Austrian Elections & Politics 2.0 (Presidential runoff re-vote: 4 Dec. 2016)

[Flocke]

Winter was expelled from the FPÖ. She claims another party in parliament has offered her to join them. Team Stronach denies that it was them.

Maybe the Greens want a climate change denier, a critical mind who challenges the party line (SCNR). 

Yesterday she gave a live interview to public ORF. Highlights:

Wolf (ORF):"You were convicted for hate incitement, call blacks Neger, who have low self confidence, because of their genes. You think we have to throw back Islam over the Mediterranean sea. Zionist money Jews are a worldwide problem to you. Climate change is an invention of the nuclear industry and the lie press. You liked nearly every existing conspiracy theory on Facebook, and claim we are all controlled by a totalitarian minority. Why do you think someone like you should  be in parliament"
Winter (Ex-FPÖ): "Mr. Wolf can I ask a counter question?"
Wolf: "It would be very nice if you could answer my questions."
Winter: "I will do that with my counter question. Because I simply have to explain a word, you used. Do you think the petrol price while rise, when the next summer holidays are coming? Or rise mightily?"
Wolf: "I don't see the connection to my question."
Wolf: "So why should someone who believes Zionist money Jews are a worldwide problem be in parliament?
Winter: "To come back to my last sentence. Probably the petrol price will rise. In that case you are a conspiracy theorist, because you believe it will rise."

Wolf: "If one reads your Facebook page, you are a Islam hating, racist conspiracy paranoiac. Why should you be in Parliament."
Winter: "That is your definition and summary of what you read. I would be very interested were you read things hostile to Islam? I would be very interested. Can you quote that?"
Wolf: "'Islam must be thrown back over the Mediterranean Sea' that is from a speech you gave, not your Facebook page."
Winter: "See."
Wolf: "But this came from you. Right?"
Winter: "And what happened there? What happened after that speech? I was convicted after this speech. How dare you to hold that against me now. It's all done. It's over. Yes. So occupy yourself with what is happening now."

Wolf: "So you say, not only your future work will be senseless, but also your work up to this point was senseless?"
Winter: "My work in some way... in some was not what I expected what a member of the national council would be able to do. That's true."

[Flocke]

Is it me, or does a candidate jointly backed by FPO and NEOS seem absurd?

I don't think they will both back her. If the FPÖ backs her, NEOS will properly argue that there are several good candidates in the race, and their voters are mature enough to decide for themselves. If Moser runs for the FPÖ, NEOS will most likely back Griss.

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Former Vice-Chancellor Erhard Busek is on the NEOS Lab Board of Trustees.

[Flocke]

Wow. You know I don't particularly like the FPÖ, but that is blatantly undemocratic.

Undemocratic like the US and France?

[Flocke]

Undemocratic like the US and France?

The US has a presidential system, France has a semi-presidential system. In Austria, however, the president is the merely symbolical head of state.

Austria has a semi-presidential constitution. But unlike France we use PR, which usually results in coalition governments, where the decisions are made within the cabinet.

[Flocke]

OGM poll for Kurier:

Alexander Van der Bellen 26%
Rudolf Hundstorfer           23%
Irmgard Griss                    20%
Norbert Hofer                    17%
Andreas Khol                    14%

[Flocke]

Hofer is saying he wants to introduce Swiss style direct democracy into Austria.

That's something FPÖ, Greens, NEOS and Team Stronach agree upon.

[Flocke]

According to several newspapers the SPÖ agreed on Christian Kern as new chancellor and chairman. Kern is currently CEO of the Austrian Federal Railways.

http://derstandard.at/2000036826511/Treffen-im-Wiener-Rathaus-Zeichen-stehen-auf-Kern
http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFKCN0Y316H
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Kern

[Flocke]

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Of course he lied, he said a terrorist armed with machine guns and hand grenades was shot next to him. As it turns out an unarmed Israeli women was shot in the leg, and according to an David Lasar, a FPÖ politician who accompanied him, they were leaving a parking space, when police told them they can't, because of this incident.

And nobody doubts that he was at the Knesset, but his team claimed it was an official visit. The whole point was, that electing Hofer would mean electing a president that will be boycotted by Israel, which still is true.

[Flocke]

Graz:

61.75 % VdB
38.25 % Hofer

http://www.graz.at/cms/beitrag/10268685/1618648

[Flocke]

*the star is here because there are actually two municipalities in modern-day South Tirol, and a part of a third, that are on the Eastern side of the watershed, and thus by the Saint Germain treaty should actually be part of Austria. These are the small towns of Innichen and Sexten (completely) and Toblach (partially) - Italy illegally occupied the former because of an important railway station, and the latter because it is at the end of the most important road north from Venice into the alps.

That was part of the peace treaty:

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http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/dfat/treaties/1920/3.html