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Austrian chancellor steps down after election drubbing

Austria's Chancellor Werner Faymann is stepping down and will also resign as head of the Social Democrats.

Published: 9 May 2016 12:52 CEST
Austrian chancellor steps down after election drubbing
Werner Faymann. Photo: SPOe

He told a press conference on Monday that Austria needed a chancellor whose party stood behind him and that the government needed a new start. 

Faymann's future looked highly uncertain after his party's candidate was knocked out of the presidential race and there were disagreements within the party over the migrant crisis, and whether to cooperate with the right-wing Freedom Party. 

On April 24 the Freedom Party's candidate Norbert Hofer came a clear first in the first round of elections for the largely ceremonial post of president with 35 percent of the vote.

Signing off at the end of the press conference, Faymann said he was stepping down “for Austria” and that he was “extremely thankful to have been able to serve my country”. The SPÖ will announce a new leader later on Monday afternoon. 

The centre-left Faymann, 56, chancellor since 2008, said in a statement that he no longer had “strong backing” in his party, the Social Democrats (SPOe).

“As a result of this insufficient support I am drawing the consequences and resign my functions as party leader and chancellor, effective today,” he said.

The SPOe and its coalition partner since 2008, the centre-right People's Party (OeVP), have dominated Austrian politics since World War II but their support has been sliding in recent years.

At the last general election, in 2013, they only just scratched together a majority, and polls suggest doing so again at the next scheduled vote in 2018 will be difficult.

Mirroring similar trends across Europe, the two main parties have been bleeding support to fringe groups, in Austria's case in particular to the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe), the former party of the controversial, late Joerg Haider.

The far-right has tapped into growing unease about immigration after Austria last year saw 90,000 people claim asylum, and around 10 times that number pass through at the high point of Europe's migrant crisis.

But the two parties have also presided over a rise in unemployment, with Austria losing its crown as the EU member with the lowest unemployment. The coalition has also squabbled over structural reforms.

Far-right on the rise

The FPOe is leading national opinion polls and on April 24, in the first round of elections to the largely ceremonial post of president, the FPOe's Norbert Hofer came a clear first with 35 percent.

Hofer, 45, who presents himself as the friendly and reasonable face of the FPOe, will now face Alexander van der Bellen, a former head of the Greens who came second, in a runoff on May 22.

The two hapless candidates from the ruling coalition parties were relegated into distant fourth and fifth places, failing to make it through to the runoff with just 11 percent of the vote each.

This historic failure means that for the first time since 1945, there will not be a president from within these two parties in Vienna's Hofburg palace.

This in turn could mean that the new president might make use of some of the considerable powers afforded to the head of state under Austria's constitution that until now have been not been used.

In theory the Austrian president can fire the government — as Hofer has threatened to do if elected — or dissolve parliament.

It was unclear on Monday who would succeed Faymann, with the government in theory having two more years to govern.

The popular mayor of Vienna, Michael Haeupl, will take over from Faymann on an interim basis as party chief, saying the SPOe needed a “phase of reflection”.

Christian Kern, currently the head of the national railways company, and Gerhard Zeiler, former chief of national broadcaster ORF, have been touted as possible replacements.

(Updated with AFP reporting.)

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POLITICS

Why does Austria rank so badly for press freedom?

Between political scandals and a decreasing media market, Austria has consistently ranked low in analyses of worldwide press freedom, but it has reached its lowest point this year.

Published: 3 May 2024 12:41 CEST
Why does Austria rank so badly for press freedom?

When we think about countries where there are issues with press freedom, it’s usually the places that are war zones or dictatorships that come to mind. So the fact that Austria ranks only 32nd in the latest Reporters Without Borders (RSF) press freedom index may seem surprising to many people.

This is the country’s worst result to date, as it slipped from the 29th position it held last year. In 2024, Austria ranks in the middle of the countries classified as “satisfactory,” behind Moldova and ahead of Mauritania. Only eight countries are rated as having a “good” situation. The 22nd edition of the Press Freedom Index covers 180 countries worldwide.

According to Fritz Hausjell, President of RSF Austria, there are many reasons why Austria has fallen behind. The judiciary is investigating “highly problematic close relationships and suspected corrupt practices between the governing party ÖVP and several major media outlets”, he said, according to an ORF report. In addition, the judiciary is investigating the far-right FPÖ’s role in possible advertising corruption.

“In Austria, press freedom has been undermined by various political pressures or restrictions on access to information. Violence at public events prevented journalists from reporting freely”, RSF said.

READ ALSO: How Austria has tightened laws to prevent political corruption

Small market and political influences

“With just a dozen major outlets, the media market is small and very concentrated”, according to the RSF report. Additionally, tabloids have the largest readership, and there have been many attempts to influence both state and privately-owned media, with RSF calling the practice “constant”.

“Some politicians are suspected of having used public funds to buy favourable coverage in the tabloid media, while others have tried to intervene by directly going to editorial offices, such as former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. He was forced to resign in 2021 due to suspicions of buying positive coverage in a privately owned newspaper. Journalists are sometimes the targets of political attacks coming from the extremes”, the report stated.

There have been significant scandals after corruption allegations between politicians and the media.

Most recently, prosecutors said an investigation into several former government members for alleged bribery, corruption, and breach of trust was opened in mid-April. Herbert Kickl, the hardline leader of Austria’s right-wing Freedom Party (FPOe)—currently leading polls ahead of elections expected in September—is suspected of commissioning adverts and paying for them with public money.

READ ALSO: The Kurz corruption scandal exposes Austria’s press freedom problems

In late 2021, a major media graft scandal erupted in the Alpine country. Austria’s former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and his inner circle were accused of using public funds to pay for polls skewed to boost his image on Austrian tabloid media. It eventually led to Kurz’s resignation and exit from politics.

Of course, one of the country’s most infamous political scandals, the so-called Ibizagate that blew up in 2019, also shows Austrian leaders’ and major media’s murky underground connections. At the time, a leaked video showed then FPÖ leader and vice-chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache in a 2017 meeting on the Spanish resort island of Ibiza with a woman posing as the niece of a Russian oligarch.

Among the many controversial statements, Strache was filmed discussing the possibility of the woman buying Austria’s most-read tabloid, Kronen Zeitung, and making its editorial line more pro-FPOe.

READ MORE: ‘Ibizagate’ – What you need to know about the Austrian political corruption scandal

But it’s not just the tabloid media that has shrouded connections to those in power. In 2022, two prominent Austrian journalists, editors of reputed media such as Die Presse and ORF, had to resign over leaked chats between them and politicians. The chats showed discussions over appointments with the public broadcaster ORF and friendly notes with “inappropriate closeness” between them and political leaders.

Outdated legal framework and harassment

Although various bills are being discussed, Austria is the last EU member state without a freedom of information law. Journalists are, moreover, concerned about certain political parties’ attempts to restrict their access to judicial information. 

Journalists are also harassed by various interest groups and societal movements. They are liable to censor themselves as a result of online attacks based on their gender, social class, ethnicity or religion. 

After the COVID-19 pandemic, the war between Russia and Ukraine has become an issue that is polarising Austrian society and encouraging people to question journalism, the report highlighted.

READ ALSO: ‘Reforms needed urgently’ – Is Austria becoming more corrupt?

Additionally, reporters’ coverage of protests is facing significant obstruction by police, who use frequent identity checks to harass them and threaten legal action. Women journalists are particularly at risk. Newsrooms often receive threatening letters and messages, according to the report.

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