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

[Tender Branson]

Kurz and Kogler have just announced the creation of the 1st ÖVP-Green government.

https://orf.at/stories/3149364

The cabinet and program will be presented tomorrow at 4pm at the Academy of Science.

[Tender Branson]

Austria’s Kurz to Govern With Green Party in Unlikely Partnership

Seven months after his conservative party’s coalition with the far right collapsed in a spectacular scandal, Sebastian Kurz, Austria’s former chancellor, announced a new government with the leftist Green party late Wednesday.

“These were demanding negotiations, but the result is a very good one,” Mr. Kurz told reporters. “Both we and the Greens will be able to honor the central election promises we made.”

Since Austria’s snap elections in September, it had been unclear whether Mr. Kurz would revive a politically costly coalition with the far right or reach across the political spectrum to the Greens, his ideological opposites.

With the pivot, Mr. Kurz seems intent on demonstrating a willingness to make the ideological compromises needed for a stable government. For the Greens, the coalition presents a chance to show that their party is capable of governing with an establishment conservative party at a national level.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/02/world/europe/austria-kurz-greens-coalition-government.html

[Tender Branson]

The new government will have a strong center-right lean, with the Greens accepting a preventive imprisonment for potentially dangerous people (terrorists in the making, asylum seekers, but also regular people who are likely to kill their wives etc. after a domestic abuse history. Such laws exist in 15/28 EU countries already, for example in the Netherlands and Belgium).

The Greens also agreed to a headscarf ban for public schools up to 14 years of age and additional repatriation centers for asylum seekers.

The ÖVP told the Greens if they want further measures against Neo-Nazi or Right-wing extremism, they will also have to agree to additional measures to combat political Islam, which they agreed to.

The family benefit/tax cut will be extended as well, as well as a general tax cut which should be passed this year.

German-lesson classes for young migrant kids will remain. The policy of balanced budgets for the next years to come will remain as well.

https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000112844273/was-wir-ueber-das-regierungsprogramm-wissen

To me it seems the ÖVP has clearly shown the Greens where their place is in the coalition and they have been by far victorious in the talks.

Even in the huge and important Green-led Environmental Ministry, the ÖVP will have big influence with their state secretary.

As we'd say here: "Die Grünen wurden abgeräumt wie ein Weihnachtsbaum." (The Green Christmas tree was raided by the ÖVP)

[Tender Branson]

Austrian media calls the new government a massive Conservative/ÖVP power grab (with a Green appendix).

Next week, Chancellor Kurz will return as the youngest head of state in the world (he's 2 years younger than Finland's Sanna Marin).

[Tender Branson]

Ulrike Lunacek - former Green Party leader, Member of the EU parliament and lesbian - is the final puzzle in the new government.

She will become State Secretary in the Vice-Chancellor office and deputy of Werner Kogler and will be responsible for Arts and Culture.

Lunacek briefly took over the Greens together with Ingrid Felipe in the summer of 2017, following Eva Glawischnig's resignation and at a time when the Greens were already in huge trouble. At the election, the Greens got decimated and thrown out of parliament. After the election, Lunacek announced her resignation from all political offices.

Presentation of the new government in ca. 1 hour.

Live stream:

https://tvthek.orf.at/live/Praesentation-des-Regierungsprogramms/14046220

[Tender Branson]

Kurz (ÖVP) and Kogler (Greens) have just met President Van der Bellen (Greens) and informed him about the successful conclusion of their government talks.

The swearing-in is planned for Tuesday.


Source: APA

With Lunacek confirmed as the last cabinet member, it will consist of 17 people (Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, 13 ministers and 2 state secretaries).

That's one more than ÖVP-FPÖ had.

Kurz II will be the first majority-female cabinet (9-8).

It will also be the youngest ever: several are in their 30s and the average age is in the 40s.

It will be the first cabinet with a minister with migrant background (but that is debatable, because Kurz's grandmother is from Serbia, Strache's father was from Czechia, Heinz Fassmann - who was education minister and will continue to be - was born in Germany and Muna Duzdar - who was State Secretary in the Kern government - has Palestinian parents).

It will also not be the 1st government with a gay/lesbian minister (the current Minister for Education in the Bierlein government, Iris Rauskala, is openly lesbian).

All states except the small Burgenland will be represented in the new government:


Source: ORF

[Tender Branson]

Here is a chart with the new Kurz II members:


Source: APA/ORF Infographics

[Tender Branson]

The coalition contract was just forwarded to the journalists:

https://s55.workupload.com/download/Nr32mmmE

(PDF, 328 pages, 50MB)

The Green delegates now have 1 day to read this 328-page thing and vote on it on Saturday.

[Tender Branson]

Reuters Factbox on some coalition highlights:

http://news.trust.org/item/20200102162628-gx9lw/

[Tender Branson]

The coalition contract was just forwarded to the journalists:

https://s55.workupload.com/download/Nr32mmmE

(PDF, 328 pages, 50MB)

The Green delegates now have 1 day to read this 328-page thing and vote on it on Saturday.

For those who don’t want to read the full 328 pages of the ÖVP-Green coalition agreement, here’s the official KURZ-Fassung (short version) of the thing in 42 pages:

https://www2.krone.at/pdf/Regierungsprogramm_Kurzfassung.pdf

[Tender Branson]

The latest "Heute" poll:

"Which politicians do you have high hopes for in 2020 ?"



https://www.heute.at/s/wer-wird-polit-aufsteiger-des-jahres--55899663

Werner Kogler has extremely high numbers for the 15-17% party. Which means he also has the biggest potential to disappoint.

