Mayor's anger

“Federal politics presents a pitiful picture”

Mayors Mario Abl (Trofaiach), Helmut Linhart (Köflach) and Kurt Wallner (Leoben, from left)(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Jürgen Radspieler, Erwin Scheriau)

Five weeks before their local council elections, Styrian local politicians are preoccupied with the government debacle at federal level. Reactions range from joy that Herbert Kickl will not become chancellor after all to anger at the "pathetic picture" in Vienna.

Five weeks before the Styrian municipal elections, the coalition talks between the FPÖ and the ÖVP broke down in Vienna. How things will continue in the Republic now is written in the stars.

City halls are trying to remain calm and concentrate on their own election campaigns. Local elections have their own laws - but the appeal from Köflach's ÖVP mayor Helmut Linhart is clear: "We need a quick government, all parties need to sit down and get together! The ideas have long been there, now we need a compromise."

"Yesterday was one of the best days"
The fact that some at the base of the People's Party were looking forward to a chancellor Herbert Kickl with a stomach ache is shown by the statement of Eisenerz mayor Thomas Rauninger: "Yesterday was one of the best days of the past few weeks for me. There are simply red lines for the ÖVP. The failure is not due to the FPÖ, but to the demands and the person Kickl."

However, Rauninger was also "not a big supporter of the three-party coalition (with SPÖ and Neos, note)." According to him, it will now be very difficult to come together.

"The ÖVP was only interested in power and posts"
Voitsberg FPÖ top candidate and member of the National Council Markus Leinfellner is fully in line with the party line: "It doesn't get any fairer than our offer. The ÖVP would have received seven ministries. But they no longer wanted to talk about content, they were only interested in power and posts. The ÖVP's shambles must be cleaned up."

The FPÖ at federal level wants new elections. Leinfellner is self-confident: "We are prepared for all possible variants."

SPÖ mayor against Babler debate
The current developments are also moving SPÖ mayors, as their party is suddenly back in the game. Martin Weber, head of Tieschen, is in favor of party leader Andreas Babler not leading the negotiations ("he had his chance").

Mario Abl from Trofaiach takes a more pragmatic view: "The party committees have to decide whether Babler should negotiate - other parties have no say in the matter." Kurt Wallner from Leoben also does not want a debate with the chairman: "It may be that Babler has made it more difficult to reach an agreement. The SPÖ must now calmly carry out an honest analysis within the party."

According to Wallner, Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen should now invite everyone: "It's no longer about self-promotion - flexibility will be necessary."

Mario Abl finds "the image that federal politics is presenting is miserable. New elections will achieve nothing. The transitional period until a government is formed must be managed with good minds from all parliamentary groups and parliamentarianism must be strengthened."