When elections are around the corner, the internet regularly becomes a kind of ‘battlefield’. The state elections in Lower Austria on January 29 are no exception. The election campaign so far on the various online platforms has been characterized by bizarre posters and video fragments, skirmishes between party communications officers and an ominous countdown.
“der rote hanni” as the lettering and top candidate LH deputy Franz Schnabl with outstretched arms – such a poster subject was published online on January 10 by the SPÖ. The allusion to the state governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) quickly spread on social networks.
The subject could be interpreted as a reaction to a short video by Mikl-Leitner from the start of the ÖVP election campaign (“A lot is at stake”), which had gone viral on the internet with a variety of comments.
Schnabl described the subject as “satire”
The next day, Schnabl himself described the subject, which he said was only available online and not on posters, in a media appearance as “satire” or “Easter egg”. The goal was to get attention. He himself is “definitely not a red Hanni”. In any case, it caused a sensation and there was a lot of controversy for days, especially on Twitter.
Speaking of Twitter: there are always online blows being dealt by communication officers, actors from the ÖVP and SPÖ stand out. The match “Blue-Yellow” against “Red-Blue” announced by the People’s Party has become almost a daily routine and is discussed and processed in many facets.
Liberals rely heavily on Facebook
However, the liberals rely on Facebook rather than Twitter. There was a weekend countdown last November, which culminated in the publication of a video of state party and club president Udo Landbauer. He announced that he wanted to become governor, giving the election campaign an early discussion point that had emerged from the virtual world.
Greens and NEOS seem a bit calmer on the net. It will include video messages from top candidates Helga Krismer and Indra Collini and a range of factual information about the election and the issues deemed important.
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.
