🇦🇹 Austrian Elections & Politics 6.0 - Upper Austria election: 26 Sept. 2021

[Tender Branson]

  The tax cuts seem pretty substantial. Is this something that had been campaigned on by the OVP? It will be interesting to see Green party members of parliament voting for this.

Some news media have added up all the proposals and investments that ÖVP-Greens are planning and the costs would be ~10 billion € per year.

That cannot be financed. I don't know where all the money should come from if the budget should remain balanced. They are not only planning income tax cuts, but also a cut in corporate and property taxes, an expansion of family benefits and billion € investments into infrastructure, public transport etc. I think they have to scale back on some things.

Anyway, the government gets sworn in on Tuesday 11am:

https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000112944598/angelobung-der-bundesregierung-erfolgt-am-dienstag

[Tender Branson]

  The tax cuts seem pretty substantial. Is this something that had been campaigned on by the OVP? It will be interesting to see Green party members of parliament voting for this.

Some news media have added up all the proposals and investments that ÖVP-Greens are planning and the costs would be ~10 billion € per year.

That cannot be financed. I don't know where all the money should come from if the budget should remain balanced. They are not only planning income tax cuts, but also a cut in corporate and property taxes, an expansion of family benefits and billion € investments into infrastructure, public transport etc. I think they have to scale back on some things.

Anyway, the government gets sworn in on Tuesday 11am:

https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000112944598/angelobung-der-bundesregierung-erfolgt-am-dienstag

Are these proposed tax cuts instead of or in addition to the ÖVP/FPÖ tax cuts?

The income tax reform/cuts are the continuation of what ÖVP-FPÖ proposed until their coalition blew apart.

Everything else is new.

[Tender Branson]

The designated Justice Minister Alma Zadic is still getting bombarded with racist and anti-Muslim abuse from the disgusting FPÖ-folk on social media ("Muslim b*tch", "should be hanged at the next tree", etc).


Source: Green Party

https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000112926392/hassposter-verschaerfen-angriffe-auf-kuenftige-jusizministerinzadic

The Greens made clear today that she's not even a Muslim, but "without religion" or "non-practising" (as if it even matters).

FPÖ-leader Hofer also said today that the FPÖ is opposed to Zadic becoming Justice Minister, because she's a "convicted criminal" and that President VdB should not swear in a "convicted criminal" as minister on Tuesday.

Hofer: "It would show the true colours of Green President VdB if he swears her in, but removed Herbert Kickl (FPÖ) from the office of Interior Minister, a man with no previous criminal record."

https://orf.at/stories/3149810

Zadic was sentenced to a 700€ fine by a Vienna court last year in the 1st instance, after she posted a picture on her Social Media account of a far-right fraternity member apparently showing the Nazi/Hitler salute directed at Fridays for Future protesters. She captioned the picture with "Zero tolerance to Nazis."

The guy in the picture sued her for libel/defamation or something and won.

[Tender Branson]

Carola Rocket says Kurz is an eco-fascist, because he wants to protect the environment and borders at the same time:

https://mobile.twitter.com/CaroRackete/status/1213484637424623616

[Tender Branson]

There's now an English Wikipedia page as well for the new government:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Kurz_government

[Tender Branson]

It's odd, because Zadic was ex-Pilz List member, and they were the faction of the Greens that were most anti-immigration. She's not part of the immigration soft faction, FPO cadre!

List Pilz was only a bit more actively in favour of battling political Islam in Autria, something the Greens used to ignore in the past.

On immigration and asylum itself, List Pilz and Zadic held roughly the same views.

[Tender Branson]

On the last day of her term, the first female Chancellor of Austria says "Goodbye":

Link

[Tender Branson]

The new, first ÖVP-Green government was just sworn in with President Van der Bellen administering the oaths of office and signatures and Emperor Maria Theresia closely watching from the wall:


Source: Federal President Office

[Tender Branson]

Hilarious:

During the whole government inauguration, the public broadcaster ORF used wrong subtitles from a telenovela ...

The Austrian Social Media went nuts.

For example, when the ORF moderator was talking the following subtitle appeared:

„It is over. I’m in love with Christian.“

https://twitter.com/dieraffa/status/1214558656034816002

[Tender Branson]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_state_leaders_by_age#10_youngest_serving_state_leaders

He’s a bit younger than Sanna Marin from Finland.

Thoughts ?

[Tender Branson]

The unemployment rate dropped to a new post-2008/09 recession low of 4.2% in November, according to Eurostat.

That’s -0.5% compared with a year ago and 4th-lowest in Western Europe behind Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.

[Tender Branson]

New Ö24 poll (Jan. 3-9):

39% ÖVP (+1.5)
17% Greens (+3.1)
17% SPÖ (-4.2)
12% FPÖ (-4.2)
  9% NEOS (+0.9)
  3% DAÖ (+3.0)
  3% Others (-0.1)

[Tender Branson]

Integration Minister Susanne Raab and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz have come out to defend the new Justice Minister Alma Zadic today against the racist abuse and death threats from the FPÖ base.

Zadic is now under constant police protection because of it.

Sickening.

