Austria
Suspicion of abuse of power in Austria – ÖVP in sight
Sebastian Kurz is to be questioned. Photo: Georg Hochmuth/APA/dpa
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The years in government of ex-Chancellor Sebastian Kurz were brilliant times for his ÖVP with electoral success and influence. Now the methods used by the conservatives are being reviewed.
Even the name is a burden for the reputation: “ÖVP Corruption Investigation Committee”. Austria’s powerful conservative governing party is facing many allegations.
During the time of ex-Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, she is said to have given positions in and outside of politics to party friends in a particularly autocratic manner. A team led by Kurz, who was once celebrated by conservatives throughout Europe, is said to have supported his rise with advertisements and embellished polls. And in secret side agreements between the ÖVP coalition with the FPÖ and now the Greens, many jobs have been shared between the parties – undisputedly.
Questioning the Chancellor
With the questioning of Chancellor and designated ÖVP boss Karl Nehammer, a new chapter in the processing of the Kurz era begins today – and perhaps a phase of purification. Nehammer has already indicated a certain change of course in advance. “There will be no secret agreements with me in future governments outside of the government program,” said the head of government.
And otherwise, the ÖVP can breathe a sigh of relief, albeit for a dramatic reason. The opposition wanted to turn the investigative committee into the big stage for settling accounts with the “Short System”. But the committee started during the war in Ukraine — and domestic political attacks are likely to be of much less interest now. “The fact that the spotlight is now on the war is in Karl Nehammer’s favor,” says the “Kronen Zeitung”. In any case, the former army information officer seems to be gaining in stature as chancellor in this crisis.
Relief for Kurz
A few days ago, media reports about the testimony of an important witness provided relief, especially for Kurz. The pollster, who is said to have delivered the embellished surveys on behalf of the Ministry of Finance, is said to have put on record that she herself had practically no contact with Kurz and his closest environment. According to her own statements, she is also said to have carried out similar “adapted” surveys for the opposition SPÖ.
“I have always said that the allegations against me will prove to be false. Now the time has come, »wrote the 35-year-old on Twitter immediately. The public prosecutor’s office must assess whether that is really sufficient to dispel the suspicion of false testimony and aiding and abetting infidelity. This decision is not yet foreseeable, said the authority. Investigators assume that some of the surveys were financed with tax money.
Ex-Chairman is key figure
A key figure in the affair is the former head of cabinet in the Ministry of Finance and ex-head of the state holding Öbag, Thomas Schmid. The previous evaluation of a total of more than 300,000 chat messages from his mobile phone has put the ÖVP in such a bad light that this close confidant of Kurz not only left his job in the end, but also transferred Kurz from politics to business as the new strategist for the US Investor and Trump fan Peter Thiel changed. Schmid no longer lives in Austria and cannot be summoned by the U-Committee.
A mobile phone belonging to the former head of cabinet in the Interior Ministry, Michael Kloibmüller, seems to get former Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka in trouble. In the chats found at Kloibmüller’s there is talk of “intervention lists”, which are interpreted as a kind of desired post lists from party friends. Sobotka himself, who currently chairs the U-Committee as the current President of the National Council, has now described these lists as “citizen inquiries”. Politicians are asked questions and requests every day, according to his office. “What is supposed to be scandalous about it is incomprehensible,” said a spokesman for Sobotka. It is planned that Sobotka will temporarily hand over the chair of the committee if he himself becomes a subject of the sub-committee.
support from Germany
The fact that the governing parties negotiate important jobs in the country among themselves is a decades-long exercise, especially between the ÖVP and the Social Democrats. The proportional representation was an expression of mistrust between the SPÖ and ÖVP, commented the Vienna newspaper “Kurier”. “Since the counterpart SPÖ flew out of the government, the ÖVP has been rampant in all areas of the state.” The party had apparently escaped the fact that their hubris does not fit into the current times with new standards of transparency and cleanliness.
As a precaution, the ÖVP has secured expertise from Germany. The former deputy government spokesman under the then Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU), Georg Streiter, was hired for “strategic communication” during the parliamentary investigation. In order to limit the damage, Streiter wants to hold background talks in the future and develop a new communication strategy, according to the newspaper “Der Standard”.