The 2012 Austrian Election Interlude: The rise of Frank Stronach and more ...

[Tender Branson]

Here for example is the Gross Regional Product for Austrian NUTS regions:



So, wealthy regions in Austria vote for SPÖ and ÖVP alike, while poorer regions also vote for SPÖ and ÖVP alike.

The FPÖ tends to do better in wealthy areas, as well as the Greens.

The BZÖ only really exists in Carinthia.

[Sibboleth]

Of course that's not really a good way of measuring that kind of thing.

[Tender Branson]

Of course that's not really a good way of measuring that kind of thing.

Which indicators would you use ?

...

Anyway, new Market poll for Salzburg published in today's Standard newspaper:

40% ÖVP
39% SPÖ
12% FPÖ
  9% Greens
  0% BZÖ ()

Direct vote for Governor:

40% Gabriele Burgstaller (SPÖ)
21% Wilfried Haslauer (ÖVP)
  3% Karl Schnell (FPÖ)
  3% Cyriak Schweighofer (Greens)
  0% Robert Stark (BZÖ)

http://derstandard.at/1331206998476/Umfrage-Burgstaller-als-Landeshauptfrau-unangefochten

The ÖVP basically gains all the voters from the BZÖ, which got 4% in the 2009 state elections, while the numbers for the other parties are mostly unchanged.

[Californian Tony]

Robert Stark ? LOL

[Tender Branson]

Robert Stark ? LOL

Yepp:

[Tender Branson]

New Vorarlberg poll by "M&R Institut für Marktforschung":

51% ÖVP
25% FPÖ
14% Greens
  9% SPÖ
  1% Others

http://vorarlberg.orf.at/news/stories/2524624

SPÖ drops to single-digits. LOL.

Vorarlberg is to the SPÖ what Vienna is to the ÖVP. Single digit territory.

[Tender Branson]

New national poll by the historically accurate OGM institute for "Kurier":



The poll also asked: "Do you want SPÖVP continue to govern after the 2013 elections ?"

51% said "No", while 30% said "Yes".

Below that there are the preferred coalitions if SPÖVP are unable/unwilling to form a coalition again.



http://kurier.at/nachrichten/4488166-mehrheit-hat-genug-von-rot-schwarz.php

[Tender Branson]

New Vorarlberg poll:

44% ÖVP
25% FPÖ
14% SPÖ
13% Greens
  4% Others

http://www.vol.at/absolute-weg-vn-umfrage-zeigt-oevp-bei-44-prozent/3195680

[Tender Branson]

2 new polls:

Market/Standard

29% SPÖ
27% FPÖ
24% ÖVP
15% Greens
  4% BZÖ
  1% Others

http://derstandard.at/1331779942103/Umfrage-Klare-Mehrheit-gegen-Blaue-in-Regierung

ATV Austria Trend

29% SPÖ
27% FPÖ
23% ÖVP
13% Greens
  6% BZÖ
  2% Others

http://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20120322_OTS0081/atv-oesterreich-trend-oevp-mit-23-prozent-deutlich-hinter-fpoe-auf-platz-3

...

There's also a new article about FPÖ-leader Strache @ Reuters:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/22/us-austria-right-idUSBRE82L0A920120322

[Tender Branson]

The Innsbruck election, which takes place in about a month, has become considerably more interesting in the last week because the ÖVP changed their mayoral frontrunner from a mostly unknown guy to a more widely known and more popular guy. In the previous TT poll it looked like FI and its imcumbent Mayor Christine Oppitz-Plörer was pulling away from everyone else, but now the FI has taken a hit and is back in a tie again with the Greens and the ÖVP and Oppitz-Plörer herself has only 39% support left in the mayoral election, making a run-off likely:

[Tender Branson]

The FPÖ is about to overtake the SPÖ, according to the new Gallup poll for Ö24:

28% FPÖ
28% SPÖ
23% ÖVP
14% Greens
  3% BZÖ
  4% Others

http://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20120324_OTS0037/oesterreich-umfrage-fpoe-holt-spoe-ein-oevp-verliert

The Wolfgang Schüssel-era corruption scandals that are now investigated in a parliamentary investigation committee are really hurting the ÖVP, because most of the corrupt figures during the Schüssel-era (2000-2006) are from the ÖVP. There are also FPÖ and BZÖ figures involved, but it seems that voters are not blaming the FPÖ and BZÖ because they think that Strache and Bucher head the "new" FPÖ and BZÖ, while the corrupt figures were mostly the ones who worked for Jörg Haider and former Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel.

