Curtain up on ORF

What is at stake for the party leaders in TV duels

The first round of duels between the top candidates will take place on Thursday evening.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Kronen Zeitung/APA; Patrick Huber, Martin Jöchl, Georg Hochmuth, Reinhard Holl, Max Slovencik, Eva Manhart)

The first TV duels between the leading candidates will take place on ORF on Thursday evening. What is important for the party leaders now.

Now it's time to get down to business. The TV duels between the leading candidates start on Thursday evening on ORF. With the direct confrontations, the election campaign enters its hot phase. "A good election campaign can still make up to two percent in the end. TV duels and media presence are a key factor," says Christoph Haselmayer, head of the Institute for Public Opinion Research and Data Analysis (IFDD).

And he is not the only one who knows that three percent can ultimately make the difference between victory and defeat in the National Council elections, which are so exciting according to several polls, and therefore between office and political careers. This makes it all the more important for the party leaders to shine in the spotlight and make the right impression on their own voters.

The three major party leaders as duel debutants
One thing is certain: the moderated confrontations in the main evening program are still new territory for the leaders of the three major parties Karl Nehammer (ÖVP), Herbert Kickl (FPÖ) and Andreas Babler (SPÖ). NEOS leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger and Green Party top candidate Werner Kogler, on the other hand, already have a duel routine. "In the TV debates before the last National Council elections in 2019, both did a good job and won over many voters," says Haselmayer.

Expert Christoph Haselmayer.

(Bild: krone.tv)

The duel debut in this election campaign will take place on Thursday at prime time between SPÖ leader Andreas Babler and Green Party leader Werner Kogler.

Babler needs Kogler's voters (back)
However, there can be no question of a soft opening in the duel between the two parties to the left of the political center. "It's explosive and for both parties it's first and foremost about avoiding mistakes," says Haselmayer. According to the political expert, many Greens voted for the SPÖ in the 2017 National Council elections, which resulted in the Greens being kicked out of parliament.

"Babler must now achieve a similar feat in order to get into a triell with Herbert Kickl and Karl Nehammer. Otherwise he is threatened with third place and an internal party discussion," says Haselmayer. Accordingly, sharp statements and a fight for every vote are to be expected. After all, Babler has more potential on the "left wing than in the center".

The second duel of the evening will have a different focus. FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl and the pink frontwoman Beate Meinl-Reisinger. "There are very few real exchanges of voters between the two parties. So this is primarily about appealing to voters," concludes the expert.