What do politics and theater have in common, what are the differences? – With this question, posed by OÖN editor-in-chief Susanne Dickstein and SN editor-in-chief Manfred Perterer, the debate between the top candidates began on Tuesday in the Salzburg State Theater.
- A editorial Read more about the topic here.
Green Party leader Werner Kogler was the first to get a laugh from the answers. He recalled that as Minister of Culture in Salzburg he had already attended several festival openings and then said to FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl, who was standing right next to him: “So I am one of the strange bunch you described!” – Kickl had recently described the Salzburg “festival elite” as “an inbred bunch and hypocrites”.
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The duel for first place
Kickl remained at the center of the debate. ÖVP leader and Chancellor Karl Nehammer once again clearly distanced himself from him and ruled out a coalition with Kickl – but not with the “reasonable” forces in the FPÖ. SPÖ leader Andreas Babler described his party as the only guarantee that the FPÖ would not enter the government and expressed doubts about the credibility of Nehammer’s rejection of Kickl. Kickl also doubted Nehammer’s credibility. The ÖVP leader had called for a duel between Nehammer and Kickl for first place, so he would have to accept who came first on election night. He, Kickl, would certainly do that.
Green Party leader Kogler was asked another coalition question: How credible is his party as a coalition partner if it voted for the EU renaturation law in Brussels against the will of the ÖVP? Kogler was proud of this approach: The Greens had shown their true face, namely the face of climate protection. Nehammer noted that the Green Party minister Leonore Gewessler had put herself above the constitution and against the farmers with her voting behavior in Brussels.
Neos leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger then acted like a member of the government, saying: “The first thing we have to do in the new government is take stock of our finances.” The old government had incurred 100 billion euros in new debt in five years. Meinl-Reisinger countered the objection that Vienna – where the Neos are part of the government – was also taking on a lot of debt by pointing out the “mammoth task” of immigration, which Vienna in particular is facing.
The most important issue in the election campaign
This was the key word for what surveys say is the most important issue in this election campaign – migration. Nehammer said that Austria needs immigration for the job market, but not for the social system. The government is working on substantial solutions to combat illegal migration, unlike the FPÖ. Entitlement to social benefits should only be granted after five years. Babler said that the people who come must be treated decently. Of course there are problems in schools, but the previous black-blue government is to blame for this, as it took away the resources for integration from schools. He wants to change that, said Babler. He also wants to ensure faster integration into the job market so that people don’t just hang around.
For Kickl, the current migration policy has been completely misguided. The result is mass brawls, rapes and terrorist attacks. The FPÖ is the only party that has been pointing out this danger since 1993. The only solution can be: no more asylum applications should be accepted in Austria. This is not even possible due to European agreements, countered Kogler. In fact, there are problems with the security situation, with radicalization and Islamist hate preachers. But there are rules for this anyway that need to be enforced. These rules also need to be extended to social media. However, Kogler warned against lumping all immigrants together.
Meinl-Reisinger said that the Neos had rethought the issue of migration. Society, schools and social systems are increasingly overwhelmed. More integration must therefore be demanded, for example through compulsory values courses. However, asylum applications must still be possible, said Meinl-Reisinger. The human rights convention must continue to apply.
Economy and budget
Babler, Kogler and Meinl-Reisinger said yes to the ban on combustion engines, Nehammer and Kickl said no. Next question: 100 km/h on the motorways? Babler was the only one to say yes, Nehammer, Kickl and Meinl-Reisinger said no, Kogler maybe. Next question: 32-hour week for everyone? Babler and Kogler said yes, Nehammer, Kickl and Meinl-Reisinger said no. This brought the topic of the economy and the budget to the fore. Chancellor Nehammer spoke out in favor of further tax cuts – the government had taken the first steps by abolishing bracket creep and reducing corporation tax. Nehammer also promised a growth policy and a stronger focus on performance.
Babler wants to reduce energy costs and promoted his transformation strategy to create new jobs. His concept for restructuring state finances is wealth taxes. Kickl promised tax cuts so that performance would be worthwhile again and the business location would be revitalized. The FPÖ leader would make savings on Sky Shield and in the structures, for example. Kogler wants to save on road construction and instead invest in greening and digitization. Meinl-Reisinger insisted on a spending brake and structural reforms to balance the budget, and on a reduction in non-wage labor costs and a reduction in bureaucracy to stimulate the economy. There was one special topic for SPÖ leader Babler: the internal party disputes. Babler said that this only shows that he had found clear words and given the SPÖ a new profile. One or two people just have a different opinion. But 59 of 60 members of the SPÖ’s decisive committee had approved the election program.
Passionate but peaceful
The exchange of blows, which was organized by the SN in cooperation with the state newspapers and the “Presse”, was largely peaceful, and the leading candidates even said positive things about each other. Kickl, for example, liked the fact that Kogler spoke in such a Styrian manner. Of course, the discussion was passionate, after all, there was something at stake. As the director of the Salzburg State Theater, Carl Philip von Maldeghem, said in his welcoming speech: “The theater is a place where fates are at stake.”
