FPÖ full of energy

“Putting an end to the black-green haunting”

Markus Klien, Andrea Kerbleder, Christof Bitschi and Joachim Fritz (from left) presented the state list and their election program.

(Bild: sos)

The 33-year-old party leader has never lacked self-confidence. Inspired by numerous good poll results and in the knowledge that not everything is running smoothly between the government partners at state level, he is entering the final weeks of the state election campaign full of conviction.

"We are presenting the key issues that we would like to implement in future leadership," Bitschi announced right at the start of a press conference on Thursday at the Montforthaus in Feldkirch. "We sense that the black-green coalition is no longer popular. We want to be the party that puts an end to the black-green haunting!"

Christof Bitsch is well aware that a good poll result alone is not enough: "My team and I will do everything we can in the coming weeks to convert the positive reception into voter support."

National list of the FPÖ

1. Christof Bitschi - Brand
2. Andrea Kerbleder - Feldkirch
3. Markus Klien - Hohenems
4. Joachim Fritz - Mittelberg
5. Joachim Weixlbaumer - Bludenz
6. Nicole Feurstein-Hosp - Lustenau
7. Kornelia Spiß - Nenzing
8. Robert Blum - Höchst
9. Manfred Vogt - Übersaxen
10. Sandra Jäckel - Hard

Note: If party leader Bitschi and the district party leaders following him enter via the respective district lists or renounce their mandate as members of the government, Nicole Feurstein-Hosp and Kornelia Spiß have the best chance of entering the state parliament via the state list.

They want to convince voters with their program, which focuses on the issues of families, housing and security. Andrea Kerbleder presented a whole litany of financial support for families. For example, she would like to see a welcome bonus of 2,000 euros for newborns. In 2023, this would have cost taxpayers a whopping 7.8 million euros. The school start bonus of 200 euros per pupil would have cost a good 11 million euros in the fall of 2023. This is to be financed through a redistribution in the budget.

"Mr. Security", police unionist Joachim Fritz, is also calling for more money to ensure security in the country and make police jobs more attractive. He believes that the federal government is primarily responsible for investing in better equipment or a purchasing power bonus (due to the high cost of living, police officers in the federal state receive around 25 percent less of their salary than their colleagues in the east).

 Similar to his party leader, Fritz does not think much of pandering to the ÖVP and lashed out at the "idle blacks", who after all provide the Minister of the Interior and Finance as well as the Governor and State Security Councillor: "That was great show politics, the execution was poor!"

"Vorarlberg first" in the allocation of housing
Markus Klien from Hohenems - a hot candidate for a possible provincial council position alongside the previous speakers - brought the issue of affordable housing to the fore. He has new construction projects with Vogewosi in mind. When allocating social housing, the principle of "Vorarlberg first" should apply: "Almost 40 percent of these apartments were allocated to non-Austrians in 2023. This does not correspond to the ratio in the population," criticized Klien. In addition, no subsidized apartments should be allocated to people who do not speak German.