"Even without Babler-SPÖ"

Former state governor Niessl plans to run for the Hofburg

Sport Austria President Niessl could replace Van der Bellen as president in 2028.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/EPA/Max Slovencic, Mario Urbantschitsch)

It's a bombshell in the political snail race for the Hofburg: Hans Niessl, who was governor of Burgenland for 19 years, is the first candidate to make concrete plans to run for the 2028 federal presidential election. He revealed to the "Krone" how he would reform the highest office in the state. 

He was mayor for 14 years and governor for 19 years, won every election he ran in as the SPÖ's top candidate, and knows politics in eastern Austria like the back of his hand. Hans Niessl, currently president of the umbrella organization Sport Austria, still has big plans. Although it is impossible to predict the future, the 74-year-old told the "Krone" that he plans to run for president in 2028.

Unfortunately, there is far too much arrogance and ignorance in politics today!

Hans Niessl

Running even without Babler's support
And that, as he emphasizes, "if necessary, even without the left-wing Babler SPÖ, as a non-partisan candidate." However, Niessl did not come up with the idea himself. In the course of his work as president of Sport Austria, people from all over the country approached him with this idea. An idea that matured further in the political mind of Niessl and consequently resulted in a concrete concept for a candidacy.

Hans Niessl formed a coalition with Johann Tschürtz (left) of the Freedom Party in Burgenland, thus paving the way for Hans Peter Doskozil.(Bild: APA/ROBERT JAEGER)

Presence at the festivals "is not enough"
"I want to reform the office of president and be much more directly involved with the people in the country. Showing up at the festivals in Salzburg, Bregenz, and Mörbisch is not enough," says Niessl, referring to the current Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen.

Instead, he wants to "air out" the Hofburg, specifically by meeting more frequently with the Association of Municipalities and the Association of Cities, visiting one federal state per month on a fixed day ("preferably the village market square") and sitting down at the table for the traditional dinner on the eve of the Provincial Governors' Conference. This is a committee that he still greatly appreciates from his own time as provincial governor. Even today, he still holds a kind of small provincial governors' conference in a private setting with his colleagues and friends Erwin Pröll and Michael Häupl.

Niessl would appoint Kickl
Niessl himself is appreciated for his conciliatory manner. In today's world, there is simply too much arguing: between the parties and even within the SPÖ. "In general, politics does not present a good image to the people. As a society, we must finally start talking to each other again instead of about each other. It would be very important to me to strive for this cohesion for Austria again," the Red Party member emphasizes.

And after all, it was he who, as SPÖ governor, managed to form coalitions with changing majorities in the free play of forces – and then also with the FPÖ. A red-blue coalition that laid the foundation for Hans Peter Doskozil's absolute majority in 2020. With regard to the events following the recent National Council election, Niessl says: "If Herbert Kickl were to come in first with the FPÖ in the next election, he would of course be given the mandate to form a government. Anything else would be undemocratic in my view," Niessl clarifies.

"A federal president must, of course, talk to all democratically elected parties. He must also know what makes normal, hard-working people tick. What they need and what they don't need. Proximity to the people is required," Niessl concludes, explaining his understanding of the office.