On the other hand, Doskozil and Ludwig (both SPÖ governors in Burgenland and Vienna) are very underrated.

Both of them will - unlike federal SPÖ trends - win HUGE victories for the SPÖ this year.

[Tender Branson]

On the other hand, Doskozil and Ludwig (both SPÖ governors in Burgenland and Vienna) are very underrated.

Both of them will - unlike federal SPÖ trends - win HUGE victories for the SPÖ this year.

An SPÖ internal poll obtained by the "Krone" for the January 26 Burgenland state election indeed has the SPÖ at 41-43% (unchanged from 2015) and the ÖVP 10 points behind. The FPÖ is at 10% (-5).

This is significant, because it would mean Dosko is stabilizing the party at a high level in the state and keep the ÖVP away. In the EU and Federal elections, the ÖVP won Burgenland. If Dosko wins big (he has 80% approval ratings), he could choose to govern with the FPÖ again, or with the ÖVP or with the Greens (although he's no big fan of the Greens).

https://www.krone.at/2070457

And in Vienna (which has a SPÖ-Green government and probably will vote in the fall), Mayor Michael Ludwig is out with first campaign posters:

"Together, we are more colourful. For respect and tolerance."


Source: SPÖ Vienna

"Together, we are stronger. For a society that sticks together."


Source: SPÖ Vienna

"Together, we are more determined. For the unrestricted adherence of human rights."


Source: SPÖ Vienna

While there was some scepticism about Ludwig when he started his term 2 years ago ("FPÖ-friendly"), he turned out to be very anti-FPÖ and ruled out such a coalition and his approvals are also on the strongly positive side.

[Swedish Rainbow Capitalist Cheese]

Tender, would you mind summarizing what previous political posts and experience the ministers in the new government has? 

[Tender Branson]

Tender, would you mind summarizing what previous political posts and experience the ministers in the new government has? 

Please run this page here through Google translator:

https://orf.at/stories/3149514

[Tender Branson]

The ÖVP leadership committee has just unanimously accepted the ÖVP-Green coalition deal.

Here a picture of the new ÖVP cabinet members:



Source: ÖVP / ORF

https://orf.at/stories/3149643

The first, not that important committee meeting of the Greens takes place today as well - but the delegate meeting tomorrow will be the important one.

[Tender Branson]

This analysis of the government program from the Kleine Zeitung is pretty good:

https://interaktiv.kleinezeitung.at/die-analyse-das-ist-das-tuerkis-gruene-regierungsprogramm/

Run through Google Translator if you want ...

[bigic]

I will try reading the entire coalition program with the aid of Google Translate. I will publish my thoughts on it later.

[Tender Branson]

I will try reading the entire coalition program with the aid of Google Translate. I will publish my thoughts on it later.

The whole 328 pages ?

OK ...

[Tender Branson]

After the ÖVP leadership committee approved the coalition deal unanimously today, the Green one did as well at their meeting in Salzburg:

https://orf.at/stories/3149673

So, the first Green hurdle is cleared, the more important delegate/party base vote will follow tomorrow and they tend to be more critical (but a rejection is extremely unlikely). The Greens know what’s at stake here. The ÖVP could also govern with the FPÖ instead.

[Tender Branson]

Here’s a picture of the Green government team, in addition to the ÖVP team yesterday:



Source: ORF/APA

Today: the important delegate vote on the coalition deal. About 300 Green delegates are eligible to vote at the Salzburg Congress Center. On Twitter, some from the far-left of the party have already announced they will vote against the deal, so something like a 90-95% approval seems very likely.

[Tender Branson]

What does Austria's new governing coalition mean for migrants ?

Austria's New Government Sets Goal to Be Carbon Neutral by 2040

Austria coalition government to crack down on pollution, Muslims

Former Bosnian Refugee to Become Austria’s New Justice Minister

Austria backs green agenda with new coalition deal

What's also interesting is the "crisis management" paragraph in the migration section of the coalition deal, which creates some sort of coalition-free room in the event that a new migration wave is building on the Balkan or Italy.

If such a scenario becomes reality and the Greens are opposed to tough measures to protect the border, the crisis management paragraph says that the ÖVP can "pass laws to protect the border etc." for example with the FPÖ.

[Tender Branson]

The ÖVP-Green government experiment is also stared at with Argus-eyes from Germany:

https://www.oe24.at/oesterreich/politik/Wer-seine-Ziele-vergisst-schwaecht-sich-selbst/411859050

Germany votes in 2021 (most likely) and could also get a Black-Green government.

German Green leader Habeck said that "the Austrian Greens managed to move the ÖVP back from the Far-Right corner into the center and that this is something to applaud. But compromise is not endless and if you enter too many compromises, you weaken the party."

[Tender Branson]

Video of the Green delegate vote for the coalition contract with the ÖVP:

https://uvp.apa.at/embed/0a81ad0d-346d-4c1d-b97b-94acfa43a352

The leadership has already pleaded to vote in favour of the deal, now there's a 3-hour discussion going on.

The vote is expcted at ~ 6pm.

[Tender Branson]

The Green delegates have approved the coalition deal with 93.2%


Source: Standard/APA

https://orf.at/stories/3149748

[Tender Branson]

The Green delegates also just approved their 5 new government members with 99.3%:

https://twitter.com/Gruene_Austria/status/1213500436055035904

Sebastian Kurz has congratulated the Greens on their vote:

https://twitter.com/sebastiankurz/status/1213494361234825218

The ÖVP-Green government will now be sworn in by President Van der Bellen (Greens) on Tuesday.