Austrian Elections & Politics 5.0 (Burgenland state election - January 26)

[rob in cal]

   it wasn't until after the Innsbruck municipal elections of spring 1933 that the Dollfuss regime banned elections, when it was clear that the Austrian Nazis were on a huge upswing due to Hitlers takeover in Germany.

[rob in cal]

  I don't want to derail this topic into a discussion about the German Greens, but that horribly anti-German statement by Roth is really ugly. What was the context of it, did she ever apologize, and did the German Greens ever repudiate it and punish her for saying it?

[rob in cal]

 A demographic question for Tender. Its been discussed by some, Austrians and even some in Orbans government, that there is either a majority, or close to one, of moslems, or children from moslem backgrounds in Vienna's public schools.  If Turks are only 8% of Austria's non-citizens and then adding Bosnian Moslems, plus potential Moslems from elsewhere, plus children of Austrian citizens who are Moslems etc, how does that get to about 50% in Vienna? I would think then that Vienna would likely be much much higher than even other Austrian cities like Graz, Linz etc?

[rob in cal]

Tender, I was in Innsbruck yesterday and didn't see many campaign posters at all. Maybe because I was in the touristy altstadt?

[rob in cal]

Tender we enjoyed innsbruck. Walked around the altstadt, went to the hofburg museum, saw the Dom. I love how the city is surrounded by mountains.  Then back to Garmisch after the day trip.

[rob in cal]

  If the main roadblock to a renewed OVP FPO coalition is the interior ministry, is there some kind of compromise candidate, sort of like how Conte in Italy has been,  for Austria who could take the position and make both sides happy?

[rob in cal]

And we still have mail ballots to be counted tomorrow right? which should help Greens even more.

[rob in cal]

  Wonder if FPO would rethink their decision to be in opposition if it meant that Kurz had to move quite a bit leftwards to get a Green coalition agreement.  

[rob in cal]

 Concerning the Swiss connection to Vorarlberg, there was of course the 81% yes vote to join Switzerland on the part of Vorarlberg voters in 1919.

[rob in cal]

  I think its smart of Hofer to leave options open.  I would imagine lots of FPO voters and supporters would be upset if their vote for the FPO meant a vote, in effect for a OVP Green government. Knowing FPO support might be possible would give Kurz some more wiggle room in negotiations with the Greens, thereby making an agreement  with them that much more difficult.

[rob in cal]

  So lets say an OVP Green government is formed and the Greens don't get many or any real concessions on immigration, but do on other issues like climate change, would the typical Green voter really care that much? It would be an intresting test case of what issue concerns drive the Green electorate.

[rob in cal]

  Tender, what is the perception of the new interior minister, Karl Nehammer? 
   Also, if in fact the new coalition continues, more or less, the previous immigration policies of the OVP FPO government, that shows quite a bit of ideological flexibility on the part of the Greens, and quite a bit of pragmatism, in that they show that as long as they get some serious gains on the environment, they can give up ground on their pro-multicultural, pro more immigration policies.
   I think long term that would be a good model for other Green parties in Europe to look toward.