An audio recording of statements by the recently deceased Christian Pilnacek leaves National Council President Wolfgang Sobotka in need of an explanation. The ÖVP man is now entering familiar territory. The chronic suspect can feel particularly safe in his office – like a king who can hardly be dethroned with political instruments.
Wolfgang Sobotka wants to continue as chairman of the National Council, despite serious accusations against him. He will continue to hold the second highest political office in the republic with “the best of his knowledge and conscience” – as in the past. In the spirit of democracy, the ÖVP man said he had full confidence in the National Council on Thursday morning.
The new love for the obligation to tell the truth
A few months before his death, former department head Pilnacek accused him of inciting abuse of office during a social gathering. The conversation was recorded and shared with the “Krone”. According to Sobotka, the allegations are “not true in any way.”
At no time in the past has he put pressure on the judiciary. Sobotka remains true to the party line in his argument. He refers to selective statements made by himself and Pilnacek in U committees. After all, these were made under the obligation to tell the truth.
Those U committees that he has led since 2020, although investigations were also conducted into the ÖVP and himself. As chairman, he wanted to abolish the obligation to tell the truth. The fear of saying ‘something wrong’ is great among suspects. Now he relies on her.
As leader, he regularly decided controversial issues in his party’s favor, the participants recalled. Sobotka also faced doubts when he had to testify as a witness (several times). Trial judge Wolfgang Pöschl expressed his concerns at the time – especially because Sobotka had evaluated his own statements in the report.
Sobotka – the king of the National Council
The former music teacher apparently sees no contradiction in his statements and activities then and now. One of the most powerful men in the republic can have confidence in his office, even as the opposition and parts of the Greens cry loudly for consequences. Even one of his deputies literally and conspicuously called for his resignation on Thursday.
The father of eight children doesn’t care. In Austria, a President of the National Council is essentially the king of a term. He is elected by the members of the House of Representatives – from “their ranks”, as the saying goes. The elections fell to Sobotka at the end of 2017 with a weak result of 61.3 percent.
Once seated, his position was more or less secure. A President of the National Council cannot fall victim to a vote of no confidence or be removed from office by the Federal President.
There are no parliamentary resources
“He cannot be removed through parliamentary means. The Austrian Federal Constitution does not allow this,” explains constitutional lawyer Peter Bußjäger, asked by krone.at. Parliament is designed in such a way that it can ‘overthrow the government, but not its own leadership’.
Removing the president with a two-thirds majority – as is possible at state level in Tyrol – does not work. According to Bußjäger, Sobotka should be sentenced to prison to lose his mandate and thus his position. “Parliament has never kept a close eye on its own president. I would say this problem has been ignored.” This is not unusual even in an international comparison.
“The fact that parliament cannot impeach its president at all, even with a very high majority, can be experienced as problematic in individual cases,” says the lawyer.
So who controls the chief of inspectors? “This is more a matter of political culture than of law.” Ultimately, the “great responsibility” was transferred to the chairman of the National Council. In summary: Sobotka can only really saw himself off.
A remarkable CV
The office of President of the National Council is considered to create identity and represent the Republic. Formally, only the Federal President is above Sobotka. At the same time, the 67-year-old’s resume is full of quirks that don’t seem very statesmanlike. The previous positions were mayor, state councilor and minister of the interior. A lot comes together there.
During his time as councilor for the state finances of Lower Austria, a lot of tax money was gambled away. The speculative investments by housing funds between 2002 and 2008 led to a loss of almost one billion euros, the Court of Audit found at the time. Sobotka has always maintained that he did nothing wrong.
Red wine with Marsalek
Admitting mistakes is clearly not his style. “With the best will in the world” he cannot remember a meeting with Wirecard fraudster Jan Marsalek in Moscow six years ago – despite the U-Commission’s obligation to tell the truth. The meeting was recorded visually.
In October 2020, it was announced that the Alois Mock Institute, founded by Sobotka, was supported by Novomatic with 109,000 euros. When asked about the gaming company’s advertisements in one of the institute’s magazines, he said on a TV program: “You know the industry. There is of course a quid pro quo for the ad. If you have a think tank, you can probably do that.”
Sobotka is also heavily burdened by statements made by Kurz’s former confidante Thomas Schmid. Schmid, who is seeking star witness status in the case against the former chancellor, claims to have stopped tax audits at the Erwin Pröll Foundation and the Alois Mock Institute at the request of the chairman of the National Council. Sobotka denied all allegations and announced legal action against Schmid. The Alois Mock Institute is now defunct.
Ongoing investigations against Sobotka
The Public Prosecution Service for Economic and Corruption (WKStA) has been investigating Sobotka for abuse of office since March 2022. Discriminatory conversations reveal that during his time as Interior Minister he was very careful to promote only people with the right party membership to the Vienna police. There was also a list on the cabinet server called “Interventions”. According to Sobotka there was a misunderstanding; it was about ‘citizen issues’. This statement was also made under the obligation to be truthful.
According to the trust index, no other politician in Austria is as distrusted as the speaker of parliament:
And now statements by Pilnacek, who at the height of his legal career was described as the republic’s secret justice minister, are becoming public, accusing Sobotka of inciting abuse of office. The Public Prosecution Service is investigating the first suspicions. But until and if a conviction comes through in court, the chronic suspect has a tried-and-true motto: continue doing business as usual!
One thing is certain: Sobotka will remain the king of the National Council in the long term. Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) also has no doubts about him and supports him: “Sobotka has my confidence!” A very famous phrase probably sums it up best: it sounds strange, but it’s true.
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.
