"Must be acknowledged"

Doskozil: “The FPÖ has mobilized excellently”

Governor Hans Peter Doskozil takes a very sober view of his party's worst election result at federal level.

(Bild: APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)

The SPÖ was the only party represented in parliament to start working through the results of the National Council elections on Monday. The party presidium met in the morning and the executive committee will meet in the afternoon. Party leader Andreas Babler will then make a statement. Some party members from the federal provinces had already commented on the election results and were not sparing with their criticism. However, the tone from Burgenland was rather unusual.

Governor Hans Peter Doskozil greeted the journalists who had arrived with the following words: "Today you will not get what you probably came here for." There would be no critical words and it was not the time to discuss personnel. Sunday's result must first be allowed to "sink in".

Andreas Babler achieved the worst result for the Social Democrats in the Second Republic.

(Bild: APA/FLORIAN WIESER)

Now is the time for analysis. However, as a "democrat, you have to acknowledge that the Freedom Party mobilized better". "They mobilized excellently", which is why the FPÖ should be congratulated "with a certain humility", Doskozil continued.

"Weakness of all other parties"
The governor emphasized that a "democratically elected" party that had won first place would be entitled to the presidency of the National Council. There was also a little self-criticism. The strength of the Blue Party was mainly a "weakness of all other parties" - including the SPÖ. Doskozil also interpreted the election result as a sign from the voters that politicians had forgotten humility. "For many, it has become a matter of course" that power is handed over by the people. It is often just about the offices.

"If the pressure on the ÖVP doesn't become too great ..."
According to his assessment, a coalition between the ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS seems possible if the pressure on the ÖVP to form a government with the FPÖ is not too great. However, Doskozil emphasized that the 21 percent and third place was "certainly not a mandate to govern" for the SPÖ. In his view, the opposition would be the right place to question power blocs and decision-making processes within the party.

With regard to the federal party leader, the red state leader remarked: "Andreas Babler is not a surprise package, we knew exactly what was coming a year or more ago." In future, it was important for the Social Democrats to move away from "exchanging voters with the Greens".