You have to give Gerald Grosz one thing, he’s trained in rhetoric and there isn’t a topic that the former BZÖ politician can’t think of a saying or quote about. Be it the ORF’s contribution to his person – “One recognizes the intention and turns away” – to the question of whether his provocative appearance fits the understanding of office of a Federal President – “The habit makes the monk” – or advice on how to Politics stays clean – “Bua, never grab”. Herbert Haupt, former FPÖ and BZÖ politician, is said to have said the latter to him.
The fact that Grosz boasted verbosely that, unlike some former party colleagues, he had never been suspected of corruption made moderator Martin Thür chuckle happily. Because that’s exactly what his next question was about. In 2010, the BZÖ received a EUR 60,000 contribution towards printing costs for the party newspaper from Novomatic. It was Grosz himself who forwarded the bill. There had never been any recognizable consideration, such as an advertisement. That’s when Grosz, who otherwise argued so confidently, faltered for a moment. It was a contribution to printing costs, there were no advertisements in return, and it was not a donation either. In addition, he, Grosz, only found out three years later that the 60,000 euros had come from the gaming group. “They accept 60,000 euros, although you don’t know who they come from,” Thür asked in disbelief the question that probably went through the minds of many viewers at the time.
The goal is the runoff
The fact that he differs little from a number of other candidates for the Federal President is not a problem on the one hand and not true on the other, according to Grosz. Although other competitors have also announced that they will dismiss the federal government, he is the only one who has “obliged himself to do so by notarial deed”. In any case, his competitors are not Walter Rosenkranz, Tassilo Wallentin or Michael Brunner, but the incumbent: “I want to rub myself against Alexander Van der Bellen.”
Finally, the interviewer referred to the result of the 2012 local council elections. The BZÖ achieved 1.3 percent and Grosz himself said at the time: “A local council election is a personality election and I have to acknowledge that Gerald Grosz is not wanted as a person.” And his goals now, in the presidential election? After all, to a much greater extent, a choice of personality? 14 years have passed since then, the conditions are different, explained Grosz. His goal, therefore: Reaching the runoff.
Source: Nachrichten
