Focus on election campaign

“Handshake instead of state parliament”

Provincial party chairman Sagartz with JVP leader Tuder and the National Council candidates Zarits and Berlakovich.(Bild: ÖVP Burgenland)

ÖVP state party chairman Christian Sagartz will not return to the state parliament before the state elections. Instead, he is concentrating on the election campaign.

Sagartz's mandate in the EU Parliament expires in mid-July. In January 2025, he wants to stand as a top candidate in the regional elections. The question of whether he will return to the state parliament in the meantime has been open until now. Sagartz has now announced that he wants to concentrate fully on the election campaign. A return to the state parliament is off the table.

I will devote all my energy to the goal of breaking the SPÖ's absolute majority, bringing about a change of direction in Burgenland and taking on government responsibility again.

Landesparteiobmann Christian Sagartz

Handshake counts
In the election campaign, "the handshake counts for him, not the state parliament". At the same time, he does not want to take away the seat of any MP currently sitting in the provincial parliament as a result of his change.

Fewer women
The decision does not come as a surprise: as reported, either Melanie Eckhardt or Julia Schneider-Wagentristl would have had to vacate their seat for Sagartz. This would have further reduced the already low proportion of women in the ÖVP club. In addition, Markus Ulram would probably also have had to make way as club leader.

The Turks also finalized the state list for the National Council elections. Christoph Zarits is at the top of the list, followed by Niki Berlakovich.

Criticism of SPÖ club leader
SPÖ party leader Roland Fürst sharply criticized Sagartz: "Instead of standing up for the interests of the state in parliament and doing factual work, he continues to drive through Burgenland as he has done up to now, bad-mouthing everything, making fun of the state governor and continuing to collect his super salary from Brussels."