"Zuckerl" row

NEOS negotiator dupes SPÖ leader Andreas Babler

Andreas Babler is dealing with attacks from SPÖ rebel Rudi Fußi within the party.

(Bild: APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER)

The coalition negotiations between the ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS have come to a serious standstill. There are said to be disagreements on all sides. A NEOS negotiator is now adding fuel to the fire.

At the beginning of the week, the Pinks accused their potential government partners of "very old politics". The reason for this was the composition of the negotiating team in the "Media" group. The ÖVP and SPÖ also included Gregor Schütze and Heinz Lederer, members of the ORF foundation board. The public scolding was reportedly less well received.

Schellhorn "disappointed and a little angry"
The pink mandatary Josef "Sepp" Schellhorn was "disappointed and a little angry" on Tuesday due to the salary increase for civil servants - as was the rest of the party. "Some in the SPÖ and ÖVP have not understood what is at stake," said high-ranking NEOS representatives. The Pinken felt ignored after the surprising announcement and demanded a clarifying discussion.

Crisis meeting in the afternoon
This is said to have taken place on Wednesday afternoon and the negotiations were not affected by the disputes. Interim results are to be presented in mid-December. It is still too early for initial agreements to be reached in one of the seven clusters, each of which consists of four to five subgroups. However, all three parties emphasized that progress is being made.

But behind the scenes there is likely to be rumbling, and the internal SPÖ drama between Andreas Babler and party rebel Rudi Fußi is now also being discussed. In the big "Krone" interview [+], the SPÖ leader spoke out in favor of restraint: "I am in favor of all three parties being careful with their choice of words." This may not have gone down well with everyone.

Officials in Löwelstraße are increasingly annoyed by the issue. Fußi accused the SPÖ of distributing his health data to editorial offices, which the Social Democrats rejected as "unfounded". The party is now considering legal action. Meanwhile, the PR consultant decided to go public with his own private information.

The life confession of Rudi Fußi
In a remarkable press conference on Wednesday, he gave a kind of life confession. A small excerpt: Fußi had severe rheumatism and therefore smoked ten to 15 joints a day - "because of the pain". He had adult-onset ADHD, but was now taking life-changing medication. His ongoing drug use had recently led him to "cannabis-induced hang-ups".

In between, he also spoke about content. Fußi once again sharply distanced himself from the course of the federal party and made surprising demands for a Social Democrat, such as a reduction in corporation tax. He also wants a "restrictive migration policy" with an upper limit of 5,000 asylum applications per year.

Schellhorn takes a liking to SPÖ rebel
This apparently also went down well with parts of the pink "Zuckerl" faction. NEOS negotiator Schellhorn tweeted on Wednesday: "Rudi Fußi is right about a lot of things, you just have to say that." In a few words, he mocked Babler and the SPÖ. Fußi replied to Schellhorn's post: "Thank you, my friend!" This is likely to further complicate the negotiations.

ÖVP representatives were not overly confident that the "sweetener" would lead to success. "We don't really know whether it will work or not," said Upper Austrian Governor Thomas Stelzer recently. Chancellor Karl Nehammer sees the chances at "50 to 50".