Austrian government politicians are very active on social media. However, the boundaries between party and government functions are often blurred, the Court now complains. This not only raises questions about compatibility, but can even have legal consequences – and be expensive.
On the Facebook page of Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP), messages about government work alternate with topics from the People’s Party election campaign; a similar picture emerges from Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens). It is a conflation of party and office that the Court’s auditors consider “problematic”, “profil” quotes from a rough report that has not yet been published.
Representatives of all parties under scrutiny
The social media accounts of Burgenland governor Hans Peter Doskozil (SPÖ), Upper Austrian regional councilor Manfred Haimbuchner (FPÖ) and Vienna city councilor Christoph Wiederkehr (NEOS) were also checked. The performances of representatives of all five parliamentary parties were therefore scrutinized.
In the case of Nehammer, Kogler, Doskozil and Wiederkehr, the Court “critically noted” that the social media accounts were managed by cabinet employees, even though, according to the legal notice, they were managed by the parties or the politicians themselves. . The auditors see this as a “conflation of the areas of government and party work – with employees of government agencies managing party political social media accounts”.
Will there be legal consequences?
By using public funds, politicians “have an advantage over non-governmental members”, the Court of Audit criticizes. This can also be legally ‘problematic’. Because “according to party law there could be an impermissible donation,” the rough report literally states. ‘Possible’ because there is still no valid case law for such cases.
However, if the expenses for the social media staff are considered an inadmissible donation, this could prove expensive: in the first half of 2022, the Federal Chancellery incurred personnel costs of 25,000 euros for managing Nehammer’s social media appearances, according to “profil ” in the report. For Kogler the costs were almost 29,000 euros and for Doskozil around 20,000 euros. The care cost municipal councilor Wiederkehr the most at almost 35,000 euros. According to the report, Haimbuchner incurred no personnel costs.
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.
