No burden for EU elections

Nehammer on Kurz verdict: “To be taken note of”

Stocker, Nehammer and Lopatka (from left) with the turquoise candidates for the European elections on June 9th(Bild: APA/ROLAND SCHLAGER)

ÖVP leader and Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer presented the People's Party's list of candidates for the EU elections on Monday together with General Secretary Christian Stocker and top candidate Reinhold Lopatka. They were unanimous in emphasizing that they did not see the non-appealable conviction of party colleague and former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz as a burden.

"Court decisions must be taken into account", Nehammer explained succinctly on Monday in response to a journalist's question about the Kurz verdict. The proceedings for false testimony would go to the next instance and this process would have to be awaited. He sees "no burden on the election campaign", said the Chancellor at the presentation of the list of candidates for the European Parliament elections on June 9. Nehammer sees a challenge in voter turnout, which has always been lower in EU elections than in National Council elections.

Lopatka: "No ballast for election campaigns"
The EU top candidate also sees "no ballast" from the first-instance conviction of former party leader Kurz, he is "not distracted by anything" and wants to run a "positive European election campaign". Behind Lopatka, a total of 41 other people are running for seats in the EU Parliament on the Turkish list.

The current head of delegation Angelika Winzig, Alexander Bernhuber, Sophia Kircher and Lukas Mandl, who are running in places 2 to 5, have a good chance of winning a seat in parliament. According to Secretary General Stocker, Bernhuber from Lower Austria is already taking on agricultural agendas as an EU parliamentarian.

The renewed candidacy of Lukas Mandl from Lower Austria is also not surprising. The Styrian Member of the Federal Council Isabella Kaltenegger and the former presenter Wolfram Pirchner are in 6th and 7th place. At the presentation on Monday, ÖVP chairman Nehammer spoke of a strong, highly motivated team.

Stocker, Nehammer and Lopatka (from left) with the turquoise candidates for the European elections on June 9th(Bild: APA/ROLAND SCHLAGER)

Party leader Nehammer (left) and top candidate Lopatka: The People's Party must expect losses.(Bild: APA/ROLAND SCHLAGER)

Drawcard Karas gone, losses predicted
The Turkish delegation in the European Parliament currently consists of seven ÖVP mandataries. However, polls are predicting losses for the People's Party. In addition, the long-serving and well-known European politician and former Vice-President of the EU Parliament, Othmar Karas, is no longer running due to differences with the party leadership. There is speculation that he could run with his own list or for another party, such as the NEOS.