Austrian Elections & Politics - Version 1.0

[Tender Branson]

Program for tomorrow:

* 10.40am: Signing of the coalition contract @ the Federal Chancellery

* the new cabinet will then walk over to the office of the Federal President @ the Hofburg

* 11.00am: President Heinz Fischer will officially swear in the new cabinet

* 12.20pm: the cabinet will walk back to the Federal Chancellery and hold their first joint meeting (the so called Ministerrat -> Minister Council)

* 2pm: lunch

* after 3pm: the new cabinet members visit their offices to officially get the keys from the old cabinet members (Amtsübergabe)

[Tender Branson]

So there is no actual election of the chancellor in Austria? How do you decide, weither the chancellor/cabinet has a majority in the national assembly?

If he/she doesn't there'll be a vote of no confidence.

Exactly. Read more about the process here:

http://www.parlament.gv.at/ENGL/PERK/KONTR/POL/7MISSTRAUENSVOTUM/index.shtml

[Tender Branson]

The government has now been sworn in (with some protests, mainly from the Left, outside):











"Wealth Tax Now !"



"The Social Democrats are pussies ! (in the sense of "having no balls")



"Science/Research/University Ministry: Born 1970, Died 2013"

(The Ministry was created in 1970 under Socialist Chancellor Kreisky, now with the help of the SPÖ, it was "killed" and merged with the Economy Ministry. Of course there's an outcry amongst the intellectuals that Science/Research/University is now subordinated in the Economy Ministry.)



"Where is the wealth tax ?"

"The richest 1%: 469 Bio. €"

"Federal Debt: 234 Bio. €"

[Tender Branson]

2 cabinet members added a religious reference to their swearing in:

The Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) added:

"... so wahr mir Gott helfe"

("... so help me God")

The new Agriculture Minister Andrä Rupprechter (ÖVP) even added:

"... so wahr mir Gott helfe und mit dem Herzen Jesu Christi"

("... so help me God and with the heart of Jesus Christ")

...

According to the law, religious references can be added to the pledge.

[Tender Branson]

First "family" picture of the new government:



Faymann Cabinet II

Front row (from left) Rudolf Hundstorfer, Sophie Karmasin, Gabriele Heinisch-Hosek, Michael Spindelegger, Werner Faymann, Doris Bures, Johanna Mikl-Leitner, Sonja Stessl, Reinhold Mitterlehner

Back row (from left) Andrä Rupprechter, Sebastian Kurz, Gerald Klug, Alois Stöger, Josef Ostermayer, Wolfgang Brandstetter und Jochen Danninger

[Tender Branson]

In front of the building, students held a symbolic funeral today for the Science/Research/University Ministry that was "killed" by the SPÖVP government after it was created 43 years ago by the Socialist government:

[Tender Branson]

The "declaration of government" by Faymann is now over.

Strache (FPÖ) now speaking.

Live stream:

http://megatv.to/Live-Stream/allgemein/orf-2-2.html

[Tender Branson]

New Salzburg state election poll by GMK (Salzburg is my home state btw):



http://www.meinbezirk.at/salzburg-stadt/politik/sonntagsfrage-gruene-ueber-wahlergebnis-team-stronach-abgeschlagen-m5568671,787050.html

Red is the new poll, grey is the last state election in May.

[Tender Branson]

(Reuters) - A wave of protests against Austria's new government escalated as tens of thousands of civil servants demonstrated in Vienna on Wednesday for better pay and an end to a hiring freeze.

The centrist government sworn in this week had promised continuity and to protect living standards, but immediately provoked the ire of several groups by scrapping the science ministry and taking a hard line on balancing the budget.

Police said 40,000 civil servants took part in the demonstration in front of Vienna's imperial Hofburg Palace, angered by a below-inflation pay offer after a pay freeze last year, and a stop to hiring that has depleted staff numbers.



The demonstration followed large protests this week by egg-throwing students and school pupils angry at the demise of the science ministry and the start of new school-leaver tests.

"The government in general is totally focused on saving money," said Eveline Ostermann, a 52-year-old leader of the financial civil servants' union who had travelled from Austria's second city, Graz, for the demonstration.

"We're losing more and more staff and at the same time we have to do more with less money," she said. "At some point, the party's over."

Austria's 200,000 tenured civil servants attract envy for the security of their positions and pensions, as well as pay structures that guarantee them increases every two years independently of across-the-board pay negotiations.

But the trade unions organizing the protest highlighted their lowly paid members, who include janitors, kindergarten assistants and rubbish collectors.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/18/us-austria-politics-protest-idUSBRE9BH0W120131218

[Tender Branson]

For your information:

The government offers a pay-rise of 1.7% for all civil servants next year, the Union wants 2.3%

The inflation for the past year (relevant for government pay-deals) was 2.3%

Inflation has meanwhile fallen to 1.4% in November.

[Tender Branson]

New Gallup poll today:



The liberal NEOS reaches a new high, the ÖVP reaches a new low. Probably some vote flows between them.

[Tender Branson]

78% of Austrians are not satisfied with the new coalition.

Also, the most popular party leader right now is Matthias Strolz (NEOS) with a 44-15 positive rating.

And: The new cabinet members are doing relatively well so far, with Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz leading the ranking and Interior Minister Mikl-Leitner last.

