Duels to read up on

Penultimate duel: Babler vs. Meinl-Reisinger

The last duels were between Andreas Babler and Beate Meinl-Reisinger and Karl Nehammer and Herbert Kickl.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

The last round of the TV duels is over. ÖVP Chancellor Karl Nehammer and challenger FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl held a debate that showed that there is little overlap between the ÖVP and FPÖ. In the first round, Andreas Babler (SPÖ) and Beate Meinl-Reisinger (NEOS) clashed - we have the ticker for you to read!

It was considered the highlight of the TV election campaign: Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer against his challenger, FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl. The two were once amicably linked - but on September 22, 2021, Nehammer withdrew the "you" word from Kickl in a National Council meeting. Since then, there has been an ice age between the two.

Floods and broken single-family homes or not - the blue frontman fought hard right from the start. Kickl apparently rarely hits the brakes. Right in the fifth sentence, he described the coalition as the "worst government ever". It was not he, Kickl, who had become "radicalized", as Nehammer claimed, but "the opposite is the case".

The concept against Kickl was not to allow himself to be provoked, to play the sovereign, calm chancellor. Nehammer tried to present himself as a calm explainer of the multiple crises. As a captain with vision in uncertain times. It was noticeable that Nehammer rarely wanted to look Kickl in the eye.

Karl Nehammer and Herbert Kickl met at Susanne Schnabl.

(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

Meinl-Reisinger and Babler want to join the government
SPÖ leader Andreas Babler and pink frontwoman Beate Meinl-Reisinger took part in the "warm-up round". The kid gloves came off right at the beginning: "That's retro, that's mothballs", Meinl-Reisinger criticized the red economic policy. Babler insisted on his revenue models, which have been "confirmed by many international experts".

Some rely on more state, others on less state. A sentence that shows how far apart Babler and Meinl-Reisinger are ideologically. However, both want to be in the next government - so the two will have to find a common, pragmatic path.

Beate Meinl-Reisinger and Andreas Babler with Alexandra Wachter

(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH / APA / picturedesk.com)

All in all, it is clear that there are major differences between the red and pink parties that would call a possible coalition into question. Meinl-Reisinger seized the reins and put the Red Party on the defensive in terms of content. The man under pressure countered as best he could, including with his favorite topic: the super-rich must pay more and make more contributions.

With the krone.at live ticker, you were there throughout the evening - read the best moments here:

An overview of the TV debates so far:

Who you should vote for on September 29
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