Political Ash Wednesday
Chancellor ties in with Austria plan in Carinthia
Around 1000 ÖVP supporters from all over the country gathered in the Klagenfurt exhibition hall to support their Federal Chancellor on Political Ash Wednesday (see video above).
The "custom" of Political Ash Wednesday was adopted from Bavaria by Jörg Haider in 1992. In the meantime, the event has developed into a political spectacle - and Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer uses this day to tie in with his Austria plan in the Klagenfurt exhibition hall alongside Carinthia ÖVP leader Martin Gruber and the German former minister Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg.
ÖVP celebrities on site
Over 1000 of his functionaries and party colleagues made the pilgrimage to Carinthia from all over Austria, including State Secretary for Youth Claudia Plakolm, Federal Managing Director Alexander Pröll, General Secretary Christian Stocker, EU top candidate Reinhold Lopatka, MEP Lukas Mandl and many more.
Even the protest action by the VGT (Association Against Animal Factories), which once again called for a ban on fully slatted floors in front of the exhibition hall, did nothing to dampen the positive mood. Applause to the beat of the music, standing ovation for the Federal Chancellor.
Looking back on electoral success and the fight against political fringes
A year ago, Carinthian ÖVP leader Martin Gruber was still on stage at the political Ash Wednesday as a provincial councillor - the aim at the time was to beat the provincial elections in March 2023. Today, he reflects on the surprise result at the time: "The so-called experts were wrong. I thank you all with great humility!"
For Gruber, 2024 will be "a year of directional decisions!" He therefore appeals: "Responsibility instead of populism!" Ironically, this was quickly followed by slogans: "If a girl in Austria can't take part in swimming lessons for cultural reasons, if a father doesn't shake hands with a teacher on parents' consultation day and if St. Martin's Day is renamed the Festival of Lights - where are we then?"
Guttenberg: "We have to dress warmly"
After some light-hearted jokes, former German minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg also had some words of warning: "We will have to dress warmly!" Specifically, he addressed the division of society into right and left, as well as global developments with a particular focus on the USA and the Ukraine conflict. "The Western world has lost its romance in many parts of the world!"
Incidentally, after Guttenberg's speech, one of the guests was given away a year's supply of Hirter beer.
Nehammer: "We have to listen to the people"
"What else is there to say?" said Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer succinctly after the previous speakers and quickly threw his prepared speech overboard. The Chancellor was not very aggressive, concentrating instead on his plan for Austria and the political culture in Austria, as well as his own attitude: "Political responsibility also means listening to the people!" The Chancellor wants to "not only make promises, but also keep them".
The topics were varied, but mainly focused on performance, childcare, healthcare and security. "Confidence, courage and performance - we owe it to the people!" Nehammer presented himself as an empathetic listener who does not want to "point the finger at people", but wants to pick them up and take them with him.
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