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Bang: SPÖ expels Dornauer from the party

The SPÖ demonstrated unity around provincial party chairman Philipp Wohlgemuth and provincial party managing director Eva Steibl-Egenbauer (both in the foreground).(Bild: Jasmin Steiner)

One bang after another is currently following within the Tyrolean SPÖ. After former party leader Georg Dornauer was kicked out of the club, the next piece of bad news followed in the evening: the Social Democrats have now also expelled the 42-year-old from the party.

At exactly 2.09 pm on Thursday, the SPÖ provincial parliamentary club sent out the explosive email announcing the expulsion of its former chairman Georg Dornauer - because he had violated the rules they had negotiated themselves.

"We may regret such a development in human terms, but there is no alternative if we are to continue our joint work for Tyrol," emphasized Elisabeth Fleischanderl, head of the Tyrolean SPÖ parliamentary group. Dornauer himself, who is currently "only" a simple member of the provincial parliament, expressed his "surprise" at this. 

We may regret such a development in human terms, but there is no alternative if we are to continue our joint work for Tyrol.

Tirols SPÖ-Klubobfrau Elisabeth Fleischanderl

"SPÖ Tirol bears responsibility"
A meeting of the SPÖ provincial parliamentary club in Innsbruck followed in the late afternoon, during which the political separation was formally completed. This was followed by a one-and-a-half-hour meeting of the party executive committee. At the subsequent press conference at the SPÖ headquarters in Salurner Straße, provincial party chairman Philip Wohlgemuth and SPÖ provincial party managing director Eva Steibl-Egenbauer made further headlines!  

"The SPÖ Tirol bears responsibility for our province. It was and still is our common goal. We want to shape and govern. With this mindset, we entered into a coalition in 2022 and have put together numerous meaningful measures in a program with the People's Party," said Deputy Governor Philip Wohlgemuth and added: "We have also defined our way of working. All MPs from the governing parties must adhere to these rules."

"I would have liked to have spared our party this."

SPÖ-Landesparteivorsitzender und LH-Stv. Philip Wohlgemuth

"Dornauer personally negotiated these rules"
These include, among other things, a joint vote on motions from the opposition and a joint approach to motions from the governing parties. Any deviation from this agreement would jeopardize important projects of our cooperation in the state government. "Georg Dornauer personally negotiated these rules and signed them with his signature," added Deputy Governor Wohlgemuth.

If Dornauer, of all people, now departs from this path, violates the agreement and thereby jeopardizes a breach - among other things, he submitted a motion on his own at lunchtime today, Thursday - the consequences are clear. "I really deeply regret that these consequences have unfortunately become necessary in the case of Georg Dornauer. I would have liked to have spared our party this," emphasized the regional party chairman.

In a family, "you should always find joint solutions when things get difficult", Wohlgemuth was convinced, "the club and the party have always done everything possible in recent months to resolve a conflict together and prevent these consequences". But: "Unfortunately, one side has not adhered to this in the past months and weeks, but especially in the past few days, and has shown no more honest interest in this," LH-Stv. 

"Our mission is too important for populism"
Measures that are set and launched must also have a solid basis in our politics. "Our mission is too important for populism. We don't want to jeopardize countless other measures that have already been agreed to make our country what the population needs it to be." Wohlgemuth would not allow any attempts to weaken his party.

And then he handed the floor over to Steibl-Egenbauer: "Georg Dornauer is less interested in constructive cooperation than in provocation. While we were working with other parties to introduce measures for the population at the height of the 2024 inflation, he was hunting with René Benko, allegedly the biggest economic criminal in the Republic." Everyone can form their own opinion on how credible that is.

Georg Dornauer is less interested in constructive cooperation than in provocation.

SPÖ-Landesparteigeschäftsführerin Eva Steibl-Egenbauer

However, the decisive factor is: "Dornauer has not only provoked politically, but has also seriously violated our binding internal party rules. He has violated the jointly agreed government program and acted against his obligations under the SPÖ party statutes. This expressly states that no member may act against the aims and principles of the party or the democratically adopted policies of the SPÖ."

"This is more than covered by the statutes"
The consequence is therefore clear and "more than covered" by the statutes: "Anyone who deliberately works against the common line is leaving the common ground of the SPÖ." And further: "On the basis of paragraph 12, section 2 of the statutes, his expulsion was decided today in the provincial party executive by circular resolution!"

Dornauer now has the opportunity to appeal
How did the vote turn out? "There were no votes against. The circular resolution is still ongoing, but it already has the 2/3 majority it needs," Steibl-Egenbauer reveals. Of course, the federal party has also been consulted and everything is legally sound. Dornauer now has the opportunity to appeal. 

Why was this expulsion from the party not decided back then, after the momentous hunting trip? "It is now quite clear that he has violated the coalition agreement. Our party chairman has already explained this in detail," said the regional managing director.