The critics rub shoulders with one point in the Lower Austrian coalition agreement in particular: the Corona compensation fund. Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) defends the measure: “With the Corona Fund we have found a bridge to end the rifts in society.” That is an “opportunity”, she explains to the “Krone”. The fund should cover all damages, including psychological ones.
She also thinks the repayment of fines to those who have violated Corona rules is right: “The repayment of fines only applies to those laws that the Constitutional Court has repealed. I really think that’s fair.”
For three years, the division in society has been getting deeper. “The pandemic has shown that no one is always 100 percent right. Neither the experts, nor those who were in favor of strict rules, nor the opponents. This alienation must finally be resolved.”
The provincial governor does not appear to be impressed by the continuous bombardment that some critics have opened up on the FPÖ and the concessions made by the ÖVP. She makes much more serious accusations against the SPÖ and her Lower Austria boss Sven Hergovich (34): “The SPÖ has made demands on conditions that are not even implemented in red countries. And that’s what the third-placed with 20 percent of the votes demands from us,” criticizes Mikl-Leitner. “The behavior of the SPÖ is the real scandal.”
Regarding the concessions made by the People’s Party, the governor said: “I recently read that the ÖVP should get off their high horse. And when we make compromises that some don’t like, it means the price is too high. Incidentally, we also had many compromises on the demands of the SPÖ. But Sven Hergovich, for his part, was not willing to give in.” Conclusion: “The SPÖ blocked – that’s why there is now stable cooperation with the FPÖ.” With the FPÖ there were “tough negotiations”, “but they had a professional tone. We managed to build up a basic level of trust.”
Due to the majorities after the state elections, only coalitions between the ÖVP, FPÖ and SPÖ were possible in Lower Austria.