[Tender Branson]

Seen in Innsbruck, ahead of the municipial election next month:



"Love for the homeland, instead of Moroccan thieves"



"We defend our citizens, others defend asylum defrauders and criminals"

[Tender Branson]

Seen in Innsbruck, ahead of the municipial election next month:



"Love for the homeland, instead of Moroccan thieves"

There are now problems with the Moroccan embassy:

Austrian far-right party probed over ‘racist’ poster slammed by Morocco as ‘humiliating’

Friday, 30 March 2012

Austrian prosecutors said Friday they are investigating the far-right Freedom Party for alleged incitement of racial hatred after complaints about campaign posters for local elections next month.

The FPOe party’s posters for the election in the western city of Innsbruck carry the slogan “Heimat-Liebe statt Marokkaner-Diebe,” meaning “Patriotism not thieving Moroccans.”

The Moroccan embassy in Vienna issued an angry statement attacking what it called the FPOe’s “defamatory and discriminatory behavior” and accusing it of “humiliating, stigmatizing and discriminating against” the Moroccan community.

“The embassy condemns in the strongest possible terms this hurtful practice aimed only at winning votes at the cost of respect for fundamental human rights,” the Austria Press Agency (APA) quoted the statement as saying.

The FPOe, led by the charismatic Heinz-Christian Strache, is neck-and-neck in national opinion polls with Chancellor Werner Faymann’s Social Democrats, with Faymann’s federal coalition partners, the People’s Party, in third place.

The FPOe is hoping to win seats in Innsbruck city council, where it is currently not represented, in local elections on April 15. The next national vote is not due until 2013.

In January Strache provoked outrage after he allegedly said that the “persecution” of members of the far-right attending a controversial Viennese ball made them “the new Jews.”

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/03/30/204274.html

...

While I don't agree with the FPÖ-posters as they are implying all Moroccans are thieves and criminals, there is of course and there has been a serious problem with Moroccans in the city of Innsbruck. Almost all the drug trafficking and dealing at the Hauptbahnhof (rail station) Innsbruck is controlled by Moroccans, there have been shootings and stabbings and thefts among Moroccan (asylum seekers) and in 2009, four young Moroccan men raped a 17-year old Austrian girl in Innsbruck for a few hours and injured her critically. So, you see why the FPÖ does this. The party thinks that the city government, police and social workers have failed to contain the "Moroccan problem". Nonetheless, the FPÖ in Innsbruck is a joke party and even has a far-right rival list with the "LRF". Both of them combined will get about 20% of the vote next month. LRF maybe 11-12% and the FPÖ about 8-9%. At least the FPÖ got the attention they wanted with their "moroccan" posters and it's controversy.

[Tender Branson]

Typical FPÖ-strategy "We retreat, but not really ..." :

Far-right party defends anti-Moroccan slogan

VIENNA -- Senior officials from Austria's far-right party are defending election campaign posters that condemn so-called "Moroccan thieves" even after taking them down to avoid legal action.

The Freedom Party slogan for local elections in Innsbruck translates as "Love your home country instead of Moroccan thieves." The far-right party backs restrictions on immigration.

Innsbruck party officials said Sunday they were getting rid of the posters after Morocco threatened legal action and Austrian state prosecutors said they were considering criminal charges. August Penz, the party's local leader, said he "never intended to insult anyone."

But on Monday Gerald Hauser, the head of Tyrol's Freedom Party, said there was nothing wrong with the posters and urged Morocco to "take back its criminals."

The Freedom Party is Austria's second most popular.

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/04/02/4384084/far-right-party-defends-anti-moroccan.html

[Tender Branson]

New Innsbruck poll, conducted slightly ahead of "Morocco-gate":







http://regionaut.meinbezirk.at/innsbruck/politik/platzgummer-holt-stark-auf-rennen-voellig-offen-d157912.html

Interestingly, the ÖVP has now overtaken the FI for the first time - because of their new and more popular frontrunner.

Also, the FPÖ is ahead of the LRF in this poll, contrary to other polls.

And maybe the Pirates will take votes away from the Greens ?

