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Michael Ludwig sees the SPÖ Vienna in an interview with the “press” as a “strong partner” of the federal party.
Die Presse: You won, but you didn’t get an absolute majority and you only got a few FPÖ voters. Does that hurt a bit?
Michael Ludwig: On the one hand, an absolute majority was not in sight in a single poll, and on the other hand, I only took office as mayor two years ago. My goal has always been to achieve the result of my predecessor Michael Häupl, which was 39.6 percent in 2015. It was a very good result. I am very happy to have achieved not only this result, but even to have surpassed it. And how many former FPÖ voters I spoke to is not that important to me because I make an offer to all Viennese, regardless of who has voted before.
But wouldn’t this have been a good time for voters to come back from the FPÖ?
In fact, I am satisfied that we are a party that has grown in difficult times and that we have significantly increased the gap with the second strongest party. We are twice as strong as the second strongest party, the difference with the second strongest party was eight percent in the last elections, now it should be 21.22 percent. As a result, it will be difficult to speak ill of this electoral result.
The runner-up ÖVP have come a long way. Doesn’t the will of the electorate point in the direction of red-turquoise?
I have always ruled out a coalition with the FPÖ and the HC Strache team. Now there are three games, all three have advanced, and of different levels. For example, Neos have a third more votes than in 2015. The important thing is that now you can find overlaps in terms of content and develop a program for the future that could mean a leap forward for the city.
Is there a topic that is particularly important?
For me, especially now in the crisis of the crown, it is important that we adjust the health system financed with public funds, which is also the reason why we overcome the crisis so well, that we adapt it to the situation. Like the effects of the crown crisis in Vienna as a business location, the effects on small and medium-sized enterprises, but above all the fact that the labor market is stabilizing. For me it is important to fight for each job and to look for allies for this fight. At the same time, I would like to reform the education system, as this year we have marked a milestone with free school all day in 70 locations in Vienna. But there are other challenges, and that also applies to projects against climate change. It will be seen with which party it will be easier to address all these priorities.
Now you have mentioned education before the climate problem. Are the Neos an exciting new variant coming into play?
There are three parties that are interested in forming a coalition with the SPÖ, and now I will look at the first conversations where there are the most overlaps in terms of content, and then I will conduct in-depth coalition talks with the party.
Is there a schedule? Until when do you want to have a municipal government?
Very quickly, I will wait for the final result now, which will be available on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. And then I will make appointments with all parties very quickly.
Do you have any advice for the federal party on the success of the elections?
These are different framework conditions. We have been a very successful ruling party in Vienna for a long time and we have the opportunity to show what the social democracy is capable of implementing. The federal party is in the opposition, in a difficult moment and therefore the framework conditions are very different. But I will be happy to contribute to the federal party in the future and I will also see the SPÖ Vienna as a very strong partner of the federal party.
(“Die Presse”, print edition, October 12, 2020)
