Image: APA (APA/APA)
Pamela Rendi-Wagner as well as Hans Peter Doskozil and Andreas Babler have been able to attract more or less well-known supporters in the past few days. The incumbent has strong establishment and female support, with the other two candidates struggling to be seen as grass-roots candidates.
Prominent women for Rendi-Wagner
The team around Rendi-Wagner clearly plays the women’s joker. The target of 30 declarations of support was exceeded with 100 female members. Although it was emphasized that sympathies were expressed from all areas of female social democracy, the high number of prominent women stands out. These include the second President of the National Council Doris Bures, representatives of Vienna, Eva Maria Holzleitner, for example, representatives of the women’s organization, and AK President Renate Anderl, political heavyweights from the trade union.
There are also party legends such as the former Siemens boss and state secretary Brigitte Ederer and ex-minister Hilde Hawlicek as well as Margit Fischer, wife of the former Federal President. The supporters include a total of seven female MPs from the National Council Club, which has 18 women.
But Doskozil also has his supporters in the group. It almost goes without saying that it begins with the two Burgenland MPs Maximilian Köllner and Christian Drobits. In addition, the Lower Austrians Petra Tanzler and Melanie Erasim have come out as supporters. Most recently, the former federal manager Max Lercher joined them, who will probably play a more important role in the party if Doskozil wins.
Kern presumably for Doskozil
Former Chancellor Christian Kern has not declared himself, but various statements in interviews suggest that he is on the Burgenland boat. Doskozil can also look forward to other former party leaders in his camp. Ex-Interior Minister Karl Schlögl excelled in particular. But the long-time club boss Josef Cap also expressed sympathy for the governor. Some mayors from larger Styrian cities such as Leoben and Knittelfeld positioned themselves even more clearly for him. State organizations that are close to Doskozil, but are publicly reticent, are Lower Austria and Salzburg.
This is understood above all by the Lower Austrians, as there is also a candidate from their federal state in the middle of the race. The mayor of Traiskirchen, Babler, was always sold as a grassroots man and now sells himself as such in his own right. In this respect, he does not look so much at prominent supporters. One then came of his own accord at the weekend with the mayor of Bregenz, Michael Ritsch. Of course, thanks to his wife in Vorarlberg, Babeler has closer ties to the country anyway. Of course, that doesn’t change the fact that the state chairwoman there, Gabriele Sprickler-Falschlunger, supports Rendi-Wagner. The only Vorarlberg member of the National Council, Reinhold Einwallner, thinks that something has to change at the top, but doesn’t say what.
Babler is also popular in Vienna
The mayor of Traiskirchen also has fans in Vienna, an event organized by the Ottakringer Social Democrats with him was recently overrun. It was no coincidence that a visit to Traiskirchen from Burgenland was posted on Instagram by the local Hirm party, the delegation led by former Federal Council President Inge Posch-Gruska, who of course supported Rendi-Wagner by declaration.
When Babler announced his candidacy, Julia Herr, Member of the National Council, and Elisabeth Mayr, City Councilor of Innsbruck, gave “I likes” as well as Jürgen Czernohorszky, City Councilor of Vienna. These are not public statements of support, but at least expressions of sympathy. One person openly supported the mayor, namely the Innsbruck city party chairman Benjamin Plach.
Overall, however, there is a lot of reluctance in the party to come out – such confessions could turn out to be strategically unfavorable in the event of a defeat of one’s own favorite. Nevertheless, one or the other will probably make their voting behavior known, the closer the survey gets.
Source: Nachrichten
