Fellner warns SPÖ must act if support falls to 15 percent

Carinthia Governor and SPÖ leader Daniel Fellner said the party must change its team if national polling shows support at 13 to 15 percent, ORF reported after its final Carinthia summer interview of the year.

“I consider 15 percent to be a minor party,” Fellner said. He accused the federal party leadership of making tactical mistakes, arguing that it should have focused on one major measure against rising prices instead of introducing many smaller measures.

Fellner said it remained unclear whether Andreas Babler would be the SPÖ’s lead candidate at the next national parliamentary election. “The goal cannot be 15 percent. For me, that is the deadline,” he said.

Asked whether Babler should resign, Fellner said replacing the party leader would not solve the SPÖ’s problems. The party had repeatedly debated changing its number one in the hope that its performance would improve, he said, adding that the problems had to be addressed more broadly.

States should cooperate on renewable energy

On expanding renewable energy, Fellner proposed allowing cooperation between Austria’s federal states instead of imposing binding targets on each state individually.

He said Burgenland could build additional wind turbines on behalf of another state, while Carinthia could contribute more in areas such as hydropower. He also pointed to progress in photovoltaic energy in recent years and said Carinthia could provide more in that area.

Fellner defends no-profit care proposal

Fellner also stood by his demand that no profits should be made from care, despite criticism from the ÖVP, his coalition partner. Under his proposal, care homes could only be operated on a non-profit basis.

“I do not want some people to profit from an issue that will become even more serious in the future,” he said. If no other party supported the proposal, care would become an election issue, Fellner said.

Open to talks with FPÖ

Fellner described cooperation with the ÖVP-led coalition as “perfect” and almost friendly, despite differences in approach. He said he could imagine a coalition led by FPÖ state chairman Erwin Angerer, but not one involving FPÖ federal leader Herbert Kickl.

If the current situation remained unchanged, Fellner said he would hold talks with all parties, including Team Kärnten, and then assess where the greatest common ground lay. He said the SPÖ did not exclude the FPÖ from the outset.

Fellner rejects asylum distribution from Vienna

Fellner rejected a proposal from Vienna that other federal states should take in recognised asylum seekers because the capital has exceeded its asylum accommodation quota.

He said Vienna was partly responsible for the influx it had generated and that Carinthia had managed the situation well. Since he took responsibility for the issue, the number of people receiving basic support, including refugees, had fallen by 16 percent, he said.

Fellner added that states failing to meet their quotas would probably have to make compensation payments in the future.

SPÖ aims to hold ground in municipal elections

For the upcoming municipal elections, Fellner said the SPÖ’s goal was to become stronger or at least maintain its current position. He also saw an opportunity for the party to regain the mayor’s office in Klagenfurt, but did not say who would lead its campaign.