“The right-wing extremists are out of the question,” Kogler said in an APA interview. The FPÖ does not distance itself from the Identitarians, who “are becoming more and more openly neo-Nazi” – “nip it in the bud,” he warned. For the last National Council session before the election, Kogler announced financial relief and a ban on marriage under the age of 18.
Even if the FPÖ does come first in the National Council elections at the end of September, as the polls have been predicting for months, the Green Party’s top candidate is against the Federal President giving the Freedom Party a mandate to form a government. Kogler is convinced that the head of state, directly elected by the people, will “proceed very carefully here.” “There is absolutely no obligation to give a mandate to form a government here.” The fact that the first-place candidate is not part of the government is nothing new in Austria, he said, recalling the 1999 election when the SPÖ was “ousted.” Kogler does not find this undemocratic, because the FPÖ will not get 50 percent and it is about finding stable majorities.
“Firewall”
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Rather, more parties should “bring themselves together” to build the “firewall” again, Kogler believes. “Because it is not acceptable, I think that right-wing extremists could just march into government.” Among the Identitarians, “the extended right-wing extremist arm of this liberal group,” there are people “who think the Holocaust is cool or preach genocide” – here “lines have been crossed that can no longer be described,” Kogler emphasized. “Nip it in the bud! I say this so clearly and with everyone consciously remembering where it comes from.” Kogler sees the allusion to the Nazi dictatorship as justified: “If you don’t generally distance yourself from these Identitarians, who are becoming more and more openly neo-Nazi, then that is something where these comparisons are justified.”
“So the ÖVP and even the SPÖ are called upon to say a clear no here.” Regardless of what SPÖ leader Andreas Babler says, Kogler misses a categorical ruling out of a coalition with the FPÖ in some red state parties. The question for the ÖVP is also which line will prevail, said Kogler, referring to the alliances with the blues in Salzburg and Lower Austria, for example.
Marriage ban until 18 years
The FPÖ has been successful with the issue of foreigners, among other things, and Kogler does not deny that there are problems in primary schools with the proportion of so-called exceptional students, i.e. those who do not speak German. In Vienna, where the greatest difficulties are, more mixing is needed in schools, for example by changing the size of the districts, says Kogler. But the federal states are responsible. The government has taken initiatives to increase teaching staff. More German courses and a second compulsory year of kindergarten could also help, Kogler believes.
The last National Council session before the election will take place in just over two weeks, and a number of decisions are to be made there. Kogler mentioned, for example, financial relief as part of the abolition of bracket creep, including more money for single parents and a higher, more environmentally friendly mileage allowance. Also to be approved are the marriage ban under the age of 18 to combat forced marriages and the pension increase for 2025.
Whether a new finance minister should be installed in the meantime after Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) has been elected EU Commissioner or whether the agenda should be transferred to someone else is still to be discussed. For him, a personnel solution that “creates trust” is important, stressed Kogler. He could also imagine an expert.
Some things that were important to the Greens in government have not come to fruition
Some things that were important to the Greens in government have not come to fruition: a soil protection strategy, a new climate protection law or a climate check for laws and regulations. What is more important is that emissions are falling thanks to the Greens, which they have been doing for two years, Kogler replied. In addition, the national energy and climate plan has recently been implemented. In this context, Kogler insisted on the abolition of the diesel privilege – this must be “tackled harshly” because it massively attracts truck transit.
It has also not been possible to actually reduce the share of Russian gas – this week, Statistics Austria showed that there is still no decline in Russian gas imports. The Green Party leader once again pointed out that the ÖVP and SPÖ are responsible for the gas dependency. At the time, it was “an economic crime” and a “disgrace” to “roll out the red carpet for Putin, including a trail of slime,” Kogler confirmed. The Green Party has now turned the lever for the first time, and that does not happen overnight. The percentage share is still high, Kogler admitted, but in absolute terms the gas quantities have fallen significantly.
Kogler did not answer the question of whether he would become parliamentary party leader if the Greens ended up on the opposition benches after the election – because he does believe that the Greens will make it into government negotiations again. “That is our very first task: to become so strong that we cannot be ignored when it comes to forming a government. And I am very confident that we will play a role there.” Kogler has not set a bar for the election result, he says. When asked whether he would remain party leader regardless of the result, Kogler said: “Now we are all applying for five years together, that is fixed and we will go through with it.”
ePaper
Austrian Greens Leader Warns Against Right-Wing Extremists and Calls for “Firewall” Against FPÖ
As the Austrian National Council elections approach, Green Party leader Werner Kogler has sounded the alarm against the rise of right-wing extremists and neo-Nazis, warning that the Freedom Party (FPÖ) must be prevented from entering government. In an interview, Kogler emphasized the importance of building a “firewall” against the FPÖ, which he believes is becoming increasingly openly neo-Nazi.
Kogler’s comments come amid growing concerns about the influence of the Identitarians, a far-right group that has been linked to neo-Nazi ideology. The Green Party leader warned that if the FPÖ were to enter government, it would be a ”disaster” for Austria and Europe as a whole.
“Nip it in the bud!”
Kogler urged other parties to join forces to prevent the FPÖ from gaining power. “It is not acceptable that right-wing extremists could just march into government,” he said. “The Ident
