673 votes were cast at the extraordinary party congress, 585 of which voted for Kickl. If Kickl measures himself against his predecessor Heinz-Christian Strache, he is well below his results. In his last election in 2017, the long-term party leader, who stumbled across the Ibiza video, received 98.7 percent approval. Hofer achieved almost as much in 2019, namely 98.3 percent.
Kickl also proposed a new federal deputy chairman for the Freedom Party. Udo Landbauer, Lower Austria’s regional party leader, was elected by the delegates with only one vote against. Overall, the party conference lasted until 4 p.m. In the coming year, however, there will be another one in which further open points are to be resolved.
Hofer was conciliatory at parting. Criticism of Kickl was also loud at the party congress. The new chairman, who sees himself in the tradition of Jörg Haider, showed understanding, but gave the direction of the thrust: “Also on the right.”
The tradition in which Kickl sees itself was clearly evident at the party conference. “Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow. The freedom that we mean” was the motto of the party congress – based on Jörg Haider’s similar book “The freedom that I mean”. Accordingly, Kickl referred to the deceased FPÖ and later BZÖ chairman as his teacher.
Before Kickl’s election, one of Kickl’s opponents made no secret of his rejection in a speech: Karl Wurzer, deputy state party leader in Lower Austria, officially announced that he would vote against the new leadership. But there were boos from many delegates, which is why General Secretary Michael Schnedlitz first had to calm down. The free word is what distinguishes the FPÖ, he appealed to the plenary.
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Kickl also joined in his one and a half hour speech before his election. Discussion and criticism belonged to the FPÖ and were the icing on the cake – which was “always better than too sweet”. The Freedom Party is a living party. “I don’t want to be an administrator of the estate,” said Kickl. Regarding the openly expressed criticism of the party congress, he said that this always happens “out of a great spirit of togetherness”.
Kickl preferred to seek out confrontation one more time and naturally deal it out against all parties, especially against the “turquoise careerist baggage”. He described the top of the ÖVP as “turquoise Wimmerl on a black body”. But also the SPÖ, whose “last reasonably gifted” – Hans Peter Doskozil is meant – would have withdrawn into the Pannonian lowlands. The Greens, on the other hand, are downright “stoned” and “drunk” by power.
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“We don’t play for a draw”
Kickl openly sympathized with a new election and made it clear: “We don’t play for a draw. We go to the field to win”. In relation to his political views, Kickl made it clear that a lot of “what is now being denigrated as right-wing” is simply normal. Hofer, in turn, gave Kickl “special words of deference”, they agreed on the freedom to set up – and every now and then they could disagree on individual points.
In addition, Kickl Hofer presented as “a different caliber in the Hofburg” that it is now necessary, in view of the silence of Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen on many topics. He appealed to his predecessor to calm down and run again.
Kickl’s predecessor had once again shown conciliatory in his speech. In contrast to previous chairman changes in the FPÖ, he is now handing over the party leadership in friendship and strength, Hofer said in his speech and in the direction of his successor Kickl: “You have my vote, you have my support!” He himself, Hofer, brought the “ship” FPÖ – after its captain Heinz-Christian Strache “was washed off the bridge” – back to a safe harbor. Kickl will lead this out again.
Haimbuchner: “I will always give my opinion”
Kickl’s biggest internal critic, Upper Austria’s regional party chairman Manfred Haimbuchner, thanked Hofer for his honest friendship and made it immediately clear: “I will continue to express my opinion in the committees. Because if two people always agree, one is superfluous.” Nevertheless, he wished Kickl a lot of strength and said in the direction of the new chairman: “Dear Herbert, you will feel the solidarity. You will also feel the strength of my national group.”
more on the subject
The replacement of Hofer by Kickl did not meet with unanimous approval in the party, but there was not much public criticism. The Upper Austrian Manfred Haimbuchner had put himself behind Hofer in the struggle for the top, but in the election year he also had little interest in headlines about internal party disputes.
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