They should bring light to the darkness: ÖVP grandees Karl Nehammer and Johanna Mikl-Leitner were invited to the ÖVP corruption inquiry committee this week. There was a lot of talk, but little said: “The ÖVP has the tactics of camouflage, deception and denial in its DNA,” says Indra Collini, NEOS’ top candidate in Lower Austria in the krone.tv conversation with moderator Conny Winiwarter. The fact that the ÖVP Lower Austria under Mikl-Leitner is trying hard to position itself as “not a federal body”, the NEOS politician fits into the general picture: Due to the upcoming state elections in Lower Austria, they want to be “far away” from the corruption problems of the federal government. But one is far from a clean slate: “The Lower Austrian system is the center of power of the corrupt ÖVP”.
Did Collini expect more from the interviews in the University committee? “No,” she says, quite irritated for now. “For years, the ÖVP has flooded the entire political system with its corruption problem.” The damage caused is reflected in the latest surveys: only 34 percent of people think the political system works well. The NEOS top candidate understands that people “turn away in disgust” from the ÖVP – she does too.
“ÖVP has made the country its subject“
Johanna Mikl-Leitner’s call to the U committee did not result in any major knowledge gains. If anything is remembered, it is ÖVP state director Bernhard Ebner’s attempt to portray his boss as “not a federal body”. A futile attempt by Collini to wash himself clean. “I seriously wonder if Ebner wants to fool people,” she airs her displeasure. Johanna Mikl-Leitner always supported Kurz as chancellor, and it was she herself who said: “Kurz learned a lot from me”. The ÖVP Lower Austria pulled the strings very tightly and ‘made the country its subjects’, Collini finds captivating words.
Rewarding corrupt politicians: “ÖVP has no genius”
The central question is how politics “get out of this swamp”. A question that the ÖVP does not have on the screen, according to the NEOS politician: “The ÖVP has no qualms about continuing as before”. This is also evidenced by the fact that supposedly corrupt politicians are “rewarded” with posts, such as Wolfgang Sobotka or the new ÖVP communications chief Gerald Fleischmann. Fleischmann was ex-chancellor Kurz’s closest companion. He is currently under investigation for the survey affair.
The ÖVP ‘fairness deal’, initiated by the state ÖVP, is pure show politics, the things that are currently agreed upon “are no more than the law or decency dictates”. The NEOS wants to roll out the agreement much further and, for example, to provide insight into costs: income, expenditure, donation flows and – a regular subject of the ÖVP – the election campaign costs.
‘Must have a discussion about reasonable labor migration’
When it comes to asylum policy, Collini also cannot find anything good about the ÖVP: “It is a major management error on the part of Interior Minister Karner.” But she is in favor of external border control by the European Union and that people can register directly at the border. Migration could be the key to solving the skills shortage. You need to have a serious discussion “how to kickstart sensible labor migration”. Otherwise, a gloomy picture of the future will emerge. If companies cannot find staff, this will be at the expense of prosperity, predicts the top candidate of NEOS. The self-imposed goal for the state elections in Lower Austria on January 29 is a fourth mandate.
You can see the entire interview with Indra Collini in the interview above. KroneLIVE can be seen from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m.
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Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
