Alarming situation in Vienna: SPÖ under pressure after coalition breakup!

Alarming situation in Vienna: SPÖ under pressure after coalition breakup!

The political situation in Vienna is coming to a head after intra-party tensions within the SPÖ continue to increase. FPÖ leader Dominik Nepp has vehemently criticized the migration policy of Mayor Michael Ludwig and SPÖ boss Andreas Babler. He points out that more and more SPÖ grandees, including Villach's mayor Günther Albel, are speaking out against the Vienna SPÖ's "irresponsible" asylum policy. After an Islamist terrorist attack in Villach, Albel is calling for an upper limit on asylum and warning against dangerous naivety in the asylum issue. “The Vienna SPÖ has failed with its welcoming policy, and we are faced with a ticking time bomb,” explains Nepp, as reported by OTS.

The situation is further aggravated by the failure of coalition talks between the SPÖ and ÖVP. After the Neos withdrew, the negotiations were unsuccessful, which led to Mayor Ludwig's disappointment. “In dramatic times, compromises would have had to be made,” says Ludwig about the failed negotiation. The FPÖ in particular is using the opportunity to shoot against Ludwig and the SPÖ chairman Babler and is calling for a fundamental change of course by the Social Democrats. FPÖ leader Nepp also emphasizes that the SPÖ's inability to negotiate and its decision not to commit to a realistic approach has led to political chaos and is calling for new elections, as stated by MyDistrict reported.

Nepp further criticizes that the termination of the talks clearly shows citizens that “ideology has triumphed over pragmatism”. He also calls for the Vienna election and the National Council election to be combined in order to save costs. Current developments show an unstable political environment in Vienna and raise doubts as to whether the SPÖ is able to form a viable government, while the FPÖ is trying to benefit from the other parties' current difficulties.