With brutal rhetoric, the President of the National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka, condemned the attacks on the ÖVP. In an interview, he complained about what he believes was the ÖVP’s escalated commission of inquiry and speculation about the future of party leader and chancellor Karl Nehammer. In general, according to Sobotka, “a campaign of destruction against the ÖVP” was conducted. He also criticized politicians who doubted sanctions against Russia.
In an interview with the newspaper ‘profil’, the chairman of the National Council negatively assessed the course of the investigation committee ÖVP – of which he is chairman: “I have the impression that it is escalating more and more. Even the trial judge in the U-Commission complained that it was easy to get the impression of a tribunal.” He also criticized media rumors of a possible replacement for party chairman Karl Nehammer – these “clearly came from opposition territory”.
‘Government almost overthrown with mere advertisements’
Sobotka still finds the conditions under which ex-chancellor Sebastian Kurz “finally had to give way” “questionable”. It annoys him greatly “that you can almost overthrow a government with mere advertisements,” said the ÖVP politician. “I’d like evidence of verifiable misconduct at the table,” Sobotka said. In general, there is “a campaign of destruction against the ÖVP”.
This serious accusation is surprising, because the term is historically heavily loaded – Nazi Germany, after all, waged a war of extermination against the Soviet Union. This is all the more irritating because otherwise Sobotka has a flair for difficult historical issues and is a big believer in anti-Semitism.
The president of the National Council also criticized Upper Austrian governor Thomas Stelzer (ÖVP), who had expressed doubts about EU sanctions against Russia. “Anyone who deviates from this European unity ultimately follows the Russian story. The sanctions are taking effect in Russia. Anyone who claims otherwise is playing Putin’s game,” Sobotka said in the “profile” interview. It is not Thomas Stelzer who is responsible for the sanctions, but the federal government, he told his party colleague.
‘To this day I still intervene’
Sobotka himself rejected criticism of his published political interventions: “I still intervene to this day – in the sense that I stand up for people who approach me, that is ultimately my job as an elected mandatary.” He himself has never preferred anyone for being a member of the ÖVP.
On corona policy, the federal government has now “trodden a path like Switzerland,” Sobotka said. He very much welcomes this: “Viewed objectively, Switzerland spent less money on corona aid with the same result. We have to learn from that.”
Source: Krone
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