“Totally independent” – VdB starts election campaign with brass band music & Gerda Rogers

Quite unusual for a former leader of the Greens, but in keeping with his campaign story of love for home, Van der Bellen entered the room to the hearty sounds of the Kaunertal fanfare, cheered by the Viennese public. In his half-hour speech, Van der Bellen praised his Tyrolean homeland and underlined in connection with the climate crisis that “it is our damn duty” to ensure that future generations can still enjoy untouched nature.

However, at the beginning of his speech, Van der Bellen paid tribute to the late British Queen Elizabeth II, who was an “icon of integrity, discipline, devotion to duty” and asked for a moment of silence. “Reliability and integrity – these are values ​​that never go out of style,” emphasizes Van der Bellen. All the exceptional situations that currently coexist are there to stay – that’s why you need to emphasize “togetherness” and believe that change for the better is possible.

“The time of despots is over”
Putin’s war of aggression in Ukraine is an “attack on the Western way of life”, easing sanctions would not improve anything as Putin can no longer be trusted. What should such a relaxation be like, Van der Bellen asked: “That the poor oligarchs can go back on their yachts because otherwise they wouldn’t have a home?” One should not simply accept Putin’s actions: “The time of despots in Europe is over.” But that also means that you have to be prepared for difficult times and make sure that no one has to worry about not being able to pay the heating bills.

The Federal President again clearly rejected the idea of ​​some of his competitors to sack the government. The constitution does allow the federal government to be fired and new elections forced – but that’s “a dangerous game,” the 78-year-old said clearly. Only once in history would anyone have wanted something like this, with an uncertain outcome — when Engelbert Dollfuss shut down parliament in 1933, Van der Bellen said. The Federal President also rejected a debate about leaving the EU, because “You are not playing with Austria.”

Swipe against Wlazny
Van der Bellen promoted his experience, stressing that he was “totally independent” because at his age there was nothing he aspired to after his second term. “I don’t need anything more.” A 35-year-old is much more likely to become dependent, he told his youngest opponent Dominik Wlazny. Van der Bellen again campaigned to go to the polls: “This one hour on October 9, sorry, it has to be there.”

Prior to Van der Bellen’s speech, several supporters took to the stage to campaign for his re-election on October 9. Former SPÖ minister Maria Berger explained that politicians would walk around like frightened chickens and pick each other up in the day-to-day business. That’s why you need someone who stays calm and quiet, Berger said. The European Parliament’s First Vice-President, Othmar Karas (ÖVP) painted a bleak picture of the situation, but Van der Bellen is a personality who sees that the stateship remains on course. The election is about values ​​you share with Van der Bellen, such as a political sense of responsibility that goes beyond criminal law, and interacting with each other that looks different than some chats and videos show, Karas also couldn’t swipe resisting your own party.

Support from Gerda Rogers and Ina Regen
As expected, there were also many green celebrities at the start, especially party leader and vice chancellor Werner Kogler and club president Sigrid Maurer. Ex-ÖVP Minister Maria Rauch-Kallat, former NEOS MP Sepp Schellhorn, comedian and Dancing Stars winner Caroline Athanasiadis, astrologer Gerda Rogers and singer Ina Regen were also sighted.

In front of the door, a small, but all the louder, group of opponents of the Corona measures vented their anger. “You are a disgrace,” said a Van der Bellen supporter, sparking a loud discussion that eventually ended peacefully in front of the police.