Getting in the mood for the election campaign

Nehammer wants to satisfy “longing for the center”

On Monday, Nehammer got ÖVP officials in Upper Austria in the mood for the election campaign - here in Redlham.

(Bild: (c)Paul Gruber)

Redlham and Ried im Innkreis are the hub of the world today - at least from the point of view of the ÖVP and its functionaries. At two regional conferences, federal party leader and chancellor Karl Nehammer gets the Turkish base in the mood for the National Council election campaign. The topics are familiar, but they sound as if they have been set by the FPÖ.

Until July 19, Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer is touring the federal states in his capacity as ÖVP leader. At so-called regional conferences in each constituency, he will be listening to the concerns of state governors, state councillors, mayors, municipal party leaders and local councillors. On Monday, Upper Austria was on the agenda, specifically Redlham and Ried im Innkreis.

Inspiring FPÖ victory
Between the two appointments, the Chancellor stopped off in Wels to give media representatives an interim assessment. The mood at the grassroots level is good, Nehammer reports. The FPÖ's victory in the EU elections was more of a boost because the ÖVP's deficit was smaller than predicted.

Restrictive asylum policy
The exchange with the mayors is "important feedback", says Nehammer: "The ÖVP has its greatest strength in rural areas." But then the Chancellor talks about a topic that is not of great everyday relevance in rural areas - asylum and people smuggling and the ÖVP's positions on this: Asylum procedures in third countries, reduction of social benefits, hurdles to family reunification, repatriation of criminals, including to countries of origin such as Syria or Afghanistan.

Dealing "honestly" with people's concerns
Although problems with asylum seekers are not necessarily the order of the day, especially in smaller rural communities, Nehammer believes that this is the right approach: "The people there read what is in the newspapers and are worried that the problems will also land on their doorstep."

The ÖVP guarantees that these concerns are dealt with "honestly" - in contrast to the "radical" forces on the right (FPÖ) and on the left (SPÖ), asserts Nehammer. He sees a "great longing for the center" among the electorate - and that is exactly what his party stands for. He once again rejected a coalition with the FPÖ under its leader Herbert Kickl. The "Krone" wanted to know whether this would also be guaranteed if other forces in the ÖVP were in charge after the election. Nehammer: "An ÖVP federal party leader who was elected with 100 percent - that's the best guarantee you can give."

Kommentar

Der Platz in der Mitte bleibt frei

Andreas Babler from the SPÖ described himself as a Marxist, while Herbert Kickl from the FPÖ considers the far-right Identitarians to be a "project worth supporting". There is obviously a lot of space between these two poles in the so-called political center. So it's no wonder that ÖVP federal party leader Nehammer wants to position his party there in order to be there for "normal-thinking" people (© Johanna Mikl-Leitner, ÖVP). However, if he does this with topics that appear to have been copied from the FPÖ, this only means that the ÖVP is moving to the right - leaving the real space in the center free for others.