New Year's Meeting: Kickl Demonstrated Will to Power
In front of more than 5,000 visitors, according to FPÖ figures, party leader Herbert Kickl rallied for a blue-black government and himself as a possible future Chancellor. He was convinced that the FPÖ would also score points in upcoming elections. He refrained from attacking the current ÖVP leadership, but once again demanded "honesty".
Although Kickl does not want to "jinx anything" when it comes to the desired formation of a coalition with the ÖVP, he also defended himself in his more than one-hour speech against "prophets of doom" that have repeatedly emerged. "Of course we will have a rendezvous with reality, there is no other way," he said. "Conversely, reality will have a rendezvous with us Freedom Party members."
There were no jabs at the ÖVP, but there were at the former ÖVP party leader Karl Nehammer and his failed attempt to form a government with SPÖ and NEOS. "Not on New Year's Day, a few days later it exploded," said Kickl. "This noise, it was something like the Freedom Party's New Year's concert for me." There was indirect criticism of the party when it came to the budget deficit. "The buried house of Austria will be liberated," he announced. "Let's turn it into a jewel box in which we can live!"
Continued Fight Against "Climate Communism" and "Mass Migration"
Content-wise, Kickl's speech after the election was like the one before the election: The FPÖ leader once again declared war on "climate communism", as well as on what he considers to be a failed migration policy. "What I will not tolerate is a mass migration under a false label," said the former Interior Minister under Türkis-Blau. In a government, the FPÖ wants a "return to this sacred core of asylum". The numbers are "just as high as our deficit is too high and that's why we need a zero here too".
Kickl will not accept one accusation: "I will not allow anyone to suggest a closeness to Russia, because there is no such closeness. Period. End of story." What does exist, however, is a "proximity to neutrality". The FPÖ leader is flattered by the invitation to Donald Trump's inauguration, which he did not accept. "He will understand. He says 'America first' and I say 'Austria first'." Instead of Kickl, the MP Susanne Fürst will attend.
"Honesty" Demanded on the Topic of Corona
In view of the change of power in the USA, Kickl is convinced that some things there will "come to light" - and specifically addressed the handling of the Corona pandemic. "Corona is, in summary, something like a wound to the Austrian soul," he promised a reappraisal of the domestic situation and demanded "honesty" not only on this topic, as he had already mentioned in the invitation to the ÖVP for negotiations.
Kickl also expressed his conviction that the "patriotic forces are becoming more and more powerful". "We will not ask anyone and we will not ask anyone for permission to unite our forces," he said. He recommended the EU to return to old values instead of bureaucracy and a "gradual disempowerment of the member states".
A show of power in the bursting event hotel "Pyramide" was also the list of Kickl's predecessors, some of whom were already successful Blues from the countries that already have government responsibility: such as Udo Landbauer, who is also facing a municipal election in Lower Austria. "If anyone has the power to clean up this rubble, it is the Freedom Party with Herbert Kickl at the top," he said with regard to a blue federal government.
The blue governor of Styria, Mario Kunasek - he also has to contest municipal elections in March - emphasized the now "freedom-loving handwriting" in the country. The top candidate for the state election on Sunday, Norbert Hofer, and Dominik Nepp, who is facing an early ballot in Vienna, appeared as a duo. Hofer wants to end the "socialism" in his country. A challenge against a red government chief also came from Nepp, who wants to present Mayor Michael Ludwig with his "list of failures".
FPÖ in Survey High
The FPÖ's New Year's meeting is taking place on Saturday at a very good time. In the recently published election polls, the Blues achieve record values of 35 to 39 percent. In the APA election trend, which takes into account the surveys of the last five weeks, the Freedom Party is at 37.8 percent. ÖVP and SPÖ, on the other hand, have continued to lose ground with their failed government negotiations.
The ÖVP only achieves 17 to 22 percent in the surveys conducted only since mid-December. In the election trend, which weighs the younger surveys more heavily, this currently results in 18.5 percent. This puts the previous chancellor party slightly behind the SPÖ (19.1 percent), which has also been losing ground since the national election, but less rapidly than the ÖVP. The Social Democrats achieve 19 to 20 percent. The Greens are still roughly at their election result with 8.9 percent, the NEOS slightly above with eleven percent.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.