Two reasons

Doskozil (un)voluntarily becomes Babler’s election assistant

From the left: SPÖ leader Andreas Babler and Burgenland's governor Hans Peter Doskozil

(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

There is an ice age between Andreas Babler and Hans Peter Doskozil and there is no prospect of reconciliation. But in the election campaign, the SPÖ Burgenland will try to mobilize voters for Andreas Babler. The "Krone" knows the background to the unexpected electoral support.

They are more enemy than friend - Hans Peter Doskozil and Andreas Babler. Nevertheless, according to reports from Burgenland, the SPÖ Burgenland will mobilize voters for the party leader until election day on 29 September. The declared aim is to maximize the SPÖ's Burgenland result from the last National Council election. Doskozil's reasons for campaigning are manifold.

Reason number 1: Doskozil does not want to be the bogeyman
One motive is simple: if the SPÖ's nationwide result in the national elections is not rosy, the governor does not want to be held responsible. A plus for Babler in the Burgenland election result would make criticism of Doskozil more difficult, and those responsible would probably have to look for the reasons for an election defeat themselves.

From the left: SPÖ leader Andreas Babler and Burgenland's governor Hans Peter Doskozil

(Bild: APA/Georg Hochmuth)

Reason number 2: Burgenland elects its state parliament in January
A fact that is often forgotten in view of the excitement of the super election year: Doskozil is already in pre-election campaign mode. Burgenland goes to the polls in January 2025. Doskozil not only wants to confirm his absolute majority from 2020, he also wants to improve the election result in order to celebrate a triumph. This requires an upward trend in the National Council elections. This is another reason why there is great interest in a good result on September 29.