Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) defended himself and his troubled party in the ORF “Summer Talk”. He ruled out personal consequences after the Tyrolean state elections, which predict huge losses for the People’s Party.
Summer lectures on ORF, last part. Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) was a guest of Julia Schmuck and Tobias Pötzelsberger on Monday evening. The range of topics is diverse. The ÖVP is doing poorly in the polls. Investigations, suspected corruption, loss of trust.
‘We must take the Constitution seriously’
“Some people of the ÖVP are under investigation and there are unbearable chats. But the People’s Party has no corruption problem. There are hundreds of thousands of members, mayors, officials. Not from the media or from the U Committee.” The ÖVP is very strongly federally structured, so there are often different approaches, “But we need a new structure when attacks happen so you can react faster.”
Should the Chancellor apologize for the chats and the ugly developments and affairs? “The impression was not good. Those affected should apologize and face the consequences. But despite all the crises, we can always act. We are always there when the going gets tough.”
Court of Audit: ‘Then we will pay fines’
Confidence in politics has bottomed out, say the moderator duo. Nehammer counterattacks, saying, “Politics is last, media is last.” The Court has expressed doubts about the campaign costs for 2019. Nehammer was party manager and as such responsible for campaign costs. In its annual accounts, the ÖVP states that it has spent less on the relatively insignificant EU election campaign than on the National Council election campaign.
Nehammer: “The EU election campaign was a personal election campaign with the candidates compensating for the party’s costs, which was not the case with the National Council election. We were already confronted with this in 2017. That we had far exceeded the costs. We wanted to make sure that didn’t happen again.” Will he take personal consequences if the investigation reveals false information? “No. If that happens, we will pay a fine. This is about party financing law, not about criminal law.”
“I take people’s concerns very seriously”
Inflation was a major theme: “I take people’s concerns very seriously. Times are difficult, but we need common solutions. Also with the industry. AK and ÖGB have said things are moving in the right direction. The question is how we can relieve people best and as quickly as possible. The more differentiation, the more complicated it gets and the longer it takes.” Subsidies and measures have been discussed with experts.
State elections: heavy losses threaten
Apparently, climate policy is not his top priority. “At the moment we have to guarantee the security of supply.” But of course he is also in favor of alternative energies.
Sanctions against Russia are exacerbating inflation. More and more people are questioning these sanctions. Also Nehammer? “We always have to evaluate. But Putin uses gas as a weapon. The EU has sanctions as the most severe measure.”
State elections are coming up soon – in Tyrol on September 25. ÖVP top candidate Anton Mattle continues to fall in polls. 2023 is elected in Lower Austria. Here, too, the polls are questionable. Could correspondingly bad results throw him out of the black and turquoise saddle? He doesn’t think about that.
Source: Krone
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