One day after the ÖVP in the state capital Salzburg a debacle accompanied by a KPÖ landslide victory experienced, she swore to herself on Monday evening Innsbruck on this one Local council elections taking place on April 14th a. Florian Tursky (ÖVP) is entering the race as the top candidate of the civil alliance “The New Innsbruck”.
If prominent supporters the 35-year-old was able to do that former Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel win, who promoted the ÖVP hope on stage.
Worry about dark red successes
Previously there was bowl DELIVERY MAN and WHAT a short interview and struggled with it the soaring of the KPÖ, which was already the shining winner in the state elections in Salzburg before the local council elections on Sunday 2023. “This brand is toxic,” said the former chancellor to the KPÖ. “At least that’s my experience. I’m as old as the Republic.”
The 78-year-old recalled that until the fall of the communist Eastern bloc “Half of Austria was surrounded by the Iron Curtain. We had more deaths and injuries along this death zone than along the entire, much longer inner-German border.”
That was communism. “Anyone who downplays communism today doesn’t know what they’re talking about,” said Schüssel, who ruled Austria from 2000 to 2007. About Salzburg KPÖ frontman Kay-Michael Dankl He doesn’t say a bad word, but says: “He may be a nice young man. But someone has to explain to me why he’s running for the KPÖ.”
Too little explanation
Anyone who means well to Dankl “should strongly recommend that he give up this brand immediately. Because I find that unbelievable.” The ex-Chancellor misses educational work about the history of communism.
Austria rightly has “a culture of coming to terms with the crimes of National Socialism. But apparently we completely forgot to point out what Stalin and Mao did.” Namely, “millions of deaths and crimes against humanity.” There is not enough reporting about this.
Die Importance of local council elections – be it in Salzburg or now in Innsbruck – Schüssel considers the course of the super election year 2024 to be overrated. “Federal politics play no role at all. Local elections are exclusively personal elections.”
Schüssel believes ÖVP success is possible
The ÖVP is threatened with defeats in both the European and National Council elections this year. “The starting position today is certainly difficult, but it is always difficult.” So does he believe his party can turn things around? “I think it has some outstanding personalities to offer, starting with Chancellor Karl Nehammer.”
Schüssel also has nothing but praise for the rest of the ÖVP federal government team: “They are absolute professionals.” And: “If it’s purely about competence, the choice wouldn’t be that difficult.”
There were already some from the ministerial ranks Rejection of a possible coalition with Herbert Kickl’s FPÖ. “I experienced him as an opponent,” said the former ÖVP federal chairman, remembering his coalitions with the FPÖ and the BZÖ and the role of the now FPÖ leader at the time.
“Herbert Kickl was always on the other side,” said Schüssel. But for him it is also clear to the corresponding question: “No Austrian politician is a demon. We should free ourselves from this escalation, from this constant Polarization that some are the figures of light and others are the Beelzebuben.”
(kurier.at)
| Updated 48 minutes ago
2024-03-12 21:25:43
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