Zadic is a role model of good integration of a refugee in Austria. The FPÖ cannot cope with this and that’s why they want to destroy her.

https://mobile.twitter.com/susanneraab_at/status/1215178639677042688

https://mobile.twitter.com/sebastiankurz/status/1215201122601836544

[Tender Branson]

Official portraits of the 17 ÖVP-Green government members:

http://fotoservice.bundeskanzleramt.at/bka/portraits_bundesregierung.html

+ the official „family picture“ of Kurz II:



Source: Chancellor Office, pictures free to use for political education purposes

Punkt 3:

Soweit nicht ohnehin das Recht auf freie Werknutzung, insbesondere gemäß § 42 UrhG besteht, erteilt der Bund die

nicht übertragbare,
nicht ausschließliche,
zeitlich und räumlich unbeschränkte
Bewilligung das Bildmaterial des Fotoservice, an dem dem Bund die Rechte zustehen, kostenfrei

zu nicht kommerziellen Zwecken,
zu redaktionellen Zwecken von Medien und
zu Zwecken im Bereich der politischen Bildung
zu vervielfältigen, zu verbreiten, zu senden, öffentlich vorzuführen oder im Internet zur Verfügung zu stellen.

[Tender Branson]

Greens 2017:

„At his core, Kurz is a Strache.“



FPÖ now:

„At his core, Kurz is a Greta.“

[Tender Branson]

Doesn't the billboard have double meaning, considering that Kern was the SPO leader back then?

Yeah, because it involves all 3 party leaders at the time.

[Tender Branson]

Today, 9am, in parliament:

Declaration of government by Kurz and Kogler and presentation of the new government.

Also, a law will be passed to re-organize the cabinet responsibilities and an interim budget for 2020 (based on 2019 numbers).

The new budget for 2020 and maybe 2021 will be passed in March/April.

https://orf.at/stories/3150300

[Tender Branson]

Burgenland SPÖ Governor Doskozil knows how to win elections big time at 40%+ even though the federal SPÖ is languishing around at 17%:

„The Green policies are dangerous for the average worker.“

„ÖVP-Green want to secretly introduce voting rights for foreigners.“

Looks like he’s pushing the FPÖ to 5% by winning over their voters and a good amount of Kurz voters from last year.

The state election is in 2 weeks.

[Tender Branson]

Former FPÖ-leader Strache has been announced as a so-called "guest speaker" at a Jan. 23 event for the newly created DAÖ (Alliance for Austria).

https://wien.orf.at/stories/3029383

DAÖ has gained another 3 MPs from Vienna this week (now has 6) and could run in the Vienna state election this fall, with Strache as lead candidate.

DAÖ could split the FPÖ-potential in half. Currently, they have around 13-15%, so basically 7% for each party.

[Tender Branson]

  It will be fascinating to watch the SPO and FPO in opposition together, and whether their criticism of th new government start to converge.

SPÖ+FPÖ will continue to struggle for the next months, because of all their current and past problems. It won't be so easy to shake off all those allegations and switch into opposition mode.

That's why ÖVP+Greens will have a more-or-less trouble-free 1st 100 days in office.

[Tender Branson]

New Ö24 poll (Jan. 3-9):

39% ÖVP (+1.5)
17% Greens (+3.1)
17% SPÖ (-4.2)
12% FPÖ (-4.2)
  9% NEOS (+0.9)
  3% DAÖ (+3.0)
  3% Others (-0.1)

From this poll:

60% approve of the ÖVP-Green government formation (4% more than they get in the poll)

13% say that ÖVP-Greens will last more than 1 term
39% say that it will last the whole term
37% say it will last only 1-2 years
11% say it will break apart this year already

The poll also asked support/opposition for some of ÖVP+Greens coalition policies:

88% support the introduction of a nationwide public transport ticket for 365€ per year
73% support a headscarf ban for Muslim girls up to 14 years of age in school
68% support the planned tax cuts/reform and child benefit expansion
63% support raising the flight ticket fees/additional taxes to combat climate change
63% support the introduction of a Freedom of Information Law for government transparency

Also:

Kurz, Van der Bellen and Kogler remain the most popular politicians, whereas all new government members have mostly balanced numbers and Kickl, Strache and Rendi-Wagner having the worst scores.

https://www.oe24.at/oesterreich/politik/Umfrage-Kogler-schon-auf-Platz-2/412735093

[Tender Branson]

Monthly "Profil" poll (worst result for the SPÖ in 150 years of party history):

https://twitter.com/EuropeElects/status/1215984468189700096

[Tender Branson]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_state_leaders_by_age#10_youngest_serving_state_leaders

He’s a bit younger than Sanna Marin from Finland.

Thoughts ?

Good in Last Govt., yet to see about his performance this time around.

Omega, as someone from Bosnia and right-winger, what do you think about Alma Zadic and her becoming Justice Minister in Austria and the heavy online attacks and murder threats from the FPÖ against her ?

[Tender Branson]

The FPÖ is out with a very good, personal video for their New Years Meeting - acknowledging the mistakes they made in the past year.

Members from their voter base talk about deep disappointment and frustration about these developments on Ibiza, Strache, embezzlement & corruption allegations.

Yet at the end they say it’s time to stick together and correct the mistakes from the past.

This is the kind of attitude the SPÖ would need right now, but even there the FPÖ (!) is having a better grasp than the Social Democrats ...

[Tender Branson]

New Vienna state election poll for Ö24 (election will likely be held in the fall):



Changes compared with 2015:

SPÖ: -8%
ÖVP: +12%
Greens: +5%
FPÖ: -19%
NEOS: +6%
DAÖ: +5%
Others: -1%

This poll is interesting, because Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) has a 68% approval rating, yet the SPÖ apparently drops by 8%.

https://www.oe24.at/oesterreich/politik/wien/Umfrage-Wendezeit-im-Rathaus/412749709