Vranitzky on FPÖ:

Doctrine no longer appropriate, but caution required

Former Chancellor Franz Vranitzky(Bild: APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)

Former Federal Chancellor Franz Vranitzky (SPÖ) believes that his own doctrine, which rules out cooperation with the FPÖ - at least at federal level - is no longer appropriate due to the different majority situation in the National Council. Nevertheless, he urges caution.

A brief look back at the history of the Second Republic: Vranitzky ended the then red-blue coalition after the change of FPÖ chairman in 1986 and from then on strictly ruled out cooperation with the then FPÖ leader Jörg Haider. However, he no longer considers the so-called Vranitzky doctrine to be applicable today because the majority situation is different today than it was in 1986, he explains in the APA interview. Back then, the SPÖ even had a constitutional majority with the ÖVP.

"Therein lies the key"
"You weren't forced to tinker with coalitions to get the 50 percent together," he says. When asked whether he is now in favor of the SPÖ working with the FPÖ, the 87-year-old explains: "It's not for me personally to decide, but I would be cautious in any case, (...) even if the initial situation from 1986 doesn't apply." The key is "to drive political work forward in such a way that you don't need such coalitions to get majorities".

In fact, the SPÖ is currently working on a three-party coalition with the ÖVP and the NEOS. The SPÖ grandee does not want to commit himself to the chances of success for the negotiators. He simply says: "I listen to the parties and they say they want to. They also say they can."

Vranitzky recommends that his party "face up to the new challenges", such as the digital revolution with the emergence of artificial intelligence and its impact on the world of work, as well as man-made climate change. "All of this presents us with the task of placing the social question at the center of our political thinking and action in light of these developments, not to say threats," he says.

"Fine-tuning" needed for migration policy
When it comes to the issue of migration, it is also necessary to "find a convincing way to ensure that our own population can follow this path" between various challenges such as labor shortages, an aging population, education and training. The SPÖ always refers to the Doskozil-Kaiser paper in this regard, "but it will certainly need some fine-tuning". The aforementioned paper contains the following demands, among others:

• Standardized asylum procedures throughout the EU
• Maximum duration of a procedure of three months
• Integration year for all immigrants
• No right to stay without grounds for asylum
• Procedure centers at the EU's external borders.

After the loss of the joint two-thirds majority in the 1994 election, there was speculation for the first time as to whether the Liberal Forum could be a third partner for the Red and Black parties in the government.