"Campaign with attitude"

ÖVP advertises on posters with love for Vienna

The Viennese ÖVP top candidate Karl Mahrer(Bild: APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)

In the battle for votes in the Vienna elections on April 27, the ÖVP is focusing on love for the city. "If you really love Vienna, vote ÖVP" is one of the slogans of the poster campaign. The party also wants to highlight problems and bring about solutions, said top candidate Karl Mahrer on Monday (see video above).

The campaign has "clear messages" and "attitude". As a people's party, it takes an "opposing position to stagnation and ignorance". The SPÖ, NEOS and the Greens are responsible for the grievances of recent years, while the FPÖ has no interest in solutions because it lives from them.

On the posters, the ÖVP advertises with "Operation: Save the healthcare system", "City watch now" and "Ban cars? Forbidden!". The party addresses integration with the slogan "German is duty, Habibi (German for friend or darling, note)". This is to be understood as a "friendly embrace", said regional manager and campaign manager Peter Sverak on Monday.

Karl Mahrer(Bild: APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)

From left: Peter Sverak and Karl Mahrer(Bild: APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)

As part of the campaign, a brochure was also printed summarizing the central positions of the ÖVP and containing information on voting itself. Images of Viennese classics such as the Giant Ferris Wheel were used.

Low poll ratings
Current polls put the Black Party in the double-digit range. "That doesn't unsettle me at all," commented Mahrer. His party should become strong enough to gain government responsibility. 3.5 million euros have been budgeted for the election campaign. "We are therefore clearly falling short of the sum of five million euros proposed by the SPÖ and NEOS in the attempted fairness agreement," said Sverak.