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Image: Thomas Ramstorfer (ORF)
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Image: Thomas Ramstorfer (ORF)
VIENNA. In only the second meeting between all five top candidates, their own clientele was primarily served.
In the most recent OÖN survey on the National Council election, four out of five eligible voters stated that they were “strongly” or “very strongly” interested in the polls taking place on Sunday. Two days before election day, around one in ten eligible voters is still undecided. For the parties and their top candidates it is therefore a matter of mobilizing until the very end. The last elephant round before the election took place on ORF on Thursday with the five top candidates from the parties represented in parliament.
Photo: JOE KLAMAR (AFP)
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Photo: JOE KLAMAR (AFP)
The many discussions on various TV channels are intended to encourage core voters to support it. The marathon in the television studios came to an end today; the discussion was not a highlight.
The five leading candidates of the parties represented in parliament met in the big round for only the second time: for the first time at the beginning of the hot election campaign phase at the invitation of the OÖN and the other federal state newspapers Salzburger Nachrichten, Kleine Zeitung, Tiroler Tageszeitung, Vorarlberger Nachrichten and the press – and for the second time this evening on ORF.
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Before the elephant round on Puls 24, FP boss Herbert Kickl sulked after unsatisfactory reporting and did not take part in the debate. The discussion on Servus TV was scheduled for the height of the flood, VP Chancellor Karl Nehammer was the first to cancel, followed by further cancellations from Andreas Babler (SP) and Herbert Kickl (FP).
At the beginning the focus was on the economy, taxes and the billion dollar deficit. Cents, percents and billions saved or spent incorrectly were tossed back and forth; the gain in knowledge was small.
- Video: Different positions on taxes and tax cuts:
Anyone who followed the numerous TV duels and other discussions only heard well-known positions. Chancellor Karl Nehammer (VP) took the opportunity to present the increased flood aid and to acknowledge the great willingness to help those affected. SP top candidate Andreas Babler served his own clientele with his announcements about the market (it doesn’t regulate everything) and wealth taxes.
FP boss Herbert Kickl was less aggressive than in some previous duels and referred to his work as Interior Minister in the migration chapter. He dismissed Nehammer as a manager who had caused a company to decline. Nehammer shook his head several times at Kickl’s (and Babler’s) statements and spoke directly to the Blue leader, accusing him of failings during his time as Interior Minister. Nehammer only agreed with Kickl once, namely that longer deadlines are needed for climate protection measures.
- Position of the FPÖ on the issue of migration:
Right from the start, Green Party leader Werner Kogler took a lot of time to speak and didn’t always stick to the given topics. When talking about soil sealing, he referred to the valorization of social benefits.
Neos boss Beate Meinl-Reisinger surprised her by thanking her competitors: It was a decent election campaign and not a mudslinging campaign. She pointed out that everyone had had their chance to restructure the budget and emphasized the need for comprehensive reform.
The most exciting point, who can with whom, only came up after 10 p.m.
Karl Nehammer was addressed, who always referred to the constructive forces in the FPÖ. He emphasized that he could not agree with Herbert Kickl, who was addicted to conspiracy theories and had become radicalized. When asked, he did not say who he had good “and nice” exchanges with in the FP.
- Nehammer: No coalition with Kickl:
Kickl countered that what was much worse than these allegations was that the government had conspired against the population and the will of the voters. The strongest should receive the government contract, Kickl demanded a commitment from the others. With Nehammer you get an Austrian version of a traffic light. There would be overlaps in content with the ÖVP. When asked whether he would step aside as second and become club chairman or National Council President to make a coalition with the ÖVP possible, Kickl evaded the idea.
Nehammer doesn’t want to work with the Greens either, who can he work with? The current Chancellor also avoided this question.
Can you both work together, is the follow-up question to Babler and Nehammer? Babler reached out and addressed key words that had previously been left unsaid – from women’s rights to child poverty. Nehammer said nothing about it.
- SPÖ does not want to form a coalition with FPÖ:
The Neos boss was asked whether she could work with the ÖVP and SPÖ, even though she criticized them so heavily? She replied that she expected the ÖVP and FPÖ to revive their previous coalition as soon as the opportunity presented itself. She also rejected the leaden standstill of a VP-SP coalition. She once again applied to be a reform force in the next government.
- Neos against new edition of “Ibiza 2.0”:
Green Party leader Werner Kogler said the controversial Leonore Gewessler would be part of the team. He also used this passage for election advertising.
- Climate protection as an important coalition condition for the Greens
Conclusion: Anyone who has already voted using a voting card will not be annoyed that he or she placed the wrong box because one of the candidates would have been such a positive surprise. Familiar positions were repeated for more than two hours, with little discussion between the candidates, without major interference, and without new insights.
Author
Sigrid Brandstätter
Head of Department for State and Domestic Policy
Sigrid Brandstätter
