National Council election

FP-Angerer: “Our goal is a Chancellor Kickl”

Carinthian flag in hand and thumbs up: Herbert Kickl and Erwin Angerer in the Carinthian state election campaign 2023

(Bild: Clara Milena Steiner)

After the EU election is before the National Council election: Elisabeth Dieringer-Granza's (FPÖ) first public appearance after her election as a Member of the European Parliament is also used by party leader Erwin Angerer to kick off the election campaign for the fall.

Carinthian FPÖ regional party chairman Erwin Angerer wants to be "careful" with the confidence his party has gained in the EU elections - in the southernmost federal state, the blue party won 33.5 percent with an increase of 11.9 percentage points.

He said at a press conference on Tuesday, which was postponed at short notice on Monday: "It was a bit tighter than we thought, we wanted to make sure that everything was right. There could also have been a reshuffle due to preferential votes," says Angerer with regard to the mandate of Dieringer-Granza, sixth on the list. "Whether we make the appointment today or tomorrow" is irrelevant.

Angerer and Dieringer-Granza thank the voters.

(Bild: zVg)

Now everything has been clarified and the Carinthian top candidate Elisabeth Dieringer-Granza is to act as an ambassador in Brussels: "Misguided energy policy, rigorous migration policy and infrastructural projects" will be topics that the FPÖ wants to address at EU level.

"Not just paper, but human proximity"
Dieringer-Granza is a "strong voice from Carinthia. She has a big task ahead of her, for which she has the best qualifications: With her profession - she is a teacher - and her language skills - she speaks Italian," says Angerer. She sees the latter as a "prerequisite for good cooperation" and also has "long-standing personal contacts in a region that lies on our doorstep: Friuli-Venezia Giulia. For me, it's not just about proximity on paper, but about human proximity."

Speaking of Italian: "It would almost be a must for children to come into contact with this language as early as possible. Italian needs to be better integrated into Carinthian educational institutions," says Angerer, emphasizing the importance of close contact and cooperation with the neighbors to the south.

When asked about the autochthonous Slovenian language in Carinthia, he says: "Slovenia is not comparable to Italy. Italy has four or five times the economic output of Austria. Slovenian is massively supported in our country, for me Italian is far too little."

There are already plans for the National Council elections: "Our goal is not one Carinthian mandate more or less, but a People's Chancellor Kickl," says Angerer.