New elections are becoming more likely in Austria – opinion
For months it has been rumored in Austria that there WILL be new elections soon. Now that’s a little more likely. Chancellor Karl Nehammer, successor to Sebastian Kurz, who was overthrown over allegations of corruption, came into office because the Green coalition partner had called for an irreproachable personality at the head of government. Nehammer probably had nothing to do with the advertising affair surrounding Kurz and only appeared marginally in 300,000 chats, which the public prosecutor’s office used as a treasure trove for their investigations. He became chancellor – on call, as it stands today.
The ÖVP denies all allegations. Is that believable?
Because the Kurz era has caught up with him. As early as 2017, when Sonnyboy Kurz won an election for the first time, the ÖVP had far exceeded the legal upper limit for campaign costs. In 2019, the coalition with the right-wing populists from the FPÖ broke up over the Ibiza shock, and Kurz won another election. And again there were indications that the Conservatives had spent more money than allowed. The then General Secretary Nehammer denied. Now the Federal Court of Auditors has made it public that it does not believe the ÖVP. If the auditors are right, that would be fraud. And the General Secretary at the time, the nice Karl Nehammer, would have lied.
It will be a long time before this becomes clear. The ÖVP denies all allegations. But after Ibiza, after Kurz, after numerous corruption scandals, hardly anyone believes her anymore. The ÖVP has gambled away the voters’ trust through its walls and its manipulations. It’s time for Austria to choose.