Decision on Rendi-Wagner’s political future is imminent – Austria

For the first time in decades, the first May is not the most important May day for Austrian social democracy. Because the sixth of this month it is decided if the SPÖ will have to look for someone new to preside over the party in the midst of the crown crisis. Current chief Pamela Rendi-Wagner has made her whereabouts dependent on the result of a member survey, the result of which will be released on Wednesday.

In reality, the vote among the around 160,000 owners of a red book had already ended on April 2. However, what was justified by the fact that, in view of the crown measures, a 100-member board of directors was not feasible, and that the long-awaited result would be presented to this committee first, was not discussed.

Almost nothing has changed in these general conditions, but the circle around the party leader knew that the result could no longer stay under the towel, even more so than Burgenland Governor Hans-Peter Doskozil, barely on sick leave after your larynx. The operation returned, urgently requesting presentation.

No one yet knows how the vote ended. According to the part, the questionnaires sent by mail or online were kept safe and should only be evaluated shortly before the presentation on the board, which will take place in a specially rented room.

What makes things even more complicated is that Rendi-Wagner has not set up a barrier for himself. That said, it will initially depend on your own interpretation whether the thing is successful. There are two parameters to consider, participation and consent. A member survey by Christian Kern and others is used as a benchmark. on organizational issues that only made 22 percent participate in 2018.

In this regard, Rendi-Wagner should at least omit this value, the crown crisis with all its restrictions or not during the survey, with its confidence question, which was shattered against the rest of the party establishment. When it comes to pampering yourself, the minimum value is anything between 60 and 70 percent so you can continue at least with your head up to a point.

The party leader, who had been sidelined by a disastrous outcome of the National Council elections and poll scores have been falling ever since, had no easy task with her project anyway. The fact that she managed to overcome the trust issue in February at 12:10 in the meager party executive without agony or noise was not only an affront, but also a sign that larger sub-organizations would hardly do too much for them. . .

In the end, after a long hesitation, almost all the greats stood behind Rendi-Wagner in one way or another, but he was certainly able to record a solid performance as his own success. On the other hand: of the somewhat prominent parties, only the socialist youth made it clear that one wishes to continue with a new president. In Vienna, in particular, of course, he is angry that, before the Rendi-Wagner elections in the fall, a personal debate began that was unnecessary at the time from the Reds’ perspective of the capital.

However, the party’s superiors are anything but innocent of the fact that Rendi-Wagner began to flee forward. Across the red country, it was long believed that with the career changer (and its unpopular advisory staff) on top, you will have to look at the chancellor’s office from the outside longer. But no one wants to take over the store, Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig, no, Carinthian governor Peter Kaiser no, Doris Bures, second chairman of the National Council, and Doskozil, governor of Burgenland, at least not yet.

He is said to have nothing against a less ambitious party leader to be able to return to the national scene before the next federal election as a candidate for chancellor. Doskozil, who has an absolute majority in Burgenland, of course regularly denies this and, given its legal course, it would not be easy to implement.

There would be quite a few who would already feel called to lead the SPÖ on the path to success, but right now they don’t seem to be capable of a majority. The most recent topic was EU MP Andreas Schieder, who, given his bankruptcy in the EU elections and his defeat against Ludwig in the fight for the presidency of the Vienna party, does not exactly surround the aura of success. Then there is former federal manager Max Lercher, who should not be underestimated given his popularity at the grassroots level, who has established a network in the Red Lands. But it seems too difficult to control for the powerful of the party, some too young and too little polished. The union representative remains the president of railway life, Roman Hebenstreit. However, they are not considered too many even in the ÖGB.

In view of this difficult starting point, if you listen to the SPÖ, many party leaders would not be so wrong if Rendi-Wagner survived the members’ vote with a mediocre result. So, for now, the personnel issue would be off the table, but not forever, so if the poll was still low, one could make a change before the next election without snubbing party people. Rendi-Wagner might have last marked with her objective and competent appearance in the crown crisis. Here, the vaccinator also appeared to be significantly more stable and, above all, less artistic than, for example, during last year’s electoral movement.

The content of the survey is likely to be seen in Wednesday’s presentation. Because this not only overlaps the question of leadership, but has now been overcome by the crown crisis. In fact, it was planned that the base should set the course for the coming months by weighing 15 central questions of the Social Democracy. However, no matter what SPÖ members want, this will be determined by the pandemic and all its consequences.