Haupt]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Vice Chancellors of Austria|Vice Chancellor of Austria]]|years=2003– 2007}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Wilhelm Molterer]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Vice-Chancellors of Austria}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gorbach, Hubert}}
[[Category:1956 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Feldkirch District]]
[[Category:Vice-chancellors of Austria]]
[[Category:21st-century Austrian politicians]]


{{Austria-politician-stub}}