"Impossible for me"

Niessl’s candidacy: Hofer now rejects top job

Norbert Hofer was supposed to take on a lucrative managing director position—but now he won't be doing so after all.(Bild: APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)

Former SPÖ governor Hans Niessl wants to move into the Hofburg – and is receiving a lot of support for his bid. But even before the election campaign has really got underway, his candidacy is having some unexpected consequences. Former FPÖ leader Norbert Hofer no longer wants to become managing director of the company in which Niessl is a shareholder.

The announcement by former Burgenland governor Hans Niessl that he intends to run for the office of federal president caused quite a stir. Although the SPÖ politician received a lot of support – some of it from other parties – his ambitions are now having their first negative consequences.

Although Niessl's fellow countryman Norbert Hofer (FPÖ) had reacted positively to his candidacy, the former FPÖ leader will now not become the second managing director of Binder-Leitl Investment GmbH—where Niessl is a prominent shareholder. Hofer himself is repeatedly mentioned as a possible blue candidate for the Hofburg; after all, he threw his hat into the ring in 2016, but then lost narrowly to Alexander Van der Bellen.

Norbert Hofer was supposed to take on a lucrative managing director position, but will now not be doing so after all.(Bild: APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)

Hofer fears "endless discussions"
And that is precisely why Hofer now wants to concentrate on Emerald Horizon Aktiengesellschaft, "there is a lot going on there that I am looking forward to," Hofer said in an interview with "Krone." Niessl's candidacy "makes it impossible for me to become managing director at Binder-Leitl," the former FPÖ leader said in no uncertain terms. He fears discussions in the election campaign for the Hofburg if he becomes managing director of a company "in which a prominent shareholder may run against the party for which I myself was a candidate."

With his plans, Niessl cost the Binder-Leitl company, where he is a shareholder, Norbert Hofer as managing director.(Bild: Mario Urbantschitsch)

He wanted to spare everyone involved: "My party, Hans Niessl, but also myself and my family," said Hofer: "That would not end well, my experience tells me." But he is giving up a lot in the process, as it is a lucrative executive position. He informed managing director Andreas Binder of his decision to decline, and according to Hofer, they "parted on good terms. But he wasn't happy." Niessl probably found out about it from the media.

Hofer has had to give things up for politics before
Against this backdrop, Hofer no longer wants to be "operationally active" at Binder-Leitl, but will remain a passive shareholder. Interestingly, Hofer was once managing director of the limited liability company, but had to resign after a short time because, as club chairman in the Burgenland state parliament, he was "banned" from working in the private sector. However, he recently stepped down from this position. Now the project, for which "everything was already prepared," has failed a second time due to politics.