The most powerful red state party of party leader Andreas Babler is now entering the election campaign – with the burden of a leaked email from the Viennese top candidate.
Vienna. It was a coincidence. Weeks before the internal email from Doris Bures criticizing the election program of federal party leader Andreas Babler was made public, the Vienna SPÖ had fixed the appointment at the Haus des Meeres. The appointment at which Doris Bures, as the top candidate, kicked off the National Council election campaign on Viennese soil on Tuesday. Unsurprisingly, the presentation of the Viennese issues was overshadowed by the Causa prima.
Shark tank
Ironically, the event room in which the red presentation took place was located near the shark tank. And the SPÖ is currently similar to that, as Bures’ critical email was only sent to the SPÖ federal party presidium – i.e. to the 13 members of the SPÖ leadership. Bures was “disappointed” that her email criticizing Andreas Babler’s election program from the red leadership circle had been leaked to the media. She herself denied having forwarded her email to the media. Whoever did this must now face the consequences.
At the same time, Bures defended her position and the criticism of the content that she had articulated in the email in question: “I have already said this several times in internal meetings that we need more of a program. I put this in writing in the email – because I was asked to do so at the last meeting.” It is a matter of considering whether demands can be financed. “Because that is what annoyed me so much about the FPÖ and the ÖVP,” said Bures. These two parties in particular are making election promises that cannot be financed. That is completely dubious.
“Criticism is nothing out of the ordinary”
Her criticism in the email was also nothing unusual, said the Viennese top candidate: one must have substantive discussions in order to arrive at good answers: “I am an advocate of a discussion about the best ideas, which also arise in dialogue,” explained Bures. She was always only concerned with the content, never with the party leader: “You will not hear a bad word from me about Andreas Babler.” She added: “And not every discussion is an argument.” This is shown by the fact that she ultimately agreed to the election program after the Viennese demands had been taken into account. The only dissenting vote in the vote on the program therefore did not come from her, explained Bures.
»You will not hear a bad word from me about Andreas Babler.«
Doris Bures,
Top candidate of the SPÖ Vienna
Barbara Novak, who is leading the red National Council election campaign in Vienna, spoke of the astonishing “negative energy” that someone had brought to forward the email to the media just to damage the party. There had been numerous statements on the election program and many requests for changes from other people. The fact that Bures’ statement was leaked was therefore “particularly toxic” of the person in question.
The social democratic role model
Bures’ presentation as Vienna’s top candidate was overshadowed by the case, but what is she banking on in her election campaign as Vienna’s top candidate? The unsurprising answer: the so-called Vienna way, which Mayor Michael Ludwig has set out for the SPÖ Vienna: “Vienna is the social democratic role model.” Postscript: “Because it doesn’t just fall from the sky that Vienna is the most livable city in the world.”
One focus of Bures’ political program is the fight for a better balance between work and family. And here she (naturally) praised red Vienna: Here there is free kindergarten, which also has few days off – in contrast to the federal states. In Vienna there is also a wide range of art, culture and sports (for children) on offer in the summer.
Criticism of the turquoise-green federal government
While Babler did not draw attention to himself in his ORF “summer talk” with criticism of the other parties, Bures did not hold back: When it comes to combating inflation, she criticized the turquoise-green federal government, saying that they were “at the bottom of the EU”. There had been no gas price cap, and rents had not been curbed – except in Vienna’s municipal housing.
Nevertheless, a shadow remains over the red election campaign – after her confidential, internal party email from the inner red circle was leaked to the media. Doesn’t Bures fear further leaks? In response to this question from the “Presse”, the SPÖ politician humorously replied: “I only wrote an email.”
