Coalition explosive

The many dangers of the military service referendum

How long should basic military service in Austria last? Chancellor Stocker wants to find out from the population in a referendum this fall.(Bild: P. Huber)

With his push for a referendum on military service, Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) has opened up a new front within the coalition. His solo effort carries a number of risks, which the "Krone" newspaper highlights.

Chancellor Stocker's push for a referendum on military service took not only his coalition partners by surprise. The umbrella organization "Wehrhaftes Österreich" (Defensive Austria) was also surprised by the chancellor's announcement, "because the expert commission has already reached a broad consensus and the recommendations are clear," said its chairman, Brigadier Erich Cibulka, expressing his astonishment – after all, the commission set up specifically for this purpose had worked on the reform proposals for over six months. "But I trust in the common sense of the population," said Cibulka.

Settling scores with the government?
Supporters of extending military service have little more than hope left – because there is a danger that opponents of the government will use the referendum as a campaign tool to settle scores with the government. The Austrian Armed Forces thus run the risk of becoming a pawn in party political interests. Security and defense issues could be negotiated more ideologically than strategically.

On ORF's "Pressestunde" program, Chancellor Stocker commented on the announced referendum.(Bild: ORF)

On Sunday's ORF "Pressestunde" program, the ÖVP leader defended his approach, saying that it was not a matter of "outsourcing" an important decision, but of "getting the population on board." According to Stocker, this should only happen as a last resort, with political decision-making coming first. However, Stocker conceded that "anything could happen" in a referendum.

Coalition partners must agree to referendum
But the chancellor's risky maneuver carries further dangers: his solo effort has already caused noticeable discontent within the government. In addition, the coalition agreement stipulates that a referendum may only be held with the agreement of the government partners – even if the Greens and the FPÖ are currently open to the idea.

The Neos fundamentally reject an extension of military service. Stocker's announcement that he wants to put the various models to a vote as early as this fall puts them in a comfortable negotiating position: the time pressure is clearly on the ÖVP.

There is also the risk of low participation. Stocker emphasized that the result would be binding, but how meaningful is a vote if only a small portion of the population participates in the poll?

The debate could also fuel a generational conflict: those who are no longer affected are deciding on obligations that almost exclusively affect young men. This has the potential to cause social unrest.