“The Duel” – Glawischnig: “Crash of the party system”

Glawischnig: “This is absolutely a disastrous result. Now a new beginning is needed.” Mölzer answers: “Climate protection has now become a cross-cutting issue for all parties. You just shouldn’t make the issue too cult-like, as with the Greens, with many restrictions and rules.”

Glawischnig’s analysis: “The current election result is a complete crash of the previous party system. Many states are now colored differently.” Even in the black heart of Lower Austria, the ÖVP was only slightly ahead of the FPÖ in terms of votes. Mölzer’s answer: “If the ÖVP loses Lower Austria, the question is whether that will still be a factor as a party in the medium term.” Why did Herbert Kickl skip the final TV elephant round on Sunday evening? Mölzer’s opinion: “The election campaign was largely a TV election campaign. But the FPÖ has no media support. That’s why they founded their own media. Then you no longer have to go to all the TV duels and elephant rounds.”

Poison kitchen and seething phase
From the perspective of both duelists, a future black-red two-party coalition would be unrealistic, as the majority of mandates could then be secured only with a single mandate. And a two-party coalition FPÖ-ÖVP is also unthinkable, as the ÖVP has ruled out a coalition with Kickl at the head of the FPÖ and that would only be conceivable if someone else led the party. Mölzer: “But why should election winner Kickl step aside? That would be stupid!” From the perspective of both duelists, everything is in flux right now. And the longer the exploratory phase lasted, the more things started to simmer within the parties. Glawischnig: “This is now the toxic kitchen and seething phase. And it will take time.”

Babler in Frühpension?
When asked what the future of SPÖ chairman Andreas Babler and Green Party leader Werner Kogler will look like, Glawischnig reassures: “Werner Kogler will still be there in the difficult phase of the exploratory talks. But he also deserves a departure date in the future.” Mölzer’s short and concise summary of the question: “Kogler in retirement and Babler in early retirement.” From Glawischnig’s point of view, Kogler’s potential successor to the Greens would be Alma Zadic, Leonore Gewessler or Sigrid from the Green women’s team Maurer comes: “Zadic enjoys great recognition across party lines.”

In another block of topics, the duelists discuss the problem of hooligans on local football fields, most recently in the Vienna Derby Rapid against Austria Vienna. You can watch the entire match in the video above.