ÖVP blocks control: Democracy in danger in Vorarlberg!

ÖVP blocks control: Democracy in danger in Vorarlberg!

The Vorarlberg state parliament parties are faced with another failed attempt to expand the control rights in the state parliament. As vorarlberg.orf.at , lasting for months remained without agreement after the People's Party (ÖVP) ended the talks. A central point of dispute was the arbitration body for deliveries of the files, whereby the ÖVP insisted on a unanimous vote result, which could not be achieved. The opposition, led by Greens, SPÖ and NEOS, sees this a strategy of the ÖVP to prevent the reform as a whole and to further curtail the control rights.

The opposition parties had brought a new application to the Reformation of the Investigation Committee in January, but this was rejected by the ÖVP on Wednesday. According to the Greens MP Eva Hammerer, this is a setback for democracy in Vorarlberg, while Neos club chairwoman Claudia Gamon described the refusal as "stunned" and pointed out that the ÖVP continues to shy away. The SPÖ MP Reinhold Einwallner also expressed his disappointment and emphasized that transparency are fundamental requirements for a democratic society.

Current political situation in the state parliament

The composition of the Vorarlberg state parliament remained stable after the last elections. As in the list of MPs to the Vorarlberg Landtag , the ÖVP dominates with 17 of 36 mandates, consisting of SPÖ, Greens, Greens, FPÖ and Neos, a total of 19 seats - a clear representation of the political landscape in the country. The lack of an agreement on control rights could lead to further tensions in the state parliament in the future, while the government parties continue to act against the reforms raised in order to be able to pursue their strategies undisturbed.