NEOS Committees Approve Exploratory Talks After Vienna Election

The NEOS committees voted after the Vienna election for exploratory talks with the SPÖ, according to state spokesperson and Minister of Education Christoph Wiederkehr after the consultations. "We are available," he emphasized.

NEOS Negotiation Team for Explorations Set

A negotiation team was also presented by the NEOS. In addition to Wiederkehr, it consists of Deputy Mayor Bettina Emmerling, club leader Selma Arapovic, Emmerling's office manager Jacqueline Löschel, state manager Philipp Kern, and councilors Markus Ornig and Stefan Gara. There is no date for an exploratory round yet - but already "informal talks," as Wiederkehr revealed.

Wiederkehr once again joyfully referred to the election result. "We as NEOS have achieved a historic result." The NEOS were able to slightly increase on Sunday and even reach double digits with a 10 percent share of the vote. "We have achieved all our goals," emphasized the Vienna NEOS leader. Only one thing remains, namely staying in the city government.

"It is not a given that a junior partner can gain in times of crisis," he pointed out. However, the NEOS have always addressed problems, he noted. That the coalition as a whole was able to gain votes was also seen by Wiederkehr as an argument for continuing Red-Pink.

Education as NEOS Desired Portfolio After Vienna Election

He made no secret of the fact that they would like to continue holding the current portfolio. It would be good if the NEOS continued to be responsible for education, he was convinced. Wiederkehr himself was the city councilor for education in recent years, and after his move to the federal level, Emmerling took over the office.

They want to bring into the explorations that a "real catch-up race" in education is necessary. An upswing for businesses should also be supported, said Wiederkehr. However, he did not want to publicly formulate specific demands or even red lines before the talks.

The principle of negotiations is that they take place confidentially, he asked for understanding. However, he reaffirmed: "We are ready for explorations, we are ready for negotiations."

(APA/Red)

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