Meaningless, embarrassing, incomprehensible – this is how the opposition parties rate the recent appearance of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz in the Ibiza Committee.
However, the People’s Party sees no problem in the behavior of the head of government.
Neos constitution spokesman Nikolaus Scherak found on Friday that Kurz had deliberately talked for so long that the questioners (in addition to the Neos, the Greens ruling with the ÖVP were also affected) did not have a say. The behavior of committee chairman Wolfgang Sobotka was also “incomprehensible”. The President of the National Council did not intervene.
Neos faction leader Stephanie Krisper is also outraged by Kurz. She would have had a few more questions for him, but: “He talked a lot but said nothing.”
Scherak currently sees no other option than to extend the committee – and continues to hope for the Greens, since they too, as government partners, were mocked by the Chancellor when he was questioned.
The FPÖ is also angry after Kurz was questioned. “His appearance was unbeatable in terms of embarrassment,” says FP parliamentary group leader Christian Hafenecker. The Chancellor had set out to ridicule Parliament, ridicule the committee and deprive the opposition of their right to ask questions. “This Chancellor is a disgrace for this republic.” (Hafenecker)
“Keyword giver for short”
Even the Greens see the dignity of parliament being violated. The turquoise parliamentary group had become the key word for the chancellor in the committee, said parliamentary group leader Nina Tomaselli: “All of this is part of what we have seen from the ÖVP for weeks and months.” Namely, that control institutions like the judiciary and parliament are not treated with due respect.
The leader of the SPÖ faction in the investigative committee, Jan Krainer, is also angry. He speaks of time wasting by the turquoise parliamentary group and sees the responsibility with Sobotka, who has allowed all questions from the ranks of his own party.
Sobotka did not make use of the so-called “call to the matter”, i.e. insisting on specific information, from Kurz.
ÖVP parliamentary group leader Andreas Hanger cannot understand the criticism of all other parties. “Once the answer is too detailed, then the answer is too inadequate,” he says to the opposition. If there had been no “pointless rules of procedure debates”, triggered by Krainer, the questioning by all parliamentary groups would have “turned out to be easy”. (chk)
