[Haider's story keeps getting juicier. He's even better copy dead than he was in life.]
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24542711-2703,00.html
The Australian
October 24, 2008
THE successor to Austrian far-right leader Jorg Haider has been forced
to step down after he revealed he and the dead politician had a
homosexual relationship, British newspapers reported.
The Independent said that Stefan Petzner, the 27-year-old who recently
replaced Haider as leader of the right-wing Alliance For The Future of
Austria, had effectively outed himself as the deceased's gay lover
while being interviewed on an Austrian radio breakfast show.
"I had to go to him. I had to go to him," Mr Petzner said as he
recalled how he rushed to the hospital where the dead body of
52-year-old Haider was lying after his fatal crash on October 13.
"We had a relationship that went far beyond friendship. Jorg and I were
connected by something truly special. He was the man of my life."
The Times said Haider, who was killed in a high-speed car crash, had
drunk vodka at a gay bar after having an argument with Mr Petzner at a
magazine launch party.
The Alliance, embarrassed by Mr Petzner's interview, demoted him to
deputy and promoted Josef Buchner, 43, a hotel owner and a divorced
father of two, who was seen as a more conservative choice.
Both papers reported that Haider's widow, Claudia, had not objected to
the relationship.
The Independent quoted Mr Petzner as saying: "She loved him as a woman.
He loved her as a man. I loved him in a completely different and
personal way. She understood that."
Copyright 2008 News Limited. All times AEDT (GMT + 11).