Norbert Darabos (born 31 May 1964) is an Austrianpolitician. Currently, he serves as the president of the Austrian Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution (ASPR). From 2007 to 2013, he served as Minister of National Defence under the chancellors Gusenbauer and Faymann. From 2015 to 2016, he was secretary general of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ). He is married and has two children.
In the period 1988 till 1991 Darabos was chief executive of the federal branch of the Dr.-Karl-Renner-Institute in Burgenland, a social democratic think tank. Between 1991 and 1998 he was press speaker for the Governor of the Province of Burgenland, Karl Stix. Since 1998 he is executive secretary of the SPÖ Burgenland. On 19 May 1999 he became a member of the federal parliament. Between December 2000 till March 2003, Darabos was the head of the Social Democratic Group in the federal parliament of Burgenland.
In March 2003, Darabos became secretary general of the Social Democratic Party of Austria. In 2004 he ran the election campaign of later President of AustriaHeinz Fischer, and on 16 June 2004 he became a member of the Austrian parliament (SPÖ).
In 2010 Vienna's mayor Michael Häupl (SPÖ) suggested it should be decided whether young Austrians should still have to serve in the army. Darabos promised "full support" for Häupl's idea of abolishing the conscription, that for the 2013 Austrian conscription referendum takes place. On 11 March 2013 Darabos resigned as minister in order to return as Secretary General of his party, responsible for running the upcoming parliament elections.[1]
