Pamela Rendi-Wagner, Hans Peter Doskozil, Andreas Babler or “None of those mentioned” – the SPÖ is looking for a new boss via a member survey from Monday. The fact that the fourth option made it to the vote surprised many in the party this week – and raised the question of what would happen if this option gained the most support. One of the three candidates declared himself on Friday evening.
“Then I won’t do it”, said Burgenland’s governor Doskozil in “ZiB 2”. Although he was not happy with the decision making in the party and said the bumpy road to the membership survey “wasn’t the best picture for the organisation”, he felt bound by the outcome.
“Voting by members is a valuable asset”
If he doesn’t finish first in the poll he initiated himself, he won’t be able to claim the number one position either. “The voice of the members is a valuable asset.”
Party leader Rendi-Wagner had also promised to throw in the towel if she got behind any of her competitors, even though the investigation is non-binding under the party statute. However, the question is whether this also applies to the scenario that “none of the named candidates”, as stated on the ballot paper, receives the most votes. The third member of the group, the mayor of Traiskirchen, Andreas Babler, has always been said to advocate for runoff elections if no one wins an absolute majority.
When asked about the growing public support of SPÖ celebrities such as former chancellors Franz Vranitzky, Viktor Klima, Alfred Gusenbauer and Werner Faymann, as well as the current mayor of Vienna Michael Ludwig and his predecessor Michael Häupl, Doskozil said in “ZiB 2 “: “Each member has one vote”, so everyone is worth the same.
Reconcile camps, otherwise “no elections will be won”
In any case, once the month-long power struggle has been decided, reconciliation should be pursued. The “diversity of opinion” that has come to light in the SPÖ is to be applauded, because “you will not win an election” without drawing a broad arc across the different camps.
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.
