The member survey ends today: what it has brought to the SPÖ so far

The SP member survey ends today: Since April 24, the 148,000 SP members have been able to decide on the SP chairmanship by post or online. Possibilities are incumbent Pamela Rendi-Wagner, Burgenland’s governor Hans Peter Doskozil, Traiskirchen’s mayor Andreas Babler and the nameless “None of all” option on the ballot.

High turnout

“In terms of mood, I assume that the participation is higher than in the last member survey,” said SP federal manager Christian Deutsch in the OÖN interview. At that time, 42 percent of the comrades took part.

Deutsch cannot provide any information about the return so far, he simply does not know. The letters would go directly to the Dataform company. There they would be packed in a carton, which would be sealed. The company ITZ receives online answers for evaluation.

There are a lot of rumors at the moment. The federal office is said to have already commissioned a survey to find out who is ahead in the race. Deutsch denies this, it would probably also be difficult to implement. The rumor that there is a risk of manipulation by the electoral commission also persists. Apparently, it should be built in case of a defeat.

In any case, the outcome of the race is open. The electoral commission will meet on May 22, and the result should be presented in the late afternoon. On May 23, the SP presidium and board meet.

More discussion and members

Nevertheless, some conclusions can already be drawn. The member survey led to SP topics being discussed again: Whether it was reducing working hours, the minimum wage or combating inflation – the focus was again on the red concepts. 10,500 new members joined the party in April to have a say. Deutsch reports that applications continue to pour in. Many of the new memberships are likely to be attributed to Babler. Internally, he is credited with creating a spirit of optimism. Babler has attended 60 party events in the last few weeks, and he was able to increase his profile through his candidacy.

offer to the competition

Yesterday MP Max Lercher tried to mobilize again for Doskozil. With him, the “biggest voter return campaign that has ever existed in social democracy” will start, he said. It is rumored that if he wins, Doskozil could make an offer to Babler to work with him.

In the past few weeks, Doskozil has received a lot of support from countries that apparently did not feel sufficiently involved by Rendi-Wagner. However, the fact that he was not ready for a hearing is held against him. In a federal election campaign, TV duels have to be contested almost every day in the final.

Rendi-Wagner, in turn, decided not to tour the countries. She received the support of the party grandees, who demanded loyalty to the incumbent leader. Her themes were Doskozil’s cross shots and her predecessor Christian Kern’s weakness of character. Should she win, Rendi-Wagner wants the party to be united. Doskozil is to return to the committees, and a second federal director is to be installed.

The final decision will be made by the 600 delegates at the special party conference on June 3 in Linz. Rendi-Wagner and Doskozil will only run for the presidency if they come first in the member poll. Babeler wants to face a runoff. If Doskozil is only just ahead, it cannot be ruled out that Babler will nevertheless be elected by the majority at a party conference. The Viennese SP delegates in particular would find it difficult to support Doskozil.