Rejection from the Council of Ministers

Babler to black-green: “Refusal to work!”

Federal party chairman of the SPÖ Andreas Babler

(Bild: APA/MAX SLOVENCIK)

For SPÖ leader Andreas Babler, the black-green coalition has been in an "undignified limbo between coalition and non-coalition" since Monday. He criticized the fact that the Council of Ministers did not take place in person as a "refusal to work". 

Federal Chancellor Nehammer (ÖVP) had only not resigned from government on Monday despite the escalation spiral because he still wanted to use the ministries for "election propaganda", Babler continued.

Nehammer had disgraced Austria in the international political arena by "politically incapacitating" the Green Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler during the vote on the EU renaturation law.

"Budget disaster" and daily worries
At the same time, Babler believes that the government is also failing in terms of domestic policy: the population is still suffering from inflation, is worried every day about finding a doctor's appointment, prosperity is falling and there is a "budget disaster".

After Monday's scandal - the ÖVP has announced an action for annulment at the ECJ and a lawsuit for abuse of office due to Gewessler's failure to agree to the EU renaturation law - the government now only exists so that the ÖVP can campaign at taxpayers' expense.

The ÖVP and the Greens ran for office and promised us the best of both worlds; what we got was the worst of all times.

Andreas Babler

Warning against a black-blue coalition
He also fears that the continuation of the government could be expensive for the taxpayer. He therefore called for a ban on major events by ministries and a ban on surveys and study publications during election campaigns. At the same time, he once again warned against a possible coalition between the ÖVP and FPÖ after the election, as this would threaten savings in pensions, healthcare and any abandonment of climate protection.