(right-click for huge version)

[Tender Branson]

New Market poll for the Standard:

26% FPÖ (+5.5)
24% SPÖ (-3.0)
20% ÖVP (-4.0)
12% Greens (-0.5)
11% NEOS (+6.0)
  2% TS (-4.0)
  2% BZÖ (-1.5)
  3% Others

"Grand" SPÖVP Coalition down 44-49.

http://derstandard.at/1385171979834/Regierungskurs-unbeliebter-als-Schwarz-Blau-2003

[Tender Branson]

Austria is now falling into (political) hibernation until Jan. 6

The next important thing is presenting the 2014 (plus maybe even the 2015) budget in Mid/End-February.

Preliminary estimates (using the first 11 months) indicate that the deficit this year is around 1.8% and that should be lowered to about 1.5% next year.

[Tender Branson]

Austria is now falling into (political) hibernation until Jan. 6

The next important thing is presenting the 2014 (plus maybe even the 2015) budget in Mid/End-February.

Preliminary estimates (using the first 11 months) indicate that the deficit this year is around 1.8% and that should be lowered to about 1.5% next year.

Courts (see below) have now ordered that the 3 Austrian mobile phone carriers must pay the network auction fees of 2 Bio. € in December.

On the other hand, the Hypo bank needed another 800 Mio. € in state aid.

That leaves at least 1.2 Bio. € in additional government revenues for December.

This will lower the Austrian deficit this year to about 1.5% of the GDP.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[Tender Branson]

So, the 27-year old youngest foreign minister of the EU - Sebastian Kurz - headed to Croatia for his first official trip and already created some controversy (well, not Kurz himself, but a Serbian politician and Kurz's name in general):

You must be logged in to read this quote.

LOL.

[Tender Branson]

New Tyrol state elections poll by GMK:



The current government is ÖVP-Greens.

http://www.meinbezirk.at/nassereith/politik/exklusiv-die-grosse-bezirksblaetterumfrage-zum-jahreswechsel-d795381.html

[Tender Branson]

Chancellor Werner Faymann and Defense & Sports Minister Gerald Klug will head to the Sochi Olympics after all:



Said Faymann: "It would be wrong not to go to Russia and to show support for our athletes, who are giving their best there."

http://derstandard.at/1385172425128/Faymann-faehrt-nach-Sotschi

It was not clear if Faymann or the President, Heinz Fischer, would participate.

A boycott like the German & French Presidents was never a question ...

[Tender Branson]

The ÖVP-heavyweight and governor of Lower Austria, Erwin Pröll, has once again ruled out a candidacy for President in 2016:

http://noe.orf.at/news/stories/2623342

That would make it easier for Parliamentary speaker Barbara Prammer (SPÖ) to become the first woman as President (assuming she wants to run and she recovers fully from her current cancer illness).

[Tender Branson]

BTW:

Barbara Prammer's (pronounced "Pruh-mma") initials are the same as those for "Bundespräsident" (Federal President).



Good for 2016 campaign posters ...

[Tender Branson]

The new law for the modest tax increases (1 Bio. €) & spending cuts (0.5 Bio. €) this year has been drafted and was presented yesterday. It will be passed next month and become law on March 1.

Taxes that will be increased involve tobacco products, alcohol products, the NoVa tax for new car sales, the motor-related insurance tax for all cars and increased taxes for persons who earn more than 14.000€ a month ("solidarity tax").

Proposals for accross-the-board spending cuts for all ministries will be worked out in the next weeks.

The 2014 budget will be presented by Finance Minister Spindelegger on April 29 before the National Council - together with the 2015 budget. The 2014 budget will have a deficit of 1.5% of GDP and will be passed in parliament in May. The 2015 budget, even though it is presented together with the 2014 budget, will be passed in the fall though (because of the law).

The 2013 Maastricht budget deficit was around 1.7% (-0.8%) of GDP according to preliminary figures, the debt as a percentage of GDP was 73.7% (-0.3%), according to the Fiscal Council.

The exact figures will be published at the end of March by Statistics Austria.

http://kurier.at/politik/inland/die-neuen-steuern-kommen-schon-ab-1-maerz/44.845.539

[Tender Branson]

The RBI bank might pay back their state-aid this year, which would be more than welcome news for the budget:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-01-08/raiffeisen-to-sell-3-billion-new-shares-to-redeem-state-aid

...

Of course, there's still the Hypo and 2 other banks that might need another cash infusion by the government this year.

Finance Minister Spindelegger has said though that "a plan to restructure the Hypo will be presented this year".

[Tender Branson]

My tax increase for this year will be:

3.7€ per month

http://kurier.at/politik/inland/autofahrer-und-raucher-zahlen-zeche/45.019.272

The motor-related insurance tax for my car (105 PS) will increase by 44.5€ this year, according to the tax calculator in the link.

...

Only my car insurance tax will be increased.

I don't smoke and rarely drink alcohol, so no taxes here for me.

I also do not earn more than 14.000€ a month, so no new taxes here either.

And I don't buy a new car, so no increased NoVa tax for me.

[Tender Branson]

Gov. Niessl (SPÖ) said yesterday that he wants to remain as Governor after the 2015 Burgenland state election, if "he remains healthy and the people want it".

http://derstandard.at/1388650576569/Niessl-will-Landeshauptmann-bleiben

[Tender Branson]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Has anyone mentioned, weither the Croation slang term is actually derived from the German word "kurz" (short), maybe even of anti-Austrian sentiment resp. mocking in the Danube mocharchy? Just curious.

That would be interesting. But I don't speak Croatian and Google Translate doesn't translate the Croatian "Kurz" to German either. So it could mean "Penis" in Croatian, or "short" or something completely different ... But there's a chance it goes back to the Austro-Hungarian time, yeah.