Editor-in-chief Claus Pándi of “Salzburg-Krone” about the politically turbulent times in the federal government and in the state of Salzburg.
A few nights ago I had a nightmare. Austria’s new political elite chased this dream. Christian Hafenecker, Michael Schnedlitz, Susanne Fürst, Dagmar Belakowitsch, Gerhard Karner, Klaudia Tanner, Martin Polaschek and Claudia Plakolm emerged from the thick fog as ministers next to Chancellor Kickl.
Perhaps Wilfried Haslauer had similar premonitions around the turn of the year. Or he even knew this could happen. After the elections for the National Council and the failed coalition negotiations with the SPÖ and the Neos, the ÖVP has reached a low point in its history. Humiliated and weakened, the common people submit to their fate. ‘Taking responsibility’ is the new ‘I was just doing my duty’.
The customs are running wild, the principles are homeless: we will probably have to say goodbye to the Republic of Austria as we knew it.
And so Haslauer cannot be blamed or even blamed if he simply doesn’t want to anymore. What awaits us for the ÖVP are years without shine. At best.
Lately, Haslauer has seemed increasingly old-fashioned. A fine gentleman from the best family who in the new world preferred to stay in yesterday’s world. The educated citizen with dazzling manners and always impeccable wardrobe, whose office address bears his father’s name, could no longer find his way in the turbulent universe of modern media. As final proof of this lack of understanding, he recently even agreed to use public funds to set up a propaganda channel for the state government, “Salzburg On”. A lack of support cannot be simulated. Politics must be able to inspire. While he is no stranger to elegant feints, that was never the now outgoing governor’s forte. And in the age of turbopopulism, that can be taken as a compliment.
Wilfried Haslauer felt for a long time that he was no longer the right man in the right place.
And the sensitive family man Stefan Schnöll had been struggling with his role as future governor for months.
From the outside, Karoline Edtstadler is the right choice in this situation. Young, determined, well-educated and remarkably cool-headed when push comes to shove. She has the best qualifications to be the first woman in the state of Salzburg – and in this role she will likely quickly take the lead in the ÖVP, which is currently limping along headlessly, at the federal level.
Edtstadler’s rise is an unexpected setback for the Kickl system, which is in a total victory frenzy in Vienna and the states. With Edtstadler, a political force is now emerging in Salzburg that could show the FPÖ the limits of growth. Naturally, Karoline Edtstadler will also have to regulate her sometimes exuberant energy even better. However, given the situation the entire country is currently in, this is a relatively minor problem.
Source: Krone
I am George Kunkel, an author working for Today Times Live. I specialize in opinion pieces and cover stories that are both informative and thought-provoking – helping to shape public discourse on key issues. My work is regularly featured across the network’s many platforms, including print media and social media.
