There would be no ÖVP government participation without the current party leader, it was assured after the meeting in the Political Academy of the ÖVP in Vienna.
Tyrolean governor Günther Platter and parliamentary club chairman August Wöginger briefed the media representatives late in the evening about the course of today’s meeting – although no questions were answered after the press statement. The Chancellor was not present at the appearance.
“Tonight we had a good and detailed conversation with Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz,” said Platter. The provincial governors and provincial officers would stand 100 percent behind the chancellor, he protested. They won two elections with him and brought something forward in Austria. Accordingly, one wants to continue to take responsibility – especially where one is confronted with major challenges. In addition to coping with the corona pandemic, Platter also mentioned a “wave of refugees” that one will be confronted with.
Video: ÖVP sticks to Kurz
Club boss Wöginger complained that they have been confronted with “baseless accusations” since 2017. There had been many internal party discussions tonight, and six sub-organizations had clearly stated that the ÖVP was unanimously behind Kurz – and that the ÖVP would only be involved in government with the latter at the helm.
“We need stability in this country,” said Wöginger. They stand 100 percent behind the government agreement. At the same time, he played the ball on to the coalition partner. “It is up to the Greens what happens in this country. Our hand is outstretched.” The Greens are now faced with the decision whether they want to govern with the ÖVP boss or with FPÖ chairman Herbert Kickl.
Video: What Follows the Government Crisis?
The turquoise provincial governors had already “closed” behind Sebastian Kurz via broadcast in the afternoon. “We are convinced that everyone involved will contribute to the speedy investigation. We also assume that the criminally relevant allegations will turn out to be false and can also be cleared up,” said the joint statement.
However, there were also one or two critical comments. Vorarlberg’s governor Markus Wallner (ÖVP) described the allegations as “serious”, his Styrian counterpart Hermann Schützenhöfer said: “The severity of the allegations is incredible. It has reached a dimension that reaches the limits of what is possible.” However, both also emphasized that they were behind Kurz.
