Cranberry
TheCranberry
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« on: June 19, 2015, 10:03:24 AM » |
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The Waldheim affair took its toll on the LKP, but contrary to many pundits' expectations, Waldheim managed to keep the second place, way ahead of Mock's new list and the other parties of the right. The KPÖ scored in the first place for the first time ever, and combined the leftist KPÖ-SPÖ coalition gained 13 PMs, though was narrowly denied a majority. However, with the right split between pro- and anti-Waldheim forces, KPÖ leader Johanna Dohnal was able to form a minority government with the SPÖ, relying on the support of CSP or VL PMs. Austria’s first female chancellor was inaugurated in April 1979.
The government soon tackled reforms directed towards the left’s core constituency, the Austrian workers. The workweek was reduced to 40 hours in 1980, yearly paid holiday increased to 5 weeks and additional monthly wages at Christmas and for the summer holidays were launched, the so-called “thirteenth and fourteenth wage”. The LKP, FPÖ and VL vehemently opposed the programs, but abstention from the fifteen CSP MPs led to a narrow passage of the so-called “Dohnal package”.
The government’s second round of legislative novella dealt with the country’s energy policy. In wake of the oil crisis and Austria’s apparent energy dependence on foreign powers and their fossil fuels, the government proposed to build a nuclear power plant at Zwentendorf, Lower Austria. The proposal was met with ambiguous reactions from the populace, but due a number of self-styled “green” groups and a large number of Austrians voicing opposition to the project, Chancellor Dohnal decided to put the issue on a referendum, held alongside the regular federal elections of 1983.
Meanwhile, on party politics level, the Mock-led LKP splinter formally organized as a party in 1980, giving itsself the name Neue Volkspartei (New People's Party, NVP), referring to the old ÖVP of which the new party saw itsself as successor.
September 1983 thus saw the Austrian people flock to the polls for two occasions, the election of a new government and a referendum. The official question for the referendum was as follows: “Should the government erect and operate a nuclear power plant at Zwentendorf?”
KPÖ The KPÖ under Austria's first female Chancellor, Johanna Dohnal, is championing the "cause of the workers", campaigning extensively on their reforms in government. Contrary to the mainstream in Europe and America, they fight for an Austria that is successful without "dangerous experiments profiting noone but investmemt bankers and stock brokers".
SPÖ With the coalition parterns having officially entered a political alliance, the Linkes Bündnis (Left Alliance), the SPÖ is campaigning alongside the KPÖ, emphasising the government's reforms, and attacking the LKP and especially their leader Kurt Waldheim, claiming his international reputation would make him a disgrace for Austria as Chancellor.
LKP To the amazement of many, Waldheim managed to be reelected as party leader after a disastrous defeat, thus, prolonging the schism on the Austrian right. The LKP's talking points for this election are mainly evolving around opposition to the government's policies, claiming they would hurt the Austrian economy, and they propose on their own tax cuts for top earners, which would be payed for by privatizations of a portion of Austria's large share of government-owned companies.
NVP Alois Mock's NVP is a new party, yet their programme is an old one, in the mould of the ÖVP of the 50ies and 60ies. They run in opposition more to Waldheim than the government, trying to keep their newly-won voter pool, but join the LKP in opposition to the government's policies.
CSP: The CSP, now led by Tyrol governor Eduard Wallnöfer, have returned more to the centre of the political scene, emphasising again more on "agrarian populism". Different to the other opposition parties, they are silent about the government's reforms, knowing that they are very popular in their stronghold of Tyrol. They revolve their campaign mostly in opposition to nuclear power, and on advocating for an increase in farm subsidies especially for smaller mountain farmers.
FPÖ: The FPÖ is running neither a pro- nor a contra-Waldheim stance, trying to keep themselves open as an option for both major right-of-centre parties in case they could form government. They are running a mostly anti-communist, anti-government campaign.
Parties stances on the referendum: YES: KPÖ, SPÖ, FPÖ NO: LKP, NVP, CSP
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