FPÖ in first place

SPÖ Loses Ground in Vienna: Babler Remains Silent on Poll

Vienna is shaping the future—but probably not with Babler’s help...(Bild: Mario Urbantschitsch)

A rollercoaster ride for the Social Democrats: The jubilation at the SPÖ party convention is followed by disillusionment due to a poll that places the FPÖ in first place for the first time, putting party leader Andreas Babler under clear pressure.

As we all know, joy and sorrow are close at hand: the Vienna SPÖ is currently feeling this firsthand. Just moments ago, Mayor Michael Ludwig was celebrating 92.3 percent of the vote at his party convention, and now he’s confronted with a poll that packs a punch. For the first time , the FPÖ is in the lead in the red stronghold of Vienna: if the National Council were elected this Sunday, even the federal capital Vienna would tip the scales...

No wonder the Freedom Party celebrated the result: From MEP Harald Vilimsky to Vienna FPÖ leader Dominik Nepp, the “Blues” spread what amounted to “the good news” on social media—and interpreted the poll as a clear signal of a shift in political sentiment.

Babler: “No comment,” Ludwig: “We have no choice at the moment”
The Social Democrats were much more reserved. What does SPÖ leader Andreas Babler have to say about this? At the Vienna party convention on Saturday, he drew attention with a clear message to the FPÖ: The “Orbans and Kickls” of this world “often shout so loudly—not because they have such good ideas—but because, in truth, they already sense that their time has come.” That very evening, the poll clearly contradicted this prophecy. When asked by “Krone” how the Vice-Chancellor would now assess the situation, however, Babler declined to comment further.

The poll reflects the current state of federal politics, according to sources in the SPÖ city hall. For the SPÖ Vienna, however, there is no question that the goal is, of course, to come in first in the next National Council election. Michael Ludwig remained unflappable in his conversation with “Krone”: “There is no election currently; these are polls in a challenging situation, and we will see on Election Day—when the parties are called upon to make clear what they stand for—how the voters will then decide,” said the mayor, who raises the question: “Do you know of many proposals from the FPÖ? No, they just watch as the others struggle in a difficult situation. So be it, but during an election campaign, issues will be demanded to solve problems.”