Austrian Elections & Politics - Version 1.0

[Tender Branson]

The SPÖ board has now voted to accept the coalition contract.

This hour, Faymann and Spindelegger are @ the President to inform him about the coalition deal and the cabinet choices.

At 5pm (in ca. 30 minutes), they will hold a press conference for the journalists.

You can watch this here:

http://megatv.to/Live-Stream/allgemein/orf-2-2.html

Over the weekend, the President will meet and talk with cabinet members to see if they are qualified for the job (this is only a formality, but by law the President could actually refuse to swear in a cabinet member if he thinks this person is not qualified).

On Monday, the President will swear in the whole cabinet.

On Tuesday, the new Cabinet will hold their first speeches in the National Council. The speech of the Chancellor is traditionally the first and longest (the so called Regierungserklärung).

[Tender Branson]

The new cabinet (via the APA):

[Tender Branson]

Side fact:

After hitting a high during Gusi's government with 44% women, the share of women in the cabinet is now back down to 29% (only counting the ministers, not the state secretaries).

http://derstandard.at/1385171050946/Damals-wie-heute-Wenige-Frauen-in-der-Regierung

[ERvND]

Do you know something about those two secretaries of state of the treasury? Seems quite absurd to me - only two secretaries in the whole government, and then both within the same department.

[Tender Branson]

Do you know something about those two secretaries of state of the treasury? Seems quite absurd to me - only two secretaries in the whole government, and then both within the same department.

That has to do with primarily 2 facts:

* The "triple-burden" of Michael Spindelegger, who's now Finance Minister (virtually the most important cabinet post), Vice-Chancellor and party leader of the ÖVP. That's why they agreed to appoint 2 state secretaries to "help him out" in the ministry. Originally, it was only planned that Sonja Steßl became the only state secretary for Spindelegger, but the ÖVP wanted one too. Don't know exactly why ... Maybe they just don't need state secretaries for other cabinet posts ?

* The other reason is that the SPÖVP government wanted to cut the overall size of the cabinet to show the public that "they can also cut something in their own backyard", instead of only cutting programs for the public etc. - Also, it wasn't possible to cut and merge too many cabinet posts, so they abolished a few of the state secretary posts.

[Tender Branson]

President Fischer had meetings with each of the 5 new cabinet members today to see if they are competent for the job:

[Tender Branson]

The FPÖ is already criticizing the new Family & Youth Minister Sophie Karmasin for "not being independent" ...

http://www.hcstrache.at/neo-oevp-ministerin-karmasin-war-keine-unabhaengige-expertin

Karmasin, who is a major pollster (Karmasin Motivforschung) here, as well as a psychologist and TV commentator on the ORF, had the FPÖ at 21% in their last poll before the election.

They got 20.5% ...

For comparison: The ÖVP appointed her as a minister and their last poll had the ÖVP at 23% (the ÖVP got 24% on election day).

I've also followed her analysis some times on the ORF and not only is she very competent and sticks to the facts, she also never had any bias for the ÖVP.

So, classical crap coming from the FPÖ here.

[Tender Branson]

Kurz, the youngest foreign minister in the EU now, gets surprisingly good reviews from the foreign press.

Some find it funny that a 27-year old will now meet the "olds" like John Kerry ...

[Tender Branson]

New Gallup poll and again a lead for the FPÖ (this time shared with the SPÖ):



...

Also:



71% of Austrians are disappointed about the new government and their plans, presented in the last days.

13% are OK with it.

Even 57% of ÖVP voters and 52% of SPÖ voters are disappointed.

...

And:

63% are in favour of increasing taxes for alcohol and tobacco products to achieve a balanced budget by 2016.

Only FPÖ voters oppose a tax increase for alcohol and tobacco with 53%.

Link

[Tender Branson]

Today's OGM poll for the "Kurier":



"How satisfied are you with the new coalition contract ?"

26% very/somewhat satisfied
52% not really/not at all satisfied

"Who came out on top in the new coalition contract ?"

16% Spindelegger (ÖVP)
  7% Faymann (SPÖ)
21% both equally
44% none of them

"Which of these tax increases in the next years do you find OK ?"

Alcohol tax: 68-29 approve
Car tax: 27-72 disapprove
Tobacco tax: 77-20 approve

"The average actual pension entry age will be raised from 58.4 to 60 years until 2018. Do you find this ..."

54% the right way
21% too early
17% too slow

"Do you think the retirement increase to 60 until 2018 will be accomplished ?"

26% Yes
63% No

"Do you think the new SPÖVP coalition will govern the whole legislative term until 2018 or will there be early elections ?"

42% will govern the whole term
37% there will be new elections earlier

"Do you think there will be an income tax cut in the next 5 years ?"

  4% Yes
85% No

[Tender Branson]

Program for tomorrow:

* 10.40am: Signing of the coalition contract @ the Federal Chancellery

* the new cabinet will then walk over to the office of the Federal President @ the Hofburg

* 11.00am: President Heinz Fischer will officially swear in the new cabinet

* 12.20pm: the cabinet will walk back to the Federal Chancellery and hold their first joint meeting (the so called Ministerrat -> Minister Council)

* 2pm: lunch

* after 3pm: the new cabinet members visit their offices to officially get the keys from the old cabinet members (Amtsübergabe)

[Yeahsayyeah]

So there is no actual election of the chancellor in Austria? How do you decide, weither the chancellor/cabinet has a majority in the national assembly?

