He not only has a heart for female animals, but for all parties. Builder Richard Lugner welcomes everyone to his shopping city “because a lot of people come and it costs us nothing.” On Saturday, Andreas Schieder, SPÖ’s leading candidate for the EU elections, tried his luck there and was warmly received throughout. The “crown” accompanied him.
Richard Lugner personally welcomed his political guest and clearly attracted more attention than the actual ‘celebrity’. Visitors secretly filmed and photographed the 91-year-old, who is about to celebrate his sixth wedding. Many also took a selfie. Andreas Schieder took this calmly, after all, Lugner only came by briefly, after which the stage belonged entirely to the SPÖ campaigner again.
Schieder as a good-humoured professional
Schieder has already had many election campaigns and it shows. He is a professional, approaches people, is friendly and seems in a good mood. The Viennese also feels at ease on stage. His themes are thoroughly social democratic: jobs, the fight against infections, tax justice, peace and neutrality.
“Many Austrians come to me and say: Mr Schieder, I am desperate because my costs have eluded me for the past three years, and my life has really become more and more expensive and I can hardly afford it anymore. And unfortunately that is true, because we have an Austrian federal government that has done nothing but increase the price of gas. Then the price of gas rose to the price of electricity, people continued to do nothing, then the price of electricity rose to the cost of living, and they always did nothing. And this government inaction is exactly what stinks to many Austrians and must finally end. “We need a government that looks at the people again and that is especially true,” Schieder shouts from the stage.
“Build good washing machines again”
One of his biggest campaign themes is his ‘Europe First instead of Made in China’ package. It’s about investing in Europe’s industry, technology and economy to bring back jobs and drive progress. Schieder proposes an ‘EU transformation fund’ to finance investments in measures to reduce CO₂ emissions. Private jets should be banned at European airports and an express train system should be set up to connect European capitals.
Schieder talks about broken washing machines that are completely thrown away because of a small plastic part. He wants to change that. “I’m not for throwing things away, I’m for fixing good things. With my ‘Europe first’ plan we can build good washing machines again.”
Great music and sandwiches
The event is accompanied by lively music from the young band “Gigstar”. The food is particularly popular: for just one euro you can get a snack (sandwich or schnitzel roll) and a drink (beer or non-alcoholic). Many people arrive here and stay longer.
The young generation of the SPÖ has set up its own stand, chairman Michael Kögl and the young EU candidate Julian Krismer are also there and are busy collecting votes.
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.
