After Resignation

New Party Role for Convicted August Wöginger

The ÖVP is not abandoning August Wöginger, even after his conviction for abuse of office.(Bild: FOTOKERSCHI / FLORIAN REISINGER)

August Wöginger was forced to step down as ÖVP parliamentary group chair following his conviction for incitement to abuse of office. Now he has been given a new role within the federal party. He is also returning to a leadership position within the parliamentary group.

August Wöginger has lost his position as parliamentary group chairman. Nevertheless, he is now being given new responsibilities. The ÖVP has entrusted its former parliamentary group chairman with coordinating support for party officials.

In May, Wöginger was sentenced to seven months’ suspended imprisonment and a fine for incitement to abuse of office. He subsequently resigned as parliamentary group leader—following public pressure—but remained a member of the National Council. The verdict is not yet final.

It’s no secret that the People’s Party has never turned its back on “Gust.” He was even reelected in September as federal chairman of the powerful ÖAAB federation—Chancellor Christian Stocker even congratulated him (see below).

New Role Behind a Plain Title
And despite fierce criticism, the People’s Party is now once again counting on Wöginger. According to information from the “Krone,” he is set to take charge of supporting ÖVP officials throughout the country. Wöginger is expected to visit districts, speak with officials, and attend events. The People’s Party has around 600,000 members, and they need to be coordinated—which is what Wöginger will handle going forward.

A statement from the ÖVP reads: “August Wöginger has been active in the ÖVP since he was 16—that’s 35 years now—and he served as caucus chair for more than eight years. Few people know the party and its officials as well as he does.”

As one of the country’s recognized experts on social issues and the ÖVP’s spokesperson on social affairs, Wöginger will therefore take on the coordination of support for party officials and “bring his many years of experience to bear. Local concerns are to be directly incorporated into the work of the federal party.”

 Returns to the Parliamentary Group LeadershipWöginger had already remained active as the policy spokesperson for Labor and Social Affairs. But his responsibilities aren’t limited to supporting party officials; last week, Wöginger was even re-elected as deputy parliamentary group leader—a position held by all the chairpersons of the ÖVP’s regional associations.

That leaves the question of money. How much will Wöginger receive for his new role? The party declined to disclose this information when asked by “Krone.” Is the party compensating him for the loss of salary he suffered as a result of his resignation as parliamentary group leader? According to the Court of Auditors, he earned 16,211.10 euros gross per month as parliamentary group leader. With his resignation, his monthly salary dropped by about 5,860 euros gross.