Lena Schilling: A top candidate in political trouble

Werner Kogler and the rest of the Green leadership team have probably experienced more relaxed days. Since the “Standard” made several anonymous, sometimes serious accusations once morest the EU’s top candidate Lena Schilling on Tuesday evening, the Green Party has been in a state of emergency. What the 23-year-old political whiz kid is accused of and what consequences can be expected:

What allegations are being made once morest Schilling:

The list of misconduct that Schilling is accused of is long and extends into his personal environment. On the one hand, there is the recorded court settlement between Schilling and a married couple known in the media. Schilling expressed the suspicion to several people that the marriage was a violent relationship. In the settlement, Schilling undertakes not to express this suspicion once more. The document is dated April 12, 2024, months following Schilling was named the top candidate. She is also said to have a problematic relationship with the truth. For example, she is said to have claimed that she was harassed by a Green MP (who had to resign following an argument in front of a Viennese bar). She is also said to have told several people that she was having an affair with a television journalist. He had to explain himself to his employer because Schilling had also accused him of having affairs with several members of parliament.

What the evidence once morest Schilling looks like:

The document on the court settlement is now available. The couple also spoke out via platform X (formerly Twitter) and confirmed what happened and denied violence in the relationship. With regard to the other allegations, the “Standard” states that it can provide proof of the truth of every statement. Those affected want to remain anonymous.

How the green party leadership and Schilling himself react:

Already on Wednesday morning, the entire party leadership around chairman Werner Kogler stood behind Schilling in a press conference called at short notice. Kogler describes the allegations as “anonymous farts”. A “bucket of dirt” is currently being emptied on a “young woman who has dared to take the step into politics,” Kogler added. The rest of the party leadership also showed solidarity. Club chairman Sigrid Maurer promised the 23-year-old unconditional support. Schilling did not want to comment on the content of the allegations at the press conference. “None of these concentrated allegations have anything to do with my politics,” said Schilling. What was striking, however, was the lack of an official denial of the allegations. No legal action will be taken once morest the “standard”, as Kogler announced when asked.

What the reaction is among the Greens outside of the party leadership:

The entire party is currently keeping an embarrassed silence on the Schilling case – probably also out of fear of further damage in the important weeks of the election campaign. Only the Green Party’s seventh on the list in the European elections, Kati Schneeberger, criticized the party leadership’s reaction on Wednesday via Schneeberger has since deleted the posting.

What consequences the cause might have for Schilling and the Greens:

It is difficult to estimate at this point. The crucial question is how united the party leadership and base can remain in the remaining weeks until June 9th. In addition, further allegations once morest the top candidate might also be made or become known. In any case, the election campaign has been massively affected, the main green issues are taking a back seat. If it is credibly portrayed that it was an attack on a young politically active woman, younger voters in particular might show solidarity with Schilling. By the way, it is no longer possible to withdraw from the top candidacy – Schilling might only give up her mandate.