‘Unacceptable in office’ – the opposition now demands Sobotka .’s resignation

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Following the new accusations against National Council chairman Wolfgang Sobotka (ÖVP), the opposition is now demanding his resignation. In a press conference called at short notice on Wednesday, SPÖ vice club boss Jörg Leichtfried described Sobotka as “unacceptable in the second highest office in the republic”. He testified that the government is “unable to act” and “to the end”. The FPÖ also demanded Sobotka’s departure.

Former Secretary-General of Finance Thomas Schmid testified during his interrogation by the Public Prosecution Service for Economic Affairs and Corruption (WKStA) that Sobotka conducted tax audits at the “Alois Mock Foundation or at the Alois Mock Institute” and at the ‘Erwin Proell Foundation’ successfully prevented. The President of the National Council denies this claim.

Leichtfried: “This is a criminal offense”
Sobotka is no longer acceptable to the opposition. According to Leichtfried, Austria needs a government that fights the energy crisis and inflation and keeps the domestic economy competitive. Instead, “we have a ruling party that is up to its neck in corruption and sinking deeper into it.” That is shocking and makes people “unable to act in a historical crisis of all things”. Schmid’s statements about Sobotka would mean “inciting abuse of office”, “that is a criminal offense”.

Leichtfried asked Chancellor and ÖVP leader Karl Nehammer five questions, including whether he still believed that the ÖVP had no corruption problem and whether he found Sobotka acceptable in his role.

SPÖ calls again for new elections
Leichtfried reminded the Greens of their election slogan “Decency would choose the Greens” and asked party leader and vice chancellor Werner Kogler “if it is decent to continue building the wall for an ÖVP in the federal government”. The government can no longer act and is over, Leichtfried repeated the SPÖ’s demand for new elections.

Kickl: “Major damage” to the second highest office in the republic
FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl also called on the chairman of the National Council to resign immediately: “Since March, the WKStA has arrested Wolfgang Sobotka as a suspect on suspicion of abuse of office in connection with the appointment of the Vienna Deputy Director of the State Police. All this causes great damage to the office of President of the National Council, which is after all the second highest in this republic, and to the reputation of our republic, so it is completely impossible for him to remain in office, even if chairman of the commission of inquiry, Sobotka disqualified himself by his partisan presidency in the spirit of the ÖVP.”

FPÖ wants response from Van der Bellen
In a broadcast, Kickl called on federal president Alexander Van der Bellen and the club presidents of the other parliamentary parties to also put pressure on the immediate resignation of the chairman of the National Council Sobotka. “The Federal President must speak about this in a public statement. Because of all these allegations, the President of the National Council has long since become the greatest burden on the dignity of the House of Representatives, which he always likes to put pressure on. His ÖVP party colleagues have shamefully abused the institutions of this republic to maintain and gain power, Wolfgang Sobotka is doing the same with parliament. Even his supposedly humanitarian facade cannot hide the fact that he is pushing the ÖVP agenda through and through,” Kickl said.

Source: Krone

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