NEOS Leader Wiederkehr Hopes for Renewed Coalition with SPÖ after Vienna Election

His role as the top candidate for the NEOS in the Vienna election is something the newly sworn-in Minister of Education in early March wants to "fully embrace" and contribute politically as the chairman of the Vienna NEOS, but he does not seek any further position in Vienna. As a minister, he feels "responsible for all schools in Austria," he stated in an interview with the APA.

NEOS Leader Wiederkehr Aims for Gains in Vienna Election

Wiederkehr set "an increase in votes" as the election goal and expressed confidence that a majority for SPÖ and NEOS will be achieved. The SPÖ must decide whether to continue a well-functioning, "future-oriented," and "progressive" coalition with the NEOS or to form a coalition with another party, which in the past has resulted in "stagnation or show politics." Key focuses in a renewed government would continue to be strengthening elementary education and schools, relieving the economy, and further measures such as the expansion of solar energy and geothermal energy to make Vienna CO2-neutral by 2040.

Wiederkehr was once again nominated as the top candidate for the Vienna election at a member meeting of the Vienna Pink on February 22 - just on the day when ÖVP, SPÖ, and NEOS at the federal level agreed to form a three-party coalition on the second attempt. He has been the new Minister of Education for a week now. "In life, things often turn out differently than planned," Wiederkehr defends this situation. He rejects the accusation of deceiving voters. "I say very honestly and openly that I will not seek a position in Vienna, but as a minister, I will certainly advocate for Vienna's schools." Anyway, the NEOS have always been more than just one person. He will conduct the election campaign as a team with the current City Councillor for Education Bettina Emmerling and Club Chairwoman Selma Arapovic.

For Vienna, the current combination of a pink Minister of Education and a pink City Councillor for Education can only be positive. As City Councillor for Education, Wiederkehr repeatedly engaged in a public dispute with his predecessor Martin Polaschek (ÖVP) in recent months because, in his view, the federal capital received too few resources for children needing German language support. "Now is the chance for the federal government and Vienna to finally tackle the huge challenges in the education sector hand in hand."

Unified Social Assistance as Relief for Vienna

Improvements for Vienna are also expected by Wiederkehr through the plan of the ÖVP-SPÖ-NEOS coalition at the federal level to standardize social assistance nationwide. However, the NEOS were unable to push through their demand for a residency requirement for asylum seekers. Recognized refugees would only receive social assistance if they spent a certain amount of time in the federal state where their asylum procedure was processed. This should deter them from moving to Vienna, where schools have recently been under pressure due to intensive family reunification. However, the residency requirement is mainly needed when social benefits are too different. "But if there is a standardization here, which is the goal of this government, then that is a big relief and a big step towards better distribution, but also better integration of people who come to us."

NEOS Leader Wiederkehr Defends Against Criticism

Wiederkehr has rejected criticism from the opposition regarding his four-year tenure as City Councilor for Education and Integration in an interview. The ÖVP, FPÖ, and Greens accused him of not doing enough to address the staff shortage in kindergartens and to promote German language education for children and adolescents. He stated that he was "City Councilor for Education during a crisis period," referring to the COVID-19 pandemic and the many additional students due to the Ukraine war and family reunification. Nevertheless, it was possible to organize a good school place for all children and additionally launch a German language initiative, implement measures against violence, and start school development projects such as the Vienna Education Promise and the Vienna Education Opportunities.

NEOS Approval for Lobau Tunnel Uncertain

He also did not accept the claim that the NEOS, as a coalition partner, had betrayed pink values such as more control and transparency. "My political style is to make things happen and not to rant." After the controversy over the disputed emergency loans for Wien Energie, there was a comprehensive review, and the NEOS ensured, for example, that the outsourced area can now also be controlled by parliament, and there is a new risk management at Wien Energie. Wiederkehr did not want to commit to whether the NEOS, as part of the federal government, would support the construction of the Lobau Tunnel, which the Vienna NEOS had previously rejected for cost reasons. "We have a massive budget deficit. This requires massive savings, and this will have to be considered as part of an overall package and then decided in the government."

(APA/Red)

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