Back on the political parquet: Dornauer's next steps after the crisis

Back on the political parquet: Dornauer's next steps after the crisis

In the last meeting of the district committee of the SPÖ Innsbruck-Land, an important decision was made: it was unanimously decided that a early district conference should take place in early February. This goes back to an application by the current party leader Georg Dornauer. However, Dornauer left open about his possible renewed candidacy: "This is not the right time now". His support in the party still seems to be available, but voices have also become loud that show a distance to him, especially after his controversial hunting causa.

"The session was very factual", said Dornauer and referred to the appreciative voices that had asked him to remain. This feedback was positive. However, the 41-year-old, who was previously closely connected to his district organization, sees himself in a special situation due to the current situation.

retreat from top positions and new course

Two weeks ago that he would go back from his two highest party positions on December 19, but wanted to continue his role as a member of the state parliament. This gave him around 10,000 preferential votes in the 2022 state election, but it remains to be seen how long he will actually exercise this mandate. The SPÖ state club is concerned about its change to parliament and sees it more as temporary.

"I was always a thoroughbred politician," emphasized Dornauer, whose political career through the recent events has stuck to falter. According to his own statement, he "experienced a turning point", which means that he recognized how serious the situation is. Despite the internal party criticism, he wants to concentrate on his further steps and plans to hand over his offices properly before making a final decision about his political future.

The hunting causa as a turning point

The youngest hunting causa, which Dornauer made two weeks ago, could have been the decisive turning point in his career. A photo that shows him next to a shrewded deer caused controversy, since there has been a weapon ban against him since 2019. Dornauer always emphasized that he did not kill the deer himself and that the hat that shows him as a shooter did not belong to him. The public prosecutor's office in Innsbruck has now initiated investigations against him, which continues to complicate the situation.

The hunting trip took place in the luxury hunt Stüblergut in Styria, a privately guided hunt that is owned by Richard Benko. The involvement with Benko and a friendly Tyrolean hotelier has additionally burdened Dornauer's reputation, and the political consequences of these events are still uncertain. It remains to be seen how the situation will develop and what decisions Dornauer ultimately makes.