Haider may quit political life

A DAY after his far-right Freedom Party suffered a crushing defeat in Austria’s general election, Joerg Haider said yesterdayhe was planning to step down as governor of Carinthia province, hinting he would leave the political scene altogether.

Mr Haider, who stirred controversy after he admitted admiring some of Adolf Hitler’s policies, said he would propose his plan to party leaders at a meeting later in the day and try to achieve a consensus with them.

Preliminary results released showed the conservative People’s Party of Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel surging to gain 42% of the votes.