The current governor of the Austrian state of Burgenland, Hans Peter Doskozil – a known hardliner on migration matters – is in the pole position to become the new leader of the Social Democrat Party (SPÖ), with over 33% of party members backing him.
Doskozil, who made himself a name with his call for a tougher migration policy, gathered the most votes, though his path to leadership will not be easy.
Andreas Babler, the mayor of Traiskirchen, is a close contender with 31.5% support and has already announced that he plans to face Doskozil in a showdown for leadership at the special party conference scheduled on 3 June.
It would now be necessary to “form a united social democracy,” Doskozil said after the results were announced.
“The aim is to go into next year’s election in the same way, and winning it is, of course, also the most important goal next year,” he added.
Austrians will head to the polls in 2024 to vote for a new government.
The far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) currently leads the polls with around 27%, followed by the SPÖ with 23%.
Doskozil aims to win back voters from the FPÖ by adopting a harsher stance on migration. “I want to prove, and I believe it is possible (…) to make a better migration policy than the FPÖ,” he told ORF 3 earlier this month.
Doskozil also clarified he would not form a coalition with the FPÖ but rather work towards forming a german-style progressive alliance with the Greens and the liberal NEOS.
“I don’t need the Freedom Party for that, but I do need (…) the voters of the Freedom Party – we have to get them back. They will get an offer,” Doskozil stated in early May.
(Oliver Noyan | EURACTIV.de)
Read more with EURACTIV
French government presents its decarbonisation plan to meet EU targets
Source: euractiv.com
