New Vienna ÖVP Chairman Figl Sees No Divisions in the Party

There are discussions, but they are conducted with appreciation, he assured in an interview with the APA. The district chairman of the Inner City was only appointed last week after tough negotiations in the committees. The official election will take place at a party congress, which will not be held until autumn. He defends his stay in the district.

Figl has succeeded former party leader Karl Mahrer, who threw in the towel after the disastrous election result on April 27. From the 20.4 percent in 2020, the People's Party lost 10.8 percentage points, which was the largest turquoise loss in the capital ever. They only reached 9.7 percent.

Good Relationship with Resch

Figl's appointment became a nail-biter after Daniel Resch, the district chairman of Döbling, also entered the race. At a presidium meeting the day after the election, it was finally agreed that Figl would become party leader and Resch would become executive city councilor, should the ÖVP participate in the government - which will not happen now. "In this dynamic, these few hours from the election result to the next day, it turned out that way," he said when asked if he was surprised by the competitor's candidacy.

"But I believe it is not disgraceful for a party if two people are interested in it." Moreover, they are two successful district chairmen, Figl emphasized. "I think that is something very, very positive for the Vienna People's Party overall, that there are simply people who say: Yes, I would like to work on this." There was no spiteful comment in the relevant meeting, Figl reported.

"I can only say that I have always had a good relationship with Daniel Resch. We also had a longer one-on-one conversation during this meeting. And I believe and also hope that this relationship will continue to be a very good one," Figl expressed confidently. Otherwise, no major differences are apparent, he assured: "There has already been a second presidium meeting in the meantime." A state manager was elected there (Lorenz Mayer, note).

"And above all, there was also an election for the position of non-executive city councilor," Figl pointed out. Kasia Greco was nominated here with an "overwhelming majority." Figl defended the fact that the vice president of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce and not he himself takes on this office. Since he does not have a mandate in the municipal council, the city council post would have been the only way to enter the town hall.

Defending Stay in the District

"I have consciously decided to remain the district chairman of the Inner City. That is what I have applied for again in recent weeks. And the people have also expressed with their election result (the best district result for the ÖVP, note) that they would like that. And the district chairman is simply a role where you are close to the people," said Figl.

Being able to implement something is very important in politics. "And I believe that this is also the DNA of the ÖVP, that we want to implement something, that we actually want to do and move something." In the city government, this will remain denied to the People's Party. Because currently, SPÖ and NEOS are already negotiating a continuation of the coalition. Was he expecting this? "So the surprise was not very big," Figl revealed.

Red and Pink had already praised this form of coalition during the election campaign. However, it was important to participate in the exploratory talks. The new Vienna ÖVP leader assured that the discussions were conducted seriously. He described the election result itself as "very painful and disappointing." How it came about is now to be analyzed. "I believe that we really need to take a close look at this now. We should also take the time to do so."

Vienna ÖVP: New Chairman Figl Sees Unity in the Party

However, there are always "various causes" for a defeat. He did not want to commit to one, so it would not be said that he was making excuses. Nor did he want to give the impression of looking for a "scapegoat." He reaffirmed the presumption of innocence in connection with the indictment against Karl Mahrer (in the Wienwert case, note). After all, they went into the election with a team that had been decided by a large majority.

"We will certainly draw our conclusions from this result." The wake-up call has been received. Now they must also restructure themselves. This should happen by the next state party conference, where he will then be officially elected, Figl explained. Subsequently, the question must also be clarified: "Where should Vienna develop and what contribution should the Vienna People's Party make to it? And I believe that if we can really answer these questions, then we will also have good election results."

Party Conference in Autumn

The party conference will not take place until autumn. According to Figl, holding it before the summer is not feasible due to the deadlines. He has no preferences regarding the party color - whether the Vienna ÖVP is now black or turquoise: "I find both colors very beautiful."

As a district leader, Markus Figl gained notoriety, among other things, for advocating entry restrictions into the city. People who do not live there should, in principle, only be allowed to park in garages. He is pleased that the federal government has now announced that it will create the legal possibility for the necessary surveillance with cameras.

This would allow for more greening and a redesign of public space - as parking spaces on the surface are also to be eliminated, he enthused about the possibilities. Does he now demand such a concept for other districts as well? Here, Figl emphasizes that not everything can be treated the same: "Instead, you really have to look at it district by district."

The city center is to be assessed differently than, for example, an area district. In his view, the Lobau tunnel is necessary in any case. It will be necessary as a connecting axis, he stated.

(The interview was conducted by Gerald Mackinger/APA)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.