SPÖ leadership targeted

Next Fußi attack: Red List with new heads

The SPÖ leadership is currently negotiating a possible government participation. However, if Rudi Fußi has his way, the Social Democrats will need new heads in the negotiating team.

(Bild: APA Pool/APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)

PR consultant Rudi Fußi, who would like to replace Andreas Babler as the red party leader, is once again launching new attacks against the SPÖ leadership. In a press release, the political rebel calls for new heads in the current negotiating team for a possible government with the ÖVP and even names them.

Sandra Breiteneder, for example, is on Fußi's hit list.

"She lacks the necessary experience for this major task and should therefore be replaced with respect," the activist emphasizes in the press release.

On Fußi's hit list: SPÖ federal managing director Sandra Breitender

(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

Fußi wants a red team of four
The 46-year-old is specifically calling for a team of four to steer the fortunes of the red negotiating team in future. According to political insiders, however, some of those involved are not at all happy about being publicly referred to as "Team Fußi", especially as they hold important positions within the party and are in regular contact with Babler. 

In this delicate phase, the best minds in the party and the country are needed.

Rudolf Fußi

If Fußi has his way, Club Director Joachim Preiss and Club Secretary Christopher Berka will be responsible for coordinating the government negotiations in future. "Preiss has decades of experience and knows the party and club as well as government negotiations from the ground up and is therefore highly qualified," praises Fußi.

Joachim Preiss

(Bild: AK Niederösterreich)

Berka is a financial expert, once headed the cabinet of former Chancellor Christian Kern and is currently head of the economic policy department within the SPÖ.

Berka was Kern's head of cabinet and, according to Rudi Fußi, is now to negotiate the coalition pact with the ÖVP.

(Bild: UNBEKANNT / APA / picturedesk.com)

Controversial governor's son
According to Fußi, Luca Kaiser (son of Carinthian governor Peter Kaiser) should take over the political-strategic support. However, the 30-year-old's track record is still rather poor. He is currently the spokesperson for club chairman Philip Kucher and was previously press spokesperson for the parliamentary club, where he also worked for Kucher. He has occasionally made negative headlines in the media. In 2018, for example, he referred to Austria as a "Nazion". His candidacy in the 2019 EU elections also made waves.

However, Fußi thinks highly of the Carinthian: "He has already proven in the past that he would easily be up to the task thanks to his comprehensive expertise, calmness and passion for social democracy."

Luca Kaiser

(Bild: Eggenberger Gert)

Sigrid Rosenberger will be responsible for coordinating the communication of the negotiations as well as the external voice in "Team Fußi". The experienced and well-connected communications expert moved from the parliamentary club to the federal office in March and took on the role of campaign spokesperson for the EU election campaign and press spokesperson for lead candidate Andreas Schieder.

"She is the most experienced communicator in the party and has been serving the party and thus the good cause for decades," says Fußi, who would also like to include the aforementioned people in his team should he win a possible battle with Andreas Babler for the SPÖ chairmanship. 

Fußi's list of criteria for SPÖ expert teams
In terms of government negotiations, Fußi is also calling for teams of five experts to be selected on the basis of a list of criteria. For example, they must not pursue any personal interests or agendas. Fußi: "People with party affiliations are not excluded, regardless of the party, because it's about expertise and nothing else. Pure party speech experts should not be consulted, as they would not be helpful in solving our problems due to their tunnel vision and ideological blindness."

I recommend these changes. This also means that this will be my team and my approach if the members of the party elect me as chairman and I take over the government negotiations.

Rudi Fußi

Fußi vs. SPÖ leadership: dispute could end up in court
The SPÖ has not yet commented on Fußi's new attacks on the federal party and the negotiators he has called for. However, the next internal dispute is guaranteed. If only because, according to the "Kurier", Fußi is said to have already collected 10,000 of the 14,000 declarations of support required for a candidacy. The SPÖ federal management contradicts Fußi's claims, which is why the rebel is even considering a lawsuit against the party.