Austria
Votes counted incorrectly: The SPÖ makes a fool of itself when electing the new party leader
The left Spoiler Andreas Babler actually won the election as chairman of his party
© Georg Hochmuth / DPA
The Social Democrats in Austria made a terrible mistake in the election of the new party leader: the votes were counted incorrectly and in the end the loser was elected party leader – a new low point for the stricken SPÖ.
The election for party leader of the Austrian Social Democrats ended with an unprecedented mishap: the opposition party SPÖ announced on Monday that it was not Hans Peter Doskozil, who had been elected party leader on Saturday, who won – but his competitor Andreas Babler. The votes were swapped during the count, said the head of the election commission, Michaela Grubesa. At the party conference in Linz, the left-wing party rebel Babler (50) emerged victorious with 53 percent of the delegate votes, and not Doskozil, known for his restrictive migration policy, with 47 percent.
However, Babeler did not respond with joy or relief. Instead, with a serious expression, he demanded that the delegates’ votes be re-examined once and for all. He said he would only accept the chair if he was still the winner. Babler described the breakdown as a “low point” for the SPÖ. “What happened here cannot be justified or put into perspective,” he said in parliament.
Babeler stands for a generous asylum policy
Babler is a member of the Bundesrat – the small parliamentary chamber – and mayor of Traiskirchen. The small town south of Vienna is known for the largest state refugee camp in Austria. In the past few weeks, Babeler has positioned himself as an advocate of a humane asylum policy. He also calls for a more self-confident fight for higher wages and a 32-hour work week with full wage compensation.
Before the party congress, Babler had caused a stir with his self-description as a Marxist, which he quickly put into perspective. In addition, statements by him from 2020 appeared in which he described the European Union as the “most aggressive foreign policy military alliance that has ever existed”.
Doskozil immediately admitted defeat on Monday. “It is undisputed to take note of the election result in this way,” said the Prime Minister of Burgenland, whose border with Hungary is considered an important section of the migration route from the Balkans to Western Europe.
Doskozil’s defeat is not without a good dose of irony. After all, it was the state politician and former defense minister who triggered the election of the party leadership with years of verbal cross-shots against the outgoing party leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner.
Error transferring from Excel spreadsheet
The counting error happened when it was transferred to an Excel spreadsheet, said Grubesa. In fact, Doskozil got 280 votes, but Babler got 317 votes. This was discovered by chance during a recount on Monday. It had become necessary to explain why a voice was missing. This turned out to be invalid. The party apologized to Doskozil, said Grubesa.
Criticism and malice from the political competition were not long in coming. “Fantasies about Marxism, expropriation, property taxes and class struggle are now the order of the day,” said Karl Mahrer of the conservative ÖVP chancellor party. “If you can’t organize elections, you won’t win one,” tweeted the general secretary of the liberal Neos, Douglas Hoyos.
Parliamentary elections are scheduled for autumn 2024 in Austria. According to pollsters, the right-wing FPÖ is currently in first place with around 28 percent, followed by the SPÖ with 23 percent. The ÖVP, which governs together with the Greens, is in third place with around 21 percent.