After Neos' Expulsion

Dengler Speaks Out: “Lawmakers Are Just Voting Cattle”

Veit Dengler(Bild: APA/HANS PUNZ)

After NEOS expelled its MP Veit Dengler from the party and the parliamentary caucus, he has now spoken out—and he doesn’t hold back on criticism. 

The expulsion came as no surprise, party founder Dengler explained in a statement to the “Krone.” The party leadership has internalized a “completely misguided Olympic ideal,” Dengler criticized. The government’s motto is now nothing more than “Just being there is everything.” Discussions, if they take place at all, are now tolerated only behind closed doors. “MPs have been reduced to voting cattle,” the politician said sharply.

Club meeting recorded
The Neos expelled Dengler from the party and the parliamentary club after he called on parliament to vote against part of the double budget. However, the party stated that this was not the reason for the expulsion—it was due to a different incident. Dengler is said to have recorded the caucus meeting afterward, as the “Krone” learned. The NEOS founder confirmed this: “Because I was alone and had no witnesses, I recorded this meeting openly for everyone to hear.”

Now he is being accused of doing something illegal, Dengler criticized. This only shows, he said, “that no one was interested in the content.” His accusation is that the party was rather “looking for a pretext to hastily expel me.” Dengler plans to decide in the coming days whether he will “challenge” the NEOS decision in court.

NEOS “Run in an Increasingly Authoritarian Manner”
Now both NEOS founders, Matthias Strolz and Dengler, are no longer in the party. For Dengler, this comes as no surprise. “NEOS has been run in an increasingly authoritarian manner for several years,”he said. “There’s no longer any room for open discussions on core issues.”

Dengler nevertheless intends to remain a member of the National Council. “I will continue to point out where urgent changes are needed and what is no longer acceptable to the public,” he announced. “That is why I was elected, and I will continue to fulfill that responsibility as an elected official.”