In Vorarlberg they don’t play poker, they play “jasting”. The FPÖ around Christof Bitschi has the best cards in the coalition vote. State Governor Markus Wallner, however, did not want to be seen there yet and invited the “supreme” of all four parties represented in the state parliament for an exploratory meeting on Tuesday.
The blue waiter Christof Bitschi did not capture the heart of “King Markus” by storm, but the first one-on-one conversation lasted over an hour. “It was a very open conversation with Governor Markus Wallner,” the Freedom Party said. Whether further negotiations will take place and who will be at the start from the FPÖ will be announced as soon as Wallner has made a decision.
When it comes to dowry, the Green duo immediately presented themselves as open to many things. “We had a factual and constructive conversation – in the usual professional manner, which has also characterized cooperation in recent years,” said Daniel Zadra, leader of the Green Party, while promoting a new edition of the political wedding. But the Greens don’t want to give themselves away cheaply. “We are for serious negotiations, but not at any price,” Eva Hammerer emphasized. For Mario Leiter (SPÖ) and Claudia Gamon (NEOS), the visit to “King Markus” was more of a show than a show.
Theoretically, three coalition variants would be possible, but only one is realistic. The overview:
The FPÖ has the best cards
During the most recent legislature, the blue ‘waiter’ repeatedly teetered on the edge of lèse-majesté: the leader of the Freedom Party, Christof Bitschi, loudly expressed his views on matters – often to the dismay of the state’s governor. While ‘King Markus’ had to get used to the idea of a black-blue coalition, his two State Councilors for Economy and Security actually implemented the rapid coalition change during the current legislature. Both Marco Tittler and Christian Gantner often exchanged ideas with Christof Bitschi on the sidelines of the state parliament sessions and laughed a lot.
As for the inclusion of the blue waiter in the illustrious circle, he will also benefit from the fact that the overlap in many political issues (family, security, economy and transport) is greater than that of his predecessors. Bitschi and his colleagues will probably refrain from feeding climate protesters and opponents of the Feldkirch city tunnel with coffee and cakes in the future. This would mean that – unlike the Greens – they would be very popular with the ÖVP. Bitschi also has more trump cards when it comes to the economy: on the evening of the elections, the bosses of the Chamber of Commerce and the Association of Industrialists had already clearly spoken out in favor of a black-blue coalition. If he does not want to provoke a palace revolution, “King Markus” will also follow the wishes of his most important “inspirers”. Conclusion: ÖVP and FPÖ actually only need to agree on the number of blue government seats and the division of departments.
The Greens have no trump cards
Since “Leaf King Johannes” left the country, the Greens have lost their best asset in coalition poker. ‘Still Minister of Health’ Johannes Rauch knew how not to anger the large coalition partner around ‘King Markus’ and not to excite the newspaper too much. Successor Daniel Zadra did not succeed. On the contrary: in a duet with club president Eva Hammerer, the ‘Laub Ober’ repeatedly managed to make the blacks blush with anger. The ÖVP not only accused the Greens of foul play when Zadra denounced their ‘King Markus’ at the Public Prosecution Service for Economic Affairs and Corruption.
And Hammerer and her colleagues also gradually lost their good cards and appeared as an opposition party in the state parliament. The chance of black-green therefore tends to zero. A new edition would probably not be possible, even if the Greens only provided the State Council with “cycle paths in Röns” and at the same time welcomed the realization of the Feldkirch city tunnel every day.
No ‘sugar coalition’ with ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS
The state-level “candy coalition” may work mathematically, but the dream of governing is over for the SPÖ and NEOS after Sunday’s sobering result. Both Mario Leiter and Claudia Gamon announced on Sunday that they wanted to focus on opposition work in the state parliament. The Bludenzer’s expectations prior to the one-on-one meeting with the governor were therefore comparable to those of a student who knows even before the certificates are awarded that he will not proceed to the next class. “I was thinking about whether I should go at all,” Leiter said beforehand.
NEOS spokeswoman Claudia Gamon (NEOS) took a similarly down-to-earth approach. She expressed her expectations for the conversation with Markus Wallner in one word: “None!”
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.
