Trouble in the SPÖ election in Austria: the loser becomes the winner
In Austria, the wrong candidate was chosen as the winner in the election for SPÖ chairman due to a counting error: not Doskozil, but his competitor Babler got the most votes. The first rumors made the rounds in Vienna in the morning, two days after the SPÖ special party conference in Linz: an ORF journalist […] In Austria, the wrong candidate was chosen as the winner in the election for SPÖ chairman due to a counting error. Andreas Babler, the mayor of Traiskirchen and a surprise candidate, won the most votes. The counting error caused confusion between Doskozil and Babler. Babler has since been elected the new federal party chairman and is now working with his opponents to make a full recovery of social democracy. He has apologized for the mistake and has vowed to help the party recover from its previous missteps.
게시됨 : 2 년 전 ~에 의해 David Sadler ~에 Politics
In Austria, the wrong candidate was chosen as the winner in the election for SPÖ chairman due to a counting error: not Doskozil, but his competitor Babler got the most votes.
The first rumors made the rounds in Vienna in the morning, two days after the SPÖ special party conference in Linz: an ORF journalist had tweeted doubts about the election result, which was so important for the party. It’s about: Who is the party leader, who is leading the SPÖ as the top candidate in the National Council elections, next year at the latest?
And above all: In which direction is it going? More to the left, with Andreas Babler, the SPÖ mayor of the small town of Traiskirchen and a surprise candidate – or to the centre-right, with Hans-Peter Doskozil, the SPÖ governor of Burgenland, who also has experience in federal politics and stands for a strict migration policy and strong social policy ?
It was supposed to be Doskozil, everyone believed, until this afternoon – until Michaela Grubesa, head of the SPÖ election commission, took the oath of disclosure: “Unfortunately, the ballot papers did not match the digitally announced result.”
Not Doskozil, but Babler is the legally elected new SPÖ party leader, since the weekend. That was the result of the follow-up check – 53 to 47 percent for Babler, not the other way around. The second was the first, an Excel list was swapped, so the embarrassed explanation. “Thus, on June 3, at the last party conference, Andreas Babler was elected the new federal party chairman of the SPÖ, and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him.”
Then: short silence – head shaking – paralyzed horror. And soon thereafter a storm of indignation, which also reached the deputy SPÖ chairwoman Eva-Maria Holzleitner: “Anger, disappointment, joy, cheering, annoyance, confusion – I think all of our members have had all these emotions in this situation today , in the WhatsApp groups, in the signal groups and so on, it’s pretty busy now.”
One of the first to congratulate was Doskozil from Burgenland. At the weekend he spoke of a lifelong dream that has now burst: “You can imagine that this is not just a pleasant day for the Social Democrats, but also for me personally, it’s not a pleasant situation, but you have to take note of the election results take.”
He had demanded the same from his opponents. Now he is drawing the conclusion himself: “For me, the topic of federal politics is closed once and for all, and I would also like to say that at this point.”
Babler gave the “speech of his life” at the party conference, said a veteran SPÖ man respectfully afterwards. Apparently, Babler overturned the majority that was actually believed to be secure for the center-right man Doskozil. He himself remains cautious after the first recount: “If the result is correct after further and more detailed examination, then I will take over the office and the responsibility that the majority of the delegates have assigned to me.”
The counting failure hit the SPÖ in a phase of weakness, worn down by months of power struggles. Babeler is faced with a heap of broken glass that he didn’t cause. He still apologizes for it – and speaks of a comeback: “But I give my word that if I take over this party, I will work together with my team on the complete comeback of social democracy.”
How does he want to do that? No questions today, no answers – just an almost pleading request from the now chairman Babler to the SPÖ base: “Stick with it, help, let’s give the SPÖ back its pride and dignity together.”