Image: HANS PUNZ (APA)
For ÖVP club boss August Wöginger, it is conceivable to also include free rental agreements, provided this is legally possible. “If it is possible, we will try to implement it,” said Wöginger in the APA interview. In light of the comeback rumors surrounding former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, Wöginger supported the current party leader.
“Yes, but it has to be clarified legally whether and how it is even possible for the legislature to intervene here with free rents,” said Wöginger in response to a corresponding question. “This is certainly only possible with a two-thirds majority in parliament.” The coalition will of course invite the opposition to discussions on this matter, but above all also on the legal text that is already in the House on rent control.
Wöginger referred to the package of measures against inflation, which also includes the rent cap, and the Chancellor’s announcement of more money to expand child care as part of the financial equalization negotiations. The fall season started “very, very actively.” The ÖVP parliamentary club also wants to discuss the priorities for the fall just before the first plenary session at a pilgrimage and club conference in St. Wolfgang that is not open to the media on September 18th and 19th.
Incentives for longer working hours
Another topic for Wöginger in the fall is incentives for longer working hours. A large working group presented on this topic in January seems to have disappeared into obscurity. “We have had repeated discussions about this in the last few months,” replied the ÖVP club boss. The aim of the People’s Party is to promote overtime more and to make pension insurance contributions easier for those who work beyond the statutory starting age. “I will try to get this going in the parliamentary autumn,” said Wöginger, still confident.
Nothing has been going well in the coalition for a long time, including filling various top positions from the Federal Competition Authority to the Federal Administrative Court. Wöginger assured that he and the Green Club leader Sigrid Maurer would “endeavour” to find a solution here “as quickly as possible”. Wöginger expressed his understanding for the sharp criticism from the judges’ association (“constitutional scandal”): “Of course you have to take this criticism seriously, there’s no question about it. On the other hand, it’s not the case that these institutions don’t work.” However, it is true that it cannot be a permanent situation that these positions are filled by deputies.
In any case, Wöginger maintains that the National Council election will take place as planned in September 2024 and not earlier. “From my point of view, we are working through this entire legislative period.”
“I’m not a moviegoer”
These days you can watch two films in the cinema about former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who will soon be on trial for making false statements in the Ibiza U-Committee. Wöginger was not at the premiere with a lot of turquoise celebrities because of an appointment at the Rieder Messe. He doesn’t seem to be planning a movie night either: “I’m not a moviegoer at all.”
Regarding the assumption that Kurz could initiate a political comeback with the friendly image film, Wöginger emphasized: “I have always worked very, very well with Sebastian Kurz. I also really appreciate him as a person and as a human being, but I can’t say anything about that.” In any case, Wöginger clearly answered the question of whether Kurz would be the better top candidate than Karl Nehammer given the ÖVP’s poor poll numbers for the current boss: “We have a party chairman who was elected with 100 percent. (…) Karl Nehammer is one , who works day and night for this country, stands up for the people. And therefore this question does not arise.”
In any case, the EU elections will take place in June. It has not yet been decided who will be the top candidate for the ÖVP. The lists would probably not be created until next year. When asked about Othmar Karas and his cross-shooting against the party line, Wöginger said that Karas was “a long-time member of the People’s Party” and had an “uncanny network.” Wöginger did not want to comment on the rumors that Karas could compete with her own list.
For Wöginger, a revision of the party program, which Economic Chamber President Harald Mahrer had called for in the “Presse”, is not an urgent matter. The last few years with the pandemic, war in Europe and rising prices have shown that, of course, we have to constantly adapt; no party program has been able to hold its own during this time. However, Wöginger recalled that the People’s Party is currently working on a “Future Plan for 2030”, where there will also be a lot of content-related announcements. “Of course it’s good if you revise a party program again after a certain period of time. But now we’re in the ‘Process 2030’. That’s now a priority.”
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Source: Nachrichten
