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NEOS: Now a rejection of veteran Matthias Strolz after all

(Bild: GEORG HOCHMUTH / APA / picturedesk.com)

Matthias Strolz will not be making a political comeback for the time being. As the "Krone" has learned, there has already been an internal party rejection of the wing of the Pinks that would have liked to see Strolz as Minister of Education. Vienna's Pinker Christoph Wiederkehr is likely to take over the job. 

It was only a short dream. Following negative signals from party leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger, Mathias Strolz has given up his ambitions to become Minister of Education. Quite a few in the party had urged Strolz to show his hand.

Two ministerial posts for the NEOS
The NEOS are to fill two ministerial posts and one state secretariat in the future three-party coalition: Alongside Meinl-Reisinger and Sepp Schellhorn, who has been earmarked as state secretary, Strolz is considered the best-known and most popular NEOS politician, despite all his egocentric appearances.

In view of the failure of the sister party FDP in Germany and the two-thirds majority required to participate in government at a general meeting on Sunday, Strolz could hardly be dispensed with, especially as his expertise in education issues is unimpeachable, according to the party.

No one else in Austria is as closely associated with education as Strolz. His change would also have solved a serious personnel problem for the NEOS: Vienna's NEOS leader and Deputy Mayor Christoph Wiederkehr was and is now once again planned as Minister of Education. However, last Saturday he was elected by the Vienna state party with a large majority as the top candidate for the municipal elections in a few weeks' time.

An abrupt change to the government in a few days would upset or even jeopardize the election campaign of the most important NEOS state party. Wiederkehr is being postered all over Vienna. A continuation of the coalition with the SPÖ depends not least on the personal axis of trust with Mayor Michael Ludwig, who is counting on Wiederkehr as a partner.

Where there are still problems between NEOS and ÖVP/SPÖ
The canceled Strolz election is not the only problem on the way to the necessary two-thirds majority of the NEOS base: a pension reform is still being negotiated, which for the NEOS deserves the name, i.e. a gradual alignment of the retirement age with increasing life expectancy.

NEOS leader Beate Meindl-Reisinger is currently still in government negotiations with the ÖVP and SPÖ, but they have already agreed on many key points - as we reported.

One of the best-known political minds
Strolz is considered one of the best-known and most passionate political minds in the country. In 2012, he founded the new party NEOS (Das Neue Österreich) with other dissatisfied former ÖVP members and many liberal free spirits. Miraculously, he made it into the National Council a year later. In terms of content, he focused on education and more transparency in politics.

Best-of video: Matthias Strolz's political appearances 

Five years and another election later, he handed over to Beate Meinl-Reisinger. He repeatedly flirted with a return, but ultimately ruled it out after he left the party shortly before the National Council elections due to disagreements with Meinl-Reisinger.