Red ricochet

Doskozil takes aim at Vienna and Carinthia

Governor Doskozil is no friend of the Vienna SPÖ(Bild: Reinhard Holl)

The governor of Burgenland, Hans Peter Doskozil, has once again attracted attention with criticism of his party colleagues. Although he is keeping a low profile in the debate on the SPÖ's asylum and migration policy, he is criticizing the Viennese and Carinthians for their swerve on renaturation. For city councillor Peter Hacker, there was a retort.

Doskozil has no understanding for the fact that the Mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig, and the Governor of Carinthia, Peter Kaiser, have left the joint decision of all the federal states against the EU renaturation regulation. "That's not my style," he said in the ORF press conference on Sunday. It is also not customary in the provincial governors' conference to subsequently rescind unanimous resolutions.

"ÖVP has bad style"
He also sees the ÖVP's reaction as anything but successful. "What the ÖVP is doing is the worst possible solution." Either they accept the unilateral action of Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler or they believe that she has broken the law and end the coalition. "But continuing to govern and denouncing the minister is bad style," said Doskozil.

The green Gewessler is now a red rag for the Turks(Bild: Martin A. Jöchl)

Doskozil sharply criticized his internal party intimate enemy, city councillor Peter Hacker. In an interview with the "Krone" newspaper, he played down the alarming figures that most children in Vienna's elementary school are now Muslim and said that it "doesn't matter, everyone can practice their religion as they wish". He had no understanding for these statements and took a critical view of this development, Doskozil countered on Sunday. Austria is a Christian country and has a Christian tradition. "These figures have alarmed me."

Doskozil and Hacker have nothing in common. Hacker recently said in the "Krone" newspaper about Doskozil: "Sometimes I think to myself, I feel sorry for him. What must be driving him to constantly take such positions?"

"Would be happy if we made a plus"
He made people sit up and take notice by stating that achieving first place for the SPÖ "will be very difficult." "I would be happy if we achieved a clear plus." The European election result was disappointing. If he did not achieve his election goals, he would resign, said Doskozil. Will Andreas Babler have to resign if he does not come first? He would have to decide for himself, "I have only given my opinion". He sees two possibilities after the election: a blue-Turkish government or a grand coalition with the support of the Neos.

Political scientist Peter Filzmaier sees a timing disaster. "Appearing in public two days in a row can't go well. Party leader Andreas Babler presents his asylum paper the day after the Austria European Championship match, which still has people emotionalized, and the day before a press conference with Doskozil. That makes no strategic sense."