On Tuesday morning, the VP’s top candidate for the EU elections will present himself to the media in Vienna. On Monday, the federal party executive committee met and unanimously voted former VP club chairman Reinhold Lopatka first on the list. At that time, the 63-year-old was taking part in the meeting of the European committee chairmen from 27 national parliaments in Brussels. Shortly following his nomination, Lopatka posted a photo with Othmar Karas: The long-time VP-EU parliamentarian, who will no longer run following internal quarrels, congratulated the new top candidate with a handshake.
Lopatka was not the logical number one for the EU elections on June 9th. Several members of the government declined, and ORF celebrities were ultimately viewed as too inexperienced. He did not actively seek the role, but if the party wanted to give him a task, then he would take it on, the Styrian said. Now he should take the chestnuts out of the fire for the ÖVP, which is threatened with severe losses in the EU elections. The SPÖ, FPÖ and ÖVP are close together in surveys.
He has the necessary technical expertise: in recent years, Lopatka has seized every opportunity to position himself internationally. He is the ÖVP’s foreign policy spokesman in the National Council, and he is Vice President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the OSCE.
In recent years, the People’s Party has become quiet regarding the once aspiring politician. Lopatka began working in the Styrian People’s Party at the age of 23. He had previously studied law and theology and briefly considered becoming a priest. But when he was 22 he met his wife and they have three sons together.
“Who if not him”
In Styria he managed the election campaign with such success that the then VP Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel became aware of him. Lopatka created the election slogan “Who, if not him.” The ÖVP achieved a record result in the 2002 National Council elections. As a reward, Lopatka became VP-General Secretary and later State Secretary – first for sport, then for finance. At that time, his current opponent in the EU elections, SP top candidate Andreas Schieder, was also State Secretary.
A few years later, Schieder and Lopatka would meet once more: both were club chairmen of their faction. Despite the red-black coalition, the cooperation was by no means free of friction.
Lopatka increasingly reached out to the FPÖ and collected renegade members of the Stronach team, whom he welcomed into the VP club. The then VP chairman Reinhold Mitterlehner had no control over Lopatka, who was increasingly becoming independent. There was quick talk of Lopatka’s poison kitchen. He became Sebastian Kurz’s stirrup holder, but his commitment was not rewarded; he simply became a member of parliament.
In times of need, the ÖVP resorted to the political professional once more. Yesterday Lopatka highlighted the economic and security policy advantages of the EU and criticized its deficits such as illegal migration, lack of proximity to citizens and over-regulation.
The remaining ÖVP list for the EU elections will only be announced in the coming days. The VP delegation leader in the EU Parliament, Angelika Winzig from Upper Austria, is expected to take second place.
New election speculation
At a meeting with the VP state leaders in the Federal Chancellery on Sunday evening, possible new elections were also discussed. Votes for an early National Council election are apparently increasing among the state leaders. The date was said to be May 26th. However, it is up to Chancellor Karl Nehammer to decide for himself whether he wants to go to the polls earlier than in the fall, it is said.
Author
Annette Gantner
Internal politics editor
Annette Gantner
