On chestnuts with...

Krautwaschl: “Not as a cheap sidekick”

Sandra Krautwaschl in an interview with the "Krone" newspaper(Bild: Juergen Fuchs)

The "Krone" series on the regional elections in Styria: On chestnuts in the city center of Graz with Sandra Krautwaschl, the top candidate of the Green Party.

Sandra Krautwaschl arrives by car from an election campaign in Leibnitz - with an electric drive, of course. The Greens were strengthened in the last state elections - but suffered a setback in the federal elections.

"Krone": You really enjoy running, do you ever run out of breath during an election campaign? 
Sandra Krautwaschl: No, thank God not so far. Running helps me because it's one of the few things where I can relax during the election campaign.

The third lane for the A 9 is a big issue. How do you explain to the long-suffering commuters that the Greens are against it? 
By highlighting the alternatives that could be implemented much more quickly and would be better for our quality of life: expanding park & ride, further expanding public transport, organizing express buses with the companies, overtaking bans for trucks, partial speed limits. This would make things easier very quickly.

Shoot down problem wolves, yes or no? 
That already happens anyway, if necessary, and is sufficiently regulated in my view.

For the Greens, would you prefer an opposition bench or government participation? 
The most important thing is to be a relevant factor. And if you are relevant, then government participation is of course also a great option. But certainly not as a cheap sidekick.

The Greens were not as successful as hoped in the National Council elections. Is that now slowing you down in Styria? 
It's more of an incentive to fight even harder for what we can implement in Styria. We have many highly sensible proposals for solutions. I am very confident.

Many people in Graz are plagued by traffic jams - how do you intend to expand public transport in concrete terms? 
The city government is doing a lot of things that have not been done for years. Building public transport also requires construction sites. As soon as the projects are completed, it will be a relief for everyone, for the people of Graz and also for people from the surrounding area.