No Babler effect

SPÖ licks election wounds: Countries demand course correction

SPÖ federal party chairman Andreas Babler (right) is under pressure: Tyrol's red state leader is calling for a resounding repositioning.

(Bild: APA/EXPA/ERICH SPIESS)

The SPÖ is licking its wounds the day after its worst performance in a European election. In order to remain in the race for first place in the national elections in the fall, there are now calls from the federal states for a substantive course correction.

The fact is: in view of the great expectations that the left-wing hopeful Andreas Babler raised among the comrades when he was elected party leader a year ago, the result of the first supra-regional election under the SPÖ leader was a disillusionment.

The results in detail: You can see where the new strongholds are and how the votes were cast in Austria in the following graphic. You can switch between the provincial and municipal views.

SPÖpressconference on Monday afternoon
The current nervousness within the red party was also demonstrated by the fact that the federal SPÖ had announced a press conference with Babler on Monday morning, but left the exact time open for a long time. It was not officially confirmed until 1.39 pm that the press conference would take place at 2.30 pm. Is something going on internally? In any case, proactive communication from a supposedly united party looks different.

Dornauer calls for focus on migration and security
The first calls for a repositioning in terms of content were already being made on Monday morning. Tyrol's SPÖ leader Georg Dornauer was convinced that the Social Democrats would have to focus on the issues of migration and security from now on.

Tyrol's SPÖ state leader Georg Dornauer (left) with the red federal party leader Andreas Babler

(Bild: APA/EXPA/ERICH SPIESS)

The FPÖ is dominant here, and the SPÖ must close this gap: "Only then will our issues be successful."

Anton Lang from Styria also emphasized that the migration issue is particularly important in his federal state.

Babler: "We will need complete clarity on migration"
Red party leader Andreas Babler himself, who is now under heavy pressure, commented on this issue at the press conference in the afternoon: "Complete clarity" will be needed on migration. The Kaiser-Doskozil paper was the only party with a corresponding paper. This will be "refreshed" and then presented to the public. In any case, there is no need to rewrite it.

Dornauer then also pointed out the plus of his state party on election Sunday. The Vorarlberg state chairman Mario Leiter, who still has to face the voters this year, did the same: "Vorarlberg is taking its own path to the center," he emphasized.

Kaiser identifies negative mood
Carinthia's governor Peter Kaiser believes that the fact that his party did not do as well as hoped in the EU elections is due to a certain mood. Emotions and slogans of fear had been more effective than the content put forward by the SPÖ.

"Less lecturing"
Lower Austria's state leader Sven Hergovich pleaded for more attention to be paid to people's everyday concerns and to be "less lecturing". Then first place in the fall would be "possible".

Women's leader self-critical
Surprisingly sharp tones also came from SPÖ women's leader Eva-Maria Holzleitner: "The result of the EU elections cannot be satisfactory." She found it particularly worrying that almost half of those entitled to vote had not exercised their right to vote. She sees it as a task for the SPÖ to bring its issues credibly to the people.

Eva-Maria Holzleitner

(Bild: APA/Tobias Steinmaurer)

Doskozil announces chairman debate after National Council elections
Burgenland's governor Hans Peter Doskozil - one of Babler's fiercest critics - referred to two statements made on election night: firstly, Babler had said that the party had "stabilized" and secondly, a Viennese representative had said that the direction was right: "In this sense, I say all the best for the National Council elections," said Doskozil. Whether Babler is the right person to lead the party should not be debated at this time: "But we will certainly have this discussion after the National Council elections."

Hans Peter Doskozil

(Bild: APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)

In any case, Babler himself saw the close margins as proof that it was "possible" to win the National Council election. Third place was "painful", but he was all the more motivated to make up the 2.5 percent.

SPÖ declares three-way fight and warns against black-blue
Club leader Philip Kucher also took this line in the joint press conference with Babler: "Since yesterday there has been a three-way fight." If the SPÖ does not win the election, a black-blue coalition will come. The "shadow boxing" of the ÖVP and the Freedom Party would not change this: "Wherever they could, they were fighting a pack." He took particular aim at FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl. His "conspiracy blah-blah" does not lower rent and does not make shopping cheaper.

Babler brushed aside doubts following Doskozil's recent criticism of him that the party was not pulling in the same direction. The Burgenland representatives on the board had promised to support him and the Social Democrats passionately and to "run at full speed".