But remains in the state parliament

Hunting affair: playing for time or resigning?

Huge media interest at the press conference in Innsbruck.

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof)

There have been increasing signs of his resignation over the past few hours - now it's clear: Tyrol's deputy governor and SPÖ leader Georg Dornauer is stepping down after the inglorious hunting trip with bankrupt René Benko - but not for good. He is merely stepping aside - the 41-year-old will remain in the Tyrolean parliament as a "normal" member of parliament.

It was emblematic: one crisis meeting followed the next over the last few days. Behind closed doors, heads were spinning and the Tyrolean Social Democrats failed to adopt a clear position - in contrast to their comrades in Innsbruck, who had already called for the resignation of the regional party leader on Tuesday. Dornauer himself has been on the back burner of late.

Dornauer appeared before the press for the first time on Wednesday.

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof)

"I'm not resigning, but I'm stepping aside"
He appeared before the media late Wednesday morning - confidently, as you know him: resign? No! But a resignation as deputy governor and provincial party chairman of the Tyrolean SPÖ. "I'm not stepping down, but I'm stepping aside," Dornauer emphasized in the press statement.

I was just accompanying a friend on a hunting trip to Styria.

Georg Dornauer

Dornauer will sit as a "normal" member of the Tyrolean parliament in future. His successor in the state and party will be Philip Wohlgemuth, head of the Tyrolean Trade Union Federation. The handover is due to take place on December 18.

Philip Wohlgemuth is to become provincial party leader of the Tyrolean SPÖ.

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof)

"No breach of the law, no damage"
Dornauer emphasized: "Despite all the skewed optics: I only accompanied a friend on a hunting trip to Styria." The fact that René Benko was also there did not mean that he was behind him, Dornauer said. "It in no way means that I approve of or even support his business practices."

"There has been no breach of the law, there has been no damage and I have not accepted any invitation," Dornauer continued.

There has been no breach of the law, there has been no damage and I have not accepted any invitation.

Georg Dornauer zur „Jagd-Affäre“

Pressure from the federal party leadership downwards
Accordingly, the 41-year-old would not actually have seen any reason to resign. "However, others in the party see it differently, although not everyone". However, he accepts this current majority mood. "Dornauer knows what he has to do," said SPÖ federal party leader Andreas Babler on Tuesday. Carinthia's red state premier Peter Kaiser echoed the same sentiment: "I am convinced that if he looks inside himself, he will know what he has to do."

A photo of a hunting trip in Styria with bankrupt René Benko and a Tyrolean hotelier friend, which was made available to the "Krone", put Dornauer under considerable pressure at the beginning of the week.

After Gusenbauer, Dornauer is the next red man in the Benko maelstrom
Dornauer is one more politician whose closeness to René Benko did not go down well. Anyone who touches the Signa bankrupt, who constantly sought proximity to politics, is swept away: Alfred Gusenbauer, Benko's companion who developed into a turbo-capitalist, as well as former Signa supervisory board member Susanne Reiss-Hahn, NEOS supporter Hans Peter Haselsteiner and ultimately even Sebastian Kurz.

Only for Benko himself do his machinations appear to have no significant consequences. It will therefore be interesting to see with whom he next joins in the merry jamboree. Perhaps Sigi Wolf, who publicly swore friendship to his comrades at the Jägerball ...

Affidavits, list of signatures
Dornauer, who is known to be subject to a weapons ban, has since affirmed that he did not shoot and that the hat he was wearing, which identifies him as the shooter due to the "loot break", was not his. "It's not my hat," he said. The hotelier friend confirmed that he had shot himself and that the shooting report would prove it. The hunting guide in the hunting ground also testified to this. Affidavits have also been available to the "Krone" since Tuesday.

 "Inappropriate escapades and stupidities"
Dornauer's coalition partner, state governor Anton Mattle (ÖVP), was furious about the developments of the last few days - he is said to have spoken out loudly, which is unusual for him. He had previously called on the SPÖ to take a clear stance on Dornauer. In any case, he spoke of "inappropriate escapades and stupidities" with regard to Dornauer's behavior, but there were no calls for his resignation or any pressure to do so. In the event of an actual breach of the weapons ban imposed on Dornauer, however, a "red line" would have been crossed, it was said.

Mattle announces statement
On Wednesday, Mattle's office told the "Tiroler Krone" that they had accepted Georg Dornauer's resignation as deputy governor on Tuesday evening: "The governor is concerned with stability for Tyrol and a government that works for the people." The Tyrolean People's Party executive committee was therefore convened immediately on Wednesday, after which the governor will issue a statement.