With the ceremony in the Vienna Hofburg, the transfer of office from ex-governor Günther Platter to Mattle is now complete. Van der Bellen was convinced that Mattle could “tackle” challenges such as the climate crisis or inflation.
The 59-year-old former provincial councilor and ÖVP chairman Mattle succeeds Platter, who ruled Tyrol for more than 14 years. In addition to his family, Platter also came to Vienna on Thursday and attended the swearing-in ceremony in the Hofburg.
It can be read from Mattle’s previous interviews “very well that you are about getting things done,” said Van der Bellen during his speech in the Maria Theresa Room in the President’s Chancellery. The head of state referred to the numerous previous activities of the freshly crowned governor.
This ability to “tackle” is also important in view of the numerous current challenges, according to Van der Bellen. The Federal President particularly emphasized the topics of climate change, the corona pandemic and inflation. But he also addressed the dwindling trust in politics: “I take that seriously, because democracy can only work if parties act with integrity and handle the trust they have been given with care.”
The greatest concern, however, is the climate crisis, according to the former leader of the Greens. In October it is now ten degrees Celsius above the long-term average. “I am very happy that young people, young people, are interested in this topic because they have specifically recognized that their future is at stake.” The attitude shouldn’t be “We’ve already done so much anyway” but “What else can we do?” This could be more solar energy or “one more wind turbine” – or the modernization of existing infrastructure, said Van der Bellen.
The Federal President also addressed the issue of accommodating refugees in the individual federal states. “Since 1945, when I ended up in the Kaunertal as a baby, I have personally experienced Tyrol as a hospitable country where I was given a home in the truest sense,” he referred to his own migration background.
Most of these problems can only be solved together. “I wish you all the best for this responsible job,” said Van der Bellen, who was convinced that Mattle would bring the best prerequisites for it.
The new Tyrolean state parliament had been constituted in the Innsbruck country house on the previous Tuesday – four weeks after the state elections. The focus was on the election and swearing in of the new black-red state government under Mattle and his first deputy, SPÖ leader Georg Dornauer. In the state elections on September 25, the ÖVP suffered a serious defeat: it lost more than nine percentage points and ended up with almost 35 percent. However, a partially predicted complete crash of less than 30 percent did not materialize. The SPÖ gained only slightly and lost second place to the FPÖ.
Source: Nachrichten
