After the SP in the morning, the Greens came to talk to the VP in the country house at noon. Country spokesman Stefan Kaineder then praised the “pleasant, good discussions” and was optimistic, if not euphoric. LH Thomas Stelzer (VP) was much more cautious and emphasized that a “stable majority” was important to him – black-green would, however, only barely be secured.
“A common image” for Upper Austria
In advance, Kaineder had said that he wanted to negotiate a “future government” and that “like Upper Austria could become a cosmopolitan, modern and, above all, climate-friendly country”. They talked about several topics and considered whether there was “a common image” for Upper Austria, he said after the conversation. The question of whether this had been found remained open: “We will see.” The Greens had already ruled together with the VP for twelve years until 2015, but after that this constellation no longer worked out. Kaineder expects to get a call from the VP on Monday, but ultimately the People’s Party will decide with whom to enter into coalition negotiations. The environmental and climate agendas apparently want to keep the Greens, as expected – and regardless of the coalition question. In a proportional government, everyone would contribute their strengths and climate protection would be that of the Greens, said Kaineder.
Before and after the exploratory round, Stelzer emphasized that he wanted a “stable majority for the next six years”. “When we put together a program, we want to implement it in a stable manner”. VP and Grne together have 29 seats in the 56-seat state parliament. With the FP, the People’s Party would no longer have a two-thirds majority as it did last time, but with 33 mandates, the majority would be better protected.
SP chief praised “pleasant discussion base”
Previously, VP and SP had advised. SP boss Birgit Gerstorfer only praised the “pleasant basis for discussion”, but otherwise did not elicit any details. Even if the SP has definitely not withdrawn from the race for government cooperation – they want to “take responsibility”, according to Gerstorfer – this variant is considered less likely than black and blue or black and green. However, Stelzer also said: “I don’t commit myself to anything and I don’t rule anything out.” However, the LH indicated that the SP’s chances of getting the second seat it wanted in the nine-part proportional government should be very slim.
The exploratory rounds that began on Wednesday with the previous government partner FP and continued on Thursday with the SP and the Greens will be followed in the evening by “getting to know” the MFG and on Friday by the NEOS. However, no majority is possible with the latter two.
So far, the best coalition chances have generally been attributed to the FP. However, there are already headwinds from within the VP: As the “O. Nachrichten” reported in its Thursday edition, several black mayors are mobilizing against black and blue. When asked about this, Stelzer said: All opinions in the party were taken into account, but: “There is no decision that everyone likes 100 percent.” With whom the VP then actually enters into coalition talks, you will probably know on Monday, when the VP national party executive meets.
