She was a pioneer in several respects – she was the first woman in the Upper Austrian state government, as President of the National Council, the first woman at the head of parliament and, as SP women’s chairwoman, she influenced subsequent generations of female politicians in the SPÖ: On Thursday, January 11th, Barbara Prammer, who died of cancer in the summer of 2014, would celebrate her 70th birthday.
Picture gallery: Barbara Prammer lost her battle with cancer
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It was not just for this occasion that the Upper Austrian SPÖ unveiled a portrait of Prammer yesterday in their meeting room at the party headquarters on Linzer Landstrasse. The portrait, painted by the Linz artist Julia Heinisch, now hangs between two oil paintings that show Richard Bernaschek, one of the main figures in the February battles of 1934, and Josef Gruber, mayor of Linz from 1930 to 1934. Karl Renner is also represented in the portrait gallery in the meeting room.
The women’s chair of the federal SP, Eva-Maria Holzleitner from Wels, and the women’s chair of the state SP, Renate Heitz, as well as SP state party leader Michael Lindner praised Prammer’s commitment and role model role. Elisabeth Thaller, a sister of the deceased, remembered Barbara Prammer in a very touching and personal speech.
