About 1,000 ÖVP supporters from across the country gathered in the Klagenfurt Exhibition Hall to support their chancellor on political Ash Wednesday.
The ‘custom’ of political Ash Wednesday was adopted from Bavaria by Jörg Haider in 1992. The event has now developed into a political spectacle – and Chancellor Karl Nehammer is using the day to build on his Austria plan in the Klagenfurt exhibition hall, together with Carinthia’s ÖVP boss Martin Gruber and German ex-minister Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg.
ÖVP celebrities on site
More than 1,000 of his officials and party colleagues made a pilgrimage to Carinthia from all over Austria; including State Secretary for Youth Claudia Plakolm, Federal Director Alexander Pröll, Secretary General Christian Stocker, EU top candidate Reinhold Lopatka, EU MP Lukas Mandl and many more.
Even the protest action by the VGT (Association against Animal Factories), which once again called for a ban on fully slatted floors for the exhibition hall, could not dampen the positive mood. Applause to the rhythm of the music, a standing ovation for the Chancellor.
Overview of electoral success and the fight against political margins
A year ago, the Carinthian ÖVP leader Martin Gruber was still on the stage of the political Ash Wednesday as a state councilor – at the time the goal was to defeat the March 2023 state elections. Today he looks back on the surprising result at the time: “The so-called experts were wrong. I thank you all with great humility!”
For Gruber, 2024 will be “a year of guiding decisions!” That is why he calls for: “Responsibility instead of populism!” Ironically, slogans soon followed: “If a girl in Austria cannot participate in swimming lessons for cultural reasons, if a The teacher’s father cannot attend the parent-teacher conference, shake hands and if St. Martin’s Day is renamed the Festival of Lights – where are we then?
Guttenberg: “We have to dress warmly”
After light-hearted jokes, Germany’s former minister, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, also spoke words of warning: “We will have to dress warmly!” In particular, he paid special attention to the division of society into right and left, as well as to global developments the conflict between the US and Ukraine. “The Western world has lost its romance in many parts of the world!”
By the way: after Guttenberg’s speech, a year’s supply of Hirter beer was raffled off among one of the guests.
Nehammer: “We have to listen to the people”
“What else is there to say?” Chancellor Karl Nehammer said shortly after the previous speakers, quickly jettisoning his prepared speech. The Chancellor was less aggressive and focused more on his Austrian plan and the political culture in Austria, but also on his own attitude: ‘Political responsibility also means listening to the people!’ The Chancellor “doesn’t just want to make promises, he also wants to keep them”.
Thematically it was a cross-section, but mainly about performance, childcare, care and safety. “Confidence, courage and performance – that’s what we owe to people!” Nehammer essentially presented himself as an empathetic listener who doesn’t “point the finger at people” but wants to pick them up and take them along.
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.
