Debate about the prosecutor: FPÖ warns of green influence!

Debate about the prosecutor: FPÖ warns of green influence!

On May 22, 2025, a heated debate about a request brought by the Greens to reform the public prosecutor's office took place in the National Council. The FPÖ spokesman for incompatibility, NABG. Dr. Markus Tschank, expressed sharp criticism of the planned changes and questioned the need to discuss the order mode of the public lawyers instead of looking at the expansion of their skills. Tschank emphasized that the original idea of ​​the public prosecutor as the "lawyer of public law" according to Hans Kelsen was in danger, since the application of the Greens called for an external selection commission to appoint the public lawyers.

tsank pointed out that this step wanted to eliminate the entire ordering system of the prosecutor and saw this as a further attempt by the Greens to undermine the constitutional right of proposal of the FPÖ. He also warned that instead of democratically elected representatives, he should also warned who will become the vertical lawyer, which in his opinion weakens and the will of the Volks.

appointment and reform claims

In the background of this political discussion, the upcoming appointment of Elisabeth Schwetz (FPÖ) is the new prosecutor. NGOs like Amnesty International and Diakonie urgently call for a reform of the appointment procedure. They are committed to a more transparent procedure that includes a public tender and should ensure that the selection and appointment is based on lenses and transparent criteria. The consideration of candidates from different social classes as well as different educational and professional backgrounds is considered essential.

These claims are reaffirmed by international recommendations: In 2021, numerous states of Austria recommended a reform of the order procedure as part of the universal periodic review (UPR), but no structural changes have been implemented to date. This is considered inadequate, especially after a report by the Global Alliance for National Human Rights Institutions (Ganhri) in March 2022 sharply criticized the procedure regarding transparency and independence.

demands for more transparency

The civil society organizations appeal to the future government to include the reform of the occupation procedure in their government program. The required reforms include:

• Public tender of the position.
• diversity of the candidates from different social areas.
• Consultation and participation of civil society in the selection process.
• transparent and objective selection criteria.

The urgency of these reforms is underlined by international criticism, which underpins the reform requirement. Representatives of civil society agree that a comprehensive reform of the appointment procedure not only strengthens the independence of the public prosecutor, but can also ensure the trust of the public in this institution.

Overall, the current debates are against the background of a profound discussion about how the public prosecutor's office can be occupied in the future and guaranteed its independence. The upcoming decisions could have far -reaching consequences for institutional integrity and democratic processes in the country.

For further details on the discussions, please attend OTS href = "https://orf.at/stories/3376382/"> orf and Amnesty International .