EU elephant round

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The elephant roundtable on the EU elections by "Puls 4" and "Krone" with all five top candidates.(Bild: Klemens Groh)

The first elephant round of the EU elections on Thursday evening started with a surprise. All the leading candidates backed the Green candidate Lena Schilling.

It was the first elephant round of "Puls 24" in cooperation with the "Krone" in the EU election campaign and it started with a surprise.

All the top candidates backed 23-year-old Lena Schilling.

The elephant round for the EU elections by "Puls 4" and "Krone" with all five top candidates.(Bild: Klemens Groh)

Schilling: fierce accusations from her private environment
In the last 72 hours, the Green top candidate has been confronted with fierce accusations from her private sphere - namely that she does not take the truth very seriously. One person in particular who jumped into the breach for Schilling was FPÖ top candidate Harald Vilimsky.

Under pressure: Since Wednesday, the Green EU top candidate Lena Schilling has been confronted with wild accusations.(Bild: APA/TOBIAS STEINMAURER)

Vilimsky takes aim at the SPÖ
Perhaps also because he himself is a defendant in criminal cases. Vilimsky insinuated that the SPÖ had steered this story. "It is perhaps surprising that I am standing in defense of Schilling, but the accusations have nothing to do with politics. This is a witch's kitchen".

Harald Vilimsky(Bild: APA/ROBERT JAEGER)

Schieder counters
SPÖ top candidate Andreas Schieder denied that the SPÖ knew about the smear campaign against Schilling. "I can rule that out. I'm not interested in these rumors." After that, there were no more surprises.

The expected positions were taken on the topics of Ukraine, migration and the economy. Reinhold Lopatka was caught with one or two eye rolls while Vilimsky was speaking.

Watch the elephant round on the EU elections in full length here:

Vilimsky: "I was in Hainburg"
On climate issues, Schilling regretted that the ÖVP had rejected the Greens' national climate plan. She reckoned to Vilimsky, Lopatka and Schieder how long they had done nothing for the environment and climate protection. Vilimsky countered and revealed that he had been involved in the occupation of the Hainburger Au at the time. Schilling described this as "beautiful".