[Swedish Rainbow Capitalist Cheese]

So there is no actual election of the chancellor in Austria? How do you decide, weither the chancellor/cabinet has a majority in the national assembly?

If he/she doesn't there'll be a vote of no confidence.

[Tender Branson]

So there is no actual election of the chancellor in Austria? How do you decide, weither the chancellor/cabinet has a majority in the national assembly?

If he/she doesn't there'll be a vote of no confidence.

Exactly. Read more about the process here:

http://www.parlament.gv.at/ENGL/PERK/KONTR/POL/7MISSTRAUENSVOTUM/index.shtml

[Tender Branson]

The government has now been sworn in (with some protests, mainly from the Left, outside):











"Wealth Tax Now !"



"The Social Democrats are pussies ! (in the sense of "having no balls")



"Science/Research/University Ministry: Born 1970, Died 2013"

(The Ministry was created in 1970 under Socialist Chancellor Kreisky, now with the help of the SPÖ, it was "killed" and merged with the Economy Ministry. Of course there's an outcry amongst the intellectuals that Science/Research/University is now subordinated in the Economy Ministry.)



"Where is the wealth tax ?"

"The richest 1%: 469 Bio. €"

"Federal Debt: 234 Bio. €"

[Tender Branson]

2 cabinet members added a religious reference to their swearing in:

The Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) added:

"... so wahr mir Gott helfe"

("... so help me God")

The new Agriculture Minister Andrä Rupprechter (ÖVP) even added:

"... so wahr mir Gott helfe und mit dem Herzen Jesu Christi"

("... so help me God and with the heart of Jesus Christ")

...

According to the law, religious references can be added to the pledge.

[Tender Branson]

First "family" picture of the new government:



Faymann Cabinet II

Front row (from left) Rudolf Hundstorfer, Sophie Karmasin, Gabriele Heinisch-Hosek, Michael Spindelegger, Werner Faymann, Doris Bures, Johanna Mikl-Leitner, Sonja Stessl, Reinhold Mitterlehner

Back row (from left) Andrä Rupprechter, Sebastian Kurz, Gerald Klug, Alois Stöger, Josef Ostermayer, Wolfgang Brandstetter und Jochen Danninger

[Tender Branson]

In front of the building, students held a symbolic funeral today for the Science/Research/University Ministry that was "killed" by the SPÖVP government after it was created 43 years ago by the Socialist government:

[ERvND]

2 cabinet members added a religious reference to their swearing in:

Nice piece of information.

I'm surprised, however, that only two cabinet members added the religious reference. In Germany, I bet, all CDU/CSU members and maybe half of the SPD members will add it.

Given that the ÖVP is even more catholic and clerical than CDU/CSU, I wonder why "so help me God" is so uncommon among its cabinet members.

[Tender Branson]

The "declaration of government" by Faymann is now over.

Strache (FPÖ) now speaking.

Live stream:

http://megatv.to/Live-Stream/allgemein/orf-2-2.html

[Tender Branson]

New Salzburg state election poll by GMK (Salzburg is my home state btw):



http://www.meinbezirk.at/salzburg-stadt/politik/sonntagsfrage-gruene-ueber-wahlergebnis-team-stronach-abgeschlagen-m5568671,787050.html

Red is the new poll, grey is the last state election in May.

[Tender Branson]

(Reuters) - A wave of protests against Austria's new government escalated as tens of thousands of civil servants demonstrated in Vienna on Wednesday for better pay and an end to a hiring freeze.

The centrist government sworn in this week had promised continuity and to protect living standards, but immediately provoked the ire of several groups by scrapping the science ministry and taking a hard line on balancing the budget.

Police said 40,000 civil servants took part in the demonstration in front of Vienna's imperial Hofburg Palace, angered by a below-inflation pay offer after a pay freeze last year, and a stop to hiring that has depleted staff numbers.



The demonstration followed large protests this week by egg-throwing students and school pupils angry at the demise of the science ministry and the start of new school-leaver tests.

"The government in general is totally focused on saving money," said Eveline Ostermann, a 52-year-old leader of the financial civil servants' union who had travelled from Austria's second city, Graz, for the demonstration.

"We're losing more and more staff and at the same time we have to do more with less money," she said. "At some point, the party's over."

Austria's 200,000 tenured civil servants attract envy for the security of their positions and pensions, as well as pay structures that guarantee them increases every two years independently of across-the-board pay negotiations.

But the trade unions organizing the protest highlighted their lowly paid members, who include janitors, kindergarten assistants and rubbish collectors.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/18/us-austria-politics-protest-idUSBRE9BH0W120131218

[Tender Branson]

For your information:

The government offers a pay-rise of 1.7% for all civil servants next year, the Union wants 2.3%

The inflation for the past year (relevant for government pay-deals) was 2.3%

Inflation has meanwhile fallen to 1.4% in November.

[Tender Branson]

New Gallup poll today:



The liberal NEOS reaches a new high, the ÖVP reaches a new low. Probably some vote flows between them.

[DC Al Fine]

New Gallup poll today:



The liberal NEOS reaches a new high, the ÖVP reaches a new low. Probably some vote flows between them.

Makes sense I guess. OVP's positions are a bit outdated if they want to be the main centre-right party. There's a definitely a niche on the centre-right in socially liberal suburban types that OVP isn't really serving.