Coalition poker now

Red mayors push for talks with FPÖ

The Upper Styrian SPÖ mayors Stefan Hofer, Kurt Wallner and Harald Bergmann.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Christian Jauschowetz, Marktgemeinde Turnau)

The coalition poker has begun: At 3 p.m., the party executive committee begins in Graz's Metahofgasse. Anton Lang is to be officially commissioned to conduct exploratory talks. However, some mayors are already exerting pressure in advance: a coalition with the FPÖ must not be ruled out!  

The Gösser-Bräu in Graz turned into a small "party headquarters" for the Reds on Sunday. After the projections and when the media representatives had disappeared again, the comrades openly discussed the future of the party. "It can't go on like this," was the unanimous tenor. ÖGB leader Horst Schachner had already announced that he wanted to talk straight to the party executive.

That night and Monday morning, before the committee met in the Metahofgase in Graz, there were hectic phone calls between some mayors and functionaries. They pondered: Should heads roll? Do we need a new chairman?

Long faces at the SPÖ election party on Sunday.

(Bild: Jürgen Fuchs)

The eloquent mayor of Knittelfeld, Harald Bergmann, told the "Krone" newspaper: "In the long term, we will certainly need a change in personnel." But only in the long term.

Lang remains at the top
And so a unanimous opinion emerged relatively quickly: Anton Lang should remain at the top. Because even if the red state vice-chairman achieves the worst result in the history of the SPÖ, he could still emerge victorious. If he negotiates a two-party coalition with Mario Kunasek and thus keeps the Reds in government.

The mayor of Knittelfeld, Harald Bergmann (SPÖ)

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

SPÖ local leaders push for blue-red
 "The local leaders in particular, who have to win the municipal council elections next spring, are pushing for participation in the government," says a comrade. This would mean that Lang would continue to allocate funds to the red municipalities - and the mayors could promise the population new building projects or kindergarten groups during the election campaign. Stefan Hofer, successful mayor of Turnau, says in an interview with "Krone": "I would be open to all discussions."

 "We could work together with the FPÖ in Styria"
Leoben's mayor Kurt Wallner is even clearer: "We now have three options. One is to form a coalition with the losing ÖVP party, which was clearly voted out of office, and a minor party. The second would be to go into opposition, which is bad for strategic reasons. And the third would be to form a coalition with the Freedom Party."

 In his view, the SPÖ could work together with the FPÖ in Styria, because "personal discussions have shown that the Freedom Party can act pragmatically."