"Krone" series on the election

FPÖ-Schnedlitz: provocateur from the mountain farm

FPÖ Secretary General Michael Schnedlitz is responsible for the Freedom Party's election campaign.(Bild: Reinhard Holl)

Everyone knows the top candidates. But who are the men and women who are pulling the strings behind the scenes? The "Krone" presents the "masterminds in the second row". This time, FPÖ Secretary General Michael Schnedlitz explains his love of provocation, what sacrifices politics demands and why he would go for a beer with Jörg Haider.

You can accuse Michael Schnedlitz of many things, but not of being a mouthful. The FPÖ Secretary General has a penchant for provocative slogans and actions that can even cross the boundaries of good taste. During the pandemic, he made international headlines when he tried to prove the supposed pointlessness of rapid tests by pouring cola over the test. Three years ago, he was extradited from the National Council for investigations into incitement to hatred; he had previously commented online on the case of Leonie's death with "Immigration kills". He trivialized the Identitarians as an "NGO on the right".