A few days before the ÖVP party conference on Saturday, the People’s Party has to look for two new ministers. Agriculture Minister Elisabeth Köstinger, who is also responsible for tourism, telecommunications and civil service, announced her resignation in the morning. The 43-year-old is withdrawing completely from politics and is to switch to the private sector. Köstinger did not give any details about her professional future at the press conference. It is not yet clear who will succeed her.
Schramböck also confirms his resignation
The departure of Economics and Digital Minister Margarete Schramböck has also been certain since Monday afternoon. Schramböck announced what was confirmed to OÖN from ÖVP circles on Monday afternoon via video message on their social media channels. In a speech lasting a good five minutes, she gave no reason for her resignation after around five years in politics, but praised extensively what had been achieved and referred to challenges in the future. She has never regretted the step of becoming Economics Minister and expressly thanked Sebastian Kurz. “My goal has always been to make the business location more attractive and to work for the people in this country in the best possible way. It was a pleasure for me to help shape the future of this great country,” says Schramböck. The declaration of withdrawal in the video:
With Schramböck’s expected resignation, it is considered certain that the Tyrolean state party around Governor Günther Platter will continue to insist on a government member from the western state. It was initially unclear whether this had to be the Ministry of Economic Affairs or whether it could also be the Ministry of Agriculture. Sometimes names such as Chamber of Agriculture President Josef Hechenberger or MEP Barbara Thaler are traded. However, the latter should tend to stay in Brussels for the time being. The selection of ministerial personnel should not be too large. And whether Platter will let someone from his government team move to Vienna shortly before next year’s state elections – such as Deputy Governor and Minister for Agriculture Josef Geisler – is more than questionable.
After a few unfortunate public appearances, Schramböck has long been considered a replacement candidate in the ÖVP team – but she has been in government since 2018 (with a short break). Most recently, Platter had only expressed reservations about Schramböck. Although he stated that she was doing “a dedicated job like all the other members of the government,” he also said that he was not entitled to make an assessment, “that should primarily be done by the Federal Chancellor.”
Succession “in the coming days”
Chancellor Karl Nehammer wants to clarify the successor to the resigned Minister of Agriculture Elisabeth Köstinger (both ÖVP) in the “coming days”, as he said in a statement. Speculations that Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner could succeed Köstinger were dismissed. “That was never an issue.” Tanner will remain Secretary of Defense, sources close to the minister said on request.
There was extensive speculation on Monday about further changes in the ÖVP. Minister of Labor Martin Kocher is likely to be upgraded in the course of the castling. It is being considered to transfer areas of the oversized Köstinger departments such as tourism or broadband expansion back to the economics department and link them to Kocher’s work agendas. The considerations even go so far that the ÖVP could do without a ministry in favor of another state secretary. Defense minister and farmer’s coordinator Klaudia Tanner and the Tyrolean Chamber of Agriculture President Josef Hechenberger are being traded as possible successors in the Ministry of Agriculture.
“The time was not yet ripe”
As Köstinger emphasized, it was already clear to her with the departure of Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) that the politics chapter would come to an end for her after 13 years. At that time the time was not yet ripe, “because a lot of things were not yet finished”. “Personally and politically, the last five years have been the most challenging, toughest, most exhausting, but also the most beautiful and fulfilling,” she said at a short-notice press conference at the Ministry of Agriculture.
Köstinger referred to several projects decided during her term of office, such as the national implementation of the EU agricultural policy from 2023 to 2027, the climate and energy strategy, the mandatory labeling of origin for food and the new water management plan. As the Minister responsible for agriculture and forestry, tourism, mining, telecommunications and community service, Köstinger thanked the individual sectors profusely.
As Minister of Agriculture, the politician had also fought a match with the retail groups in the past and called for a fair price policy towards farmers and processors. “I hope that things will not calm down for the boardrooms of retail groups,” said Köstinger.
Appeal to girls and women
Basically, she stated that women in the industry were often judged very harshly and underhandedly, as she found out herself. “This experience as a mother and as a top politician has shown me that women in top positions are particularly under observation.” On the other hand, you get a lot of support. “The great responsibility in a government function and the claim to be a good mom was often a very difficult balancing act,” said Köstinger. She also encouraged young women to take chances. “That’s my appeal to all girls and women in this country: don’t let yourself get down and go your own way, you can do anything if you want to.”
Köstinger was considered a close confidant of the former Chancellor Kurz. Under him, the former MEP rose to become Secretary General, short-term President of the National Council and finally Minister. “I would like to thank Sebastian Kurz in particular for the opportunity to change Austria on the basis of our common values,” said the outgoing Minister of Agriculture. She has been a member of the government since the end of 2017, with an interruption due to the expert cabinets. It is not yet clear who will succeed her. At today’s press conference, Köstinger thanked Kurz, Nehammer and their ÖVP government colleagues as well as the coalition partner and the opposition parties. “I am deeply grateful and connected to my party and always will be.”
Minister Elisabeth Köstinger says goodbye to politics:
Köstinger has recently lost a lot of support among the population, as the APA/OGM confidence index from March shows. Only 27 percent of those surveyed said they trusted the Minister of Agriculture, while 64 percent said they had no trust in her. With a negative trust balance of 37 percent, Köstinger took last place in the government’s trust ranking.
The 43-year-old’s resignation could also lead to a major government shift. According to reports, Economics Minister Margarete Schramböck is also about to jump.
Who follows Köstinger is open at the moment. It is expected that – following the tradition of the VP agriculture ministers – someone from the farmers’ association will take over the ministerial office. Insiders are quite surprised by the timing.
You can follow the political career of the Carinthian in the picture gallery:
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SPÖ and FPÖ for new elections
After Köstinger’s resignation, the opposition parties SPÖ and FPÖ called for new elections. Turquoise-green should clear the way for this, it said. Neos boss Beate Meinl-Reisinger, on the other hand, spoke out in favor of a major government reshuffle.
“Köstinger should take the other ministers with him right away and thus clear the way for new elections,” said Schnedlitz in a broadcast. The turquoise-green coalition has shown that it cannot govern and is “unsuitable for a crisis”. The deputy FPÖ club chairwoman Dagmar Belakowitsch made a similar statement at a press conference. What remains of Köstinger is that she had the federal gardens in Vienna closed during the Corona period. She did a lot of Vienna bashing and “she made it very difficult for the population”, “leaving dead city tourism” and under her food prices went through the roof – “she left chaos here”.
SPÖ vice-club boss Jörg Leichtfried described the federal government as a “place of chaos, instability, lack of planning and serious mistakes” – and this “in the middle of one of the most serious economic and political crises”. Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) and his deputy, Green leader Werner Kogler, should save Austria months with a struggling government and immediately clear the way for new elections, said Leichtfried. Turquoise-green is also over for SPÖ federal director Christian Deutsch.
In view of the resignation, Meinl-Reisinger demanded an end to “show politics, which lacks a lot of seriousness and depth,” at a press conference: “I hope that this is the start of a major government reshuffle.” In this context, Meinl-Reisinger referred in particular to Economics Minister Margarete Schramböck (ÖVP), who had been repeatedly asked to resign by the Neos. From Neos’ point of view, changes would also be appropriate in the departmental responsibilities.
Read the latest developments in the live blog:
Source: Nachrichten
