Cards reshuffled

How the ÖVP and FPÖ are gearing up for the chancellor duel

Chancellor Karl Nehammer and his challenger Herbert Kickl duel for the office on Ballhausplatz.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Peter Tomschi, SEPA.Media/M. Juen, www.picturedesk.com)

The EU elections have reshuffled the cards in domestic politics. Until Sunday, the Freedom Party under Herbert Kickl was considered the favorite for first place due to stable poll results. But that has now changed. The ÖVP is on a par. This means that the duel for the chancellorship has begun. The "Krone" looks ahead for you.

The ÖVP has obviously benefited from the poor forecasts for the EU elections - it was predicted to get less than 20 percent in some cases. Despite the almost double-digit drop, it came very close to the FPÖ (25.36%) with 24.52%. The result surprised the Turks themselves. However, they gratefully accepted it and immediately called for a chancellor's duel.

The goal "within reach"
"First place is not only within reach, we are not that far away," said General Secretary Christian Stocker the day after the election. He sees good conditions for the National Council elections. "We have proven that we can and will fight." The election result also showed "that what is measured by opinion polls should be treated with caution".

The FPÖ had been shown at over 30 percent in some polls, while the ÖVP had regularly only appeared in third place with around 20 percent. Now they are practically neck and neck at the top and are only separated by 0.84 percentage points according to the provisional final result including electoral maps.

ÖVP General Secretary Christian Stocker

(Bild: APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)

In terms of issues, the People's Party will focus on performance, family, security and the fight against illegal migration in the National Council elections. "The race is open, the race to catch up is on, the gap is anything but large. We assume that the Federal Chancellor will once again be Karl Nehammer in the fall," says Stocker.

The black strategy
The ÖVP's strategy for the election campaign: "It has to be about the person. This is where we have a clear advantage over the FPÖ," says a party strategist in an interview with the "Krone" newspaper. Stocker puts it similarly. The ÖVP will enter the race for first place against Herbert Kickl with Nehammer at the helm.

SPÖ leader Andreas Babler wants to leave the ÖVP out of the race. "After this election result, I don't see Andreas Babler in the race for Federal Chancellor. The SPÖ has fallen far short of expectations, but that is not our problem", said Stocker.

Chancellor Karl Nehammer and his challenger Herbert Kickl duel for the office on Ballhausplatz.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Peter Tomschi, SEPA.Media/M. Juen, www.picturedesk.com)

As expected, the FPÖ has no problem at all with the EU election results. Not far from the black party headquarters in Vienna's Lichtenfelsgasse, the Freedom Party celebrated into the blue Monday on election Sunday. "The duel is still the same after the EU elections. We Freedom Party against the Unity Party. We will continue on the path we have taken, focusing on credibility and our connection to the population," FPÖ Secretary General Michael Schnedlitz told the "Krone" newspaper.

We will not change anything and will continue on our path!

FPÖ-Generalsekretär Michael Schnedlitz

No committee meetings yet
Kickl and Co. do not want to reveal their cards yet in terms of topics or personnel. As with the ÖVP, the federal list still has to be decided. According to Schnedlitz, however, no committee meetings with corresponding decisions are expected this week.

Election programs will therefore also have to wait at least a little longer. In any case, the blue leadership will be preparing for the National Council elections on Saturday. The FPÖ's regional party conference will then take place in Lower Austria ...