After the Salzburg election

Why the SPÖ victory does not give Babler a tailwind

Election winner Bernhard Auinger gives his chairman Andreas Babler tips ...(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

The SPÖ is the mayor of Salzburg. Like other grandees, he tells the federal government how the Social Democrats should behave in the federal government. Quite understandable for analysts ...  

Sunday evening in Salzburg. Exuberant Reds celebrating. The mayor comes from the SPÖ and is Bernhard Auinger, formerly deputy mayor under ÖVP rule. Auinger received 63 percent support in the run-off election against the communist Dankl. The mayor's boss Andreas Babler also made the trip. To congratulate him. And to celebrate. Red is finally shining again. What does that mean for Babler? A tailwind for his assault on the chancellorship? Experts are skeptical. 

Class warfare tones
Auinger also announced via Ö1 that he was claiming success for himself and his Salzburg party alone - and that the SPÖ should not move any further to the left. A few days ago, former Federal President Heinz Fischer made similar comments in the "Krone" podcast. Subtle hints for Babler, who positioned himself as extremely left-wing, above all through "his class-struggle tone", says Salzburg political scientist Eric Miklin. For the SPÖ, the election success is very nice and important internally, but is unlikely to have a lasting effect in the federal government. In addition, Bernhard Auinger radiates more towards the center. This should also be taken into consideration for the National Council elections.

Babler basked in the victory of the Salzburg SPÖ ...(Bild: ANDREAS TROESTER)

Election winner Bernhard Auinger gives tips to his chairman Andreas Babler.(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

... but the chemistry was also right with the KPÖ candidate Dankl(Bild: ANDREAS TROESTER)

Peter Plaikner, an expert in political communication, agrees. "If you want to be successful in the elections, you have to reach the middle. But Babler's problem is that he has been positioning himself as a kind of Robin Hood and representative of ordinary people for almost 300 days now. I don't think he will be able to credibly maneuver himself out of this position before the elections."

Waiting for the boost
Miklin also believes that the SPÖ should have been looking more than just towards the center much earlier. In any case, the Austria-wide polls reveal no boost for "far-left" Babler. His positions are not much different from those of his predecessor Pamela Rendi-Wagner - but it is also about appearance and language.

Peter Plaikner does not see Babler's position within the party as completely uncontroversial. "There had already been criticism of the course before that, not only from Burgenland's Doskozil, but also from Vienna's mayor Ludwig and Carinthia's state leader Kaiser." 

Nevertheless, the second mainstream party, the ÖVP, is not exactly favored in the popularity rankings either. And there is still time until the end of September. Until election day. Plaikner: "Who knows what will happen between now and then."