Decision after election

FPÖ plans sub-committee on corona investigation

The liberal "U-committee veteran" Christian Hafenecker

(Bild: APA/ROLAND SCHLAGER)

The National Council elections have not even been held yet, but the next committee of inquiry is already as good as fixed. The Freedom Party wants to set up its own sub-committee in the newly composed National Council to investigate the coronavirus pandemic and will probably soon be able to decide on its own. 

Only a few months ago, the COFAG and abuse of power investigation committees came to an end. Partly because the abuse of power committee in particular had developed into a true espionage thriller surrounding the alleged Russian double agent Egisto Ott, several parties emphasized that they wanted to set up a Russia U committee after the National Council elections. The Freedom Party also joined the demand. At the same time, however, the blue camp is clearly also pursuing other plans.

FPÖ could probably decide on U-committee alone
The "Krone" has learned that the FPÖ club has long since prepared everything for a committee of inquiry into the coronavirus investigation. This is to be set up in the new National Council - and if necessary, only with the votes of the Freedom Party.

If the blue party around party leader Herbert Kickl achieves more than 25 percent, as expected, they will probably have at least a quarter of the members of the National Council in future. And that would be enough to set up a sub-committee. As is well known, the ÖVP also single-handedly decided to set up the U-committee on red-blue abuse of power.

Hafenecker: "We owe it to the citizens"
FPÖ Secretary General Christian Hafenecker confirms the plans to the "Krone" newspaper: "Herbert Kickl has always called for a comprehensive investigation into the corona period, which is why it is a declared goal of the FPÖ to initiate such a process in the new legislative period."

In any case, the aim will be to clarify political responsibility in connection with all corona measures and the actual or alleged fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. According to Hafenecker, we owe this to the citizens and many victims of the pandemic.