And the Communists (KPÖ) takes votes away from the SPÖ ?

We'll have to wait for other polls to see what's happening there, because "Morocco-gate" is not yet reflected in these results.

[Tender Branson]

New Profil/Karmasin poll:

29% SPÖ
27% FPÖ
23% ÖVP
13% Greens
  2% BZÖ
  6% Others (KPÖ, CPÖ, Pirates etc.)

http://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20120405_OTS0009/profil-umfrage-freiheitliche-legen-zu-volkspartei-verliert-weiter

"Would you consider voting for the Austrian Pirate Party ?"

25% Yes
68% No

http://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20120405_OTS0010/profil-umfrage-jeder-vierte-haelt-piratenpartei-fuer-waehlbar

BTW, the Austrian Pirate Party is not comparable with the German one, it's a joke party and barely exists.

"Do you think classes in schools should start at 9am, rather than 8am ?"

20% Yes
69% No

http://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20120405_OTS0011/profil-umfrage-mehrheit-der-oesterreicher-gegen-unterrichtsbeginn-um-neun-uhr

[You kip if you want to...]

New Profil/Karmasin poll:

29% SPÖ
27% FPÖ
23% ÖVP
13% Greens
  2% BZÖ
  6% Others (KPÖ, CPÖ, Pirates etc.)

http://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20120405_OTS0009/profil-umfrage-freiheitliche-legen-zu-volkspartei-verliert-weiter

"Would you consider voting for the Austrian Pirate Party ?"

25% Yes
68% No

http://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20120405_OTS0010/profil-umfrage-jeder-vierte-haelt-piratenpartei-fuer-waehlbar

BTW, the Austrian Pirate Party is not comparable with the German one, it's a joke party and barely exists.

"Do you think classes in schools should start at 9am, rather than 8am ?"

20% Yes
69% No

http://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20120405_OTS0011/profil-umfrage-mehrheit-der-oesterreicher-gegen-unterrichtsbeginn-um-neun-uhr

Austrian school starts 8am? That's crazy.

[Tender Branson]

Austrian school starts 8am? That's crazy.

Not really, we are just up early ...

I always got up at 6:30 in the morning to catch the school bus.

But I have known others who had to get up at  5.30 or 6.00, because their school was 40 km away, and the bus stops every 2 or so km to pick up students ...

[Iannis]

New Profil/Karmasin poll:

29% SPÖ
27% FPÖ
23% ÖVP
13% Greens
  2% BZÖ
  6% Others (KPÖ, CPÖ, Pirates etc.)

http://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20120405_OTS0009/profil-umfrage-freiheitliche-legen-zu-volkspartei-verliert-weiter

"Would you consider voting for the Austrian Pirate Party ?"

25% Yes
68% No

http://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20120405_OTS0010/profil-umfrage-jeder-vierte-haelt-piratenpartei-fuer-waehlbar

BTW, the Austrian Pirate Party is not comparable with the German one, it's a joke party and barely exists.

"Do you think classes in schools should start at 9am, rather than 8am ?"

20% Yes
69% No

http://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20120405_OTS0011/profil-umfrage-mehrheit-der-oesterreicher-gegen-unterrichtsbeginn-um-neun-uhr

Austrian school starts 8am? That's crazy.

In Italy too. And I think that also worktime should start at the same time and not 9

[I left.]

My German high school started at 7:45 am.

[Sibboleth]

Madness. No wonder you people produced Hitler.

[Tender Branson]

Madness. No wonder you people produced Hitler.

Did school always start at 9 in the UK or did it start earlier in the past ?

[Tender Branson]

New Styria state elections poll by the good OGM institute:









http://www.kleinezeitung.at/nachrichten/politik/2990050/ja-zum-sparpaket-aber-minus-fuer-spoe-oevp.story

Pretty weird: Even though voters in Styria are happy with the SPÖVP government there and think that the state is on a good path and give the party leaders and their policies good grades, the SPÖ and the ÖVP are losing heavily compared with the 2010 state elections while the FPÖ, Greens and the KPÖ are gaining strongly. One good thing is that the BZÖ follows the path of the German FDP: into non-existance ...

[Χahar]

I have school from 7:35 to 12:35.

[Tender Branson]

I have school from 7:35 to 12:35.

Then you are obviously a fascist, according to our UKers ...