Austria: What’s going on with the FPÖ and ÖVP? -Politics
Deep, deeper… how deep? You’re used to a lot of how the FPÖ treats supposed party friends. But the Causa Jenewein beats previously known. Jenewein was known as the “right hand” of FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl – then he suddenly had to leave the party. The public prosecutor had confiscated his mobile phone. Accordingly, Jenewein is said to be behind an anonymous ad against high-ranking FPÖ members, including Dominik Nepp. The head of the Vienna Freedom Party is not exactly on friendly terms with Kickl.
Jenewein was dropped by the party leadership and tragically attempted suicide, which ex-FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache commented tastelessly as follows: “No one should commit suicide and run away, but face the official allegations and help to fully clarify them !” In the FPÖ there is now a discussion about party leader Kickl, who claims to have known nothing about Jenewein’s actions – which is not very credible.
The ÖVP has a chairman debate again, as so often
In the ÖVP, too, there is once again a media debate about transfers, in which Governor Wilfried Haslauer got involved. In the state of Salzburg, as well as in Lower Austria and Carinthia, there will be elections at the beginning of 2023. In an interview with the Crown newspaper sums up the situation like this: “We are in a situation that we had a short time ago, and we have now been thrown back into it.” And added: “Karl Nehammer has my full trust, I don’t see any debate about the chairman.”
The ÖVP always has a chairman debate when state governors claim that there is none. However, the current one is surprisingly early, because Nehammer was only elected three months ago – with 100 percent approval. So he is now fighting for his political survival with a rumored two hundred appearances on a summer tour.
However, the former army officer has not yet been seen as a charismatic and stirring speaker. Even at congresses, Nehammer does not pull as a star guest, in contrast to his predecessor Sebastian Kurz. Nehammer also tries to win over German journalists – probably in the hope of benevolent reporting that can have a strong impact in Austria. His wife Katharina, longtime spokeswoman in politics, is also present at meetings in Vienna.
And in Tyrol, where elections will be held on September 25, the sales movement is already so strong that the party is no longer running as the ÖVP, but as List Mattle – named after top candidate Anton Mattle. The polls predict a crash of up to 15 percentage points. There is already a saying: Matt, Matter, Mattle. But from a Tyrolean point of view, Vienna will be to blame in the event of an election debacle – and thus Karl Nehammer. At least that’s predictable.
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