"Krone" elephant round

TV duel with Doskozil and Hofer in Burgenland style

Will Hans Peter Doskozil (SPÖ) remain governor of Burgenland? Norbert Hofer (FPÖ) would like to knock him off the throne.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Imre Antal (2))

Migration, debt, care, federal politics - a few days before the regional elections in Burgenland, the six leading candidates faced each other in a TV duel on "Krone" and PULS24. You can watch the video above.

Burgenland, the sunny side of Austria - the promising image of the Pannonian vacation paradise painted by tourism advertising did not quite hold up in the TV confrontation between the leading candidates for the regional elections on Sunday. The general mood among the six rivals was almost hospitable as they greeted each other in the Puls4 studio in Vienna.

However, in the wake of the elephant round, the opposition parties cast gloomy clouds over the red "pachyderm", Governor Hans Peter Doskozil, and his SPÖ all-party government.

Will Hans Peter Doskozil (SPÖ) remain governor of Burgenland? Norbert Hofer (FPÖ) would like to oust him from the throne.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Imre Antal (2))

"Loose practice"
FPÖ parliamentarian Norbert Hofer attacked him directly on the central issue of migration. "As if they had been beamed down to earth from the spaceship Enterprise, State Police Director Doskozil allowed 180,000 refugees to march across the border in Nickelsdorf. This loose practice cost 150 million euros a month for care in Germany and Austria." That was in the summer of 2015. "Hungary brought the refugees to the Austrian border back then, that was a fact. Later, I experienced an FPÖ Interior Minister Herbert Kickl, who did not deport the refugees either," Doskozil countered.

Schneider (NEOS), Doskozil (SPÖ), Haider-Wallner (Greens), Hofer (FPÖ), Sagartz (ÖVP) and Molnár (Liste Hausverstand) engaged in a tough exchange of blows with a touch of Burgenland charm. Herrmann ("Krone") and Milborn (PULS24) in the middle.

(Bild: Antal Imre)

Humanity and order
His conclusion in the epilogue: "Hungary doesn't care about the European system and contradicts the basic rules of the EU." Anja Haider-Wallner from the Green Party spoke up with the comment "Humanity is needed, but also order". Compulsory work for migrants should also not be an incentive for social hammocking, the entrepreneur clarified.

Fuss about blue-black
A brief turn to federal politics: Doskozil expressed his satisfaction with the Social Democrats' withdrawal from the coalition negotiations. "It took the federal government three months to verify the budget deficit and now it has only taken Blue-Black three days to put together a budget. What is happening here is no longer real", Burgenland's SPÖ leader lashed out.

Doskozil is a fighter. Nevertheless, things have to change now. Regardless of the outcome, I will stay in Burgenland and will not run in the next presidential election.

Norbert Hofer, FPÖ

However, the fear that the FPÖ and ÖVP could also form a coalition at state level hangs over him like a sword of Damocles if he fails to achieve the almost 50 percent of the last election in 2020 and thus loses the majority in the state parliament. The possible blue-black move is no longer a secret. "Hofer had already announced this," Doskozil noted.

This "no" was not for Doskozil's re-election to the political leadership of Burgenland, but for some questions in front of the TV camera.

(Bild: Antal Imre)

Mayor Andreas Rabl from Wels kept his fingers crossed for Hofer.

(Bild: Antal Imre)

Criticism of debts
In response, the FPÖ top candidate promptly hit out at the "debt and purchasing policy of the SPÖ". Hofer no longer wants to let the state holding company with its many holdings get away with it. "Today's debts are tomorrow's taxes. This must change now," emphasized the Freedom Party politician. ÖVP state chairman Christian Sagartz agreed with him. He described the holding company as "bloated". "Why were 200,000 champagne bottles bought from an ailing company? Why was a company for wedding planners supported? There are no criteria in this economic policy," denounced Sagartz. Criticism of excessive spending was also voiced on the subject of "care".

Please, stick to the truth! Even though our work is always criticized, with the Chamber of Commerce there will soon be a limited liability company to attract companies to the country and create jobs.

Hans Peter Doskozil, SPÖ

Doskozil asked all opponents to "please stick to the truth!" Despite all the harshness in sunny political Burgenland, the comment by "Krone" editor-in-chief Klaus Herrmann, who led the confrontation with PULS24 info boss Corinna Milborn, was spot on: "The defending champion is smiling and can obviously choose his partner."