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“What else has to happen before Anschober resigns? The measure is complete.” Just before 8 am, the leader of the federal FPÖ party, Norbert Hofer, was back in attack mode on Thursday due to the corona epidemic against the turquoise-green federal government and health minister Rudi Anschober (Greens) . In a broadcast, the leader of the liberal party, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, asked to pull the “emergency brake” to his member of the government after recently it became known the deficiencies in the masks for the employees of the nursing homes and for the elderly .
Hofer returned to his role as chairman of an opposition party. The head of the FPÖ had himself put the emergency brake on his own party just a few hours earlier and also assured in a broadcast that the FPÖ gave “no recommendation” not to participate in the massive staggered crown tests in the federal states scheduled for December. .
The FPÖ president put a stop to the blue social spokesperson Dagmar Belakowitsch. The FPÖ politician had asked the population in a press conference hours earlier on Wednesday not to participate in the massive crown tests that took place on the weekend of 5./6. December will start in Tyrol and Vorarlberg and a week later, on December 12 and 13. December in Upper Austria, Salzburg and Carinthia will continue to participate. This call was in the style of a call for elections.
Looking for direction as an opposition party
“It should be clear that neither tests nor vaccines should be subjected to direct or indirect coercion, for example through the repression of people who decide not to be tested or vaccinated,” Hofer emphasized in his communication. The president of the federal party FPÖ, who is also the third president of the National Council, wanted to know that his party left the decision to all citizens. Because this certainly also depends on the living environment of each citizen.
With the push of the blue social spokesperson to practically boycott the massive corona tests, and the clarification of the FPÖ president, it became clear how difficult freedom is more than a year after the collapse of the federal government of the ÖVP-FPÖ after the video of Ibiza and well a year after the collapse in the elections to the National Council and a good month after the blue defeat in the elections to the Vienna municipal council, ends up causing the crisis of the Crown. On the one hand, the FPÖ tries to unite those citizens and voters behind it who are angry about the crisis management of the turquoise-green federal government crown and, on the other hand, to target those Austrians who are generally skeptical. over the crown or questioning the extent of disease. On the other hand, Hofer is particularly interested in pointing out to the outside world that the freedom of the individual citizen is important in a liberal party he leads.
Christmas controversy
As an opposition party in particular, many FPÖ politicians see strident tones and drastic demands, such as those from FPÖ club president Herbert Kickl, as a possible recipe for returning to the upward path after losing the election. Belakowitsch, a Viennese FPÖ politician and a longtime MP, has called for a massive test boycott: “Please don’t take the test if you want to get through Christmas undisturbed.” He combined this with the warning that anyone who tests positive would have to spend Christmas in quarantine.
While Chancellor Kurz in particular promotes mass tests because they would ensure Christmas in the family, the FPÖ social spokesperson wanted to show the exact opposite. Therefore, Kurz also criticized the call for a boycott as “highly irresponsible.” Hofer then rowed again with the message that there was no call for non-participation in the mass tests.
At the state level, the Freedom Party is particularly in a dilemma. In Upper Austria, the FPÖ has been in coalition with the ÖVP since 2015. There it leads Deputy Governor Manfred Haimbuchner, who is also Hofer’s deputy at the federal level, who for 12/13. December established massive tests in the country above Enns with.
