12. 07. 10. - 15:00

SPÖ reputation recovers in tax row

The People’s Party (ÖVP) is slumping in popularity after months of coming top in various polls, new research suggests.

Viennese public opinion agency Karmasin found that 26 per cent of Austrians would back Social Democratic (SPÖ) Chancellor Werner Faymann given the chance to elect the chancellor in a direct vote. Just 23 per cent back ÖVP boss Josef Pröll who had come ahead of the chancellor for some time earlier this year.

Political analyst Peter Hajek explained last week the SPÖ managed to get the support of its traditional voters’ target groups like workers and pensioners in the budget debate by suggesting a taxation of financial transactions and assets.

His research for TV broadcaster ATV suggested that 34 per cent would vote for the conservative ÖVP, while just 32 per cent were currently in support of the SPÖ, its left-wing coalition partner.

Hajek’s study however saw Faymann at 24 per cent, while 22 per cent said they wanted Pröll to become Austria’s next chancellor.

Political weekly profil reports Karmasin research showed 33 per cent would back the SPÖ in elections at the moment, while just 32 per cent said they would vote for ÖVP.

A hot political summer is ahead as SPÖ and ÖVP go head to head in Styria where provincial elections will take place on 26 September.

Franz Voves became the first Social Democratic governor in the province’s history after overtaking Waltraud Klasnic’s ÖVP five years ago.

Styrian ÖVP boss Hermann Schützenhöfer said he planned to cooperate with the Social Democrats after the September ballot, while Voves is expected to resign if his party fails to retain first place.

Left-wing Voves – a former ice-hockey star – has earned party-internal criticism by refusing to rule out accepting the right-wing Freedom Party’s (FPÖ) support in the provincial parliament to become governor for another five years.

Vienna residents will decide on 10 October whether Mayor Michael Häupl’s SPÖ keeps its absolute majority in the city parliament. Strong gains for Heinz-Christian Strache’s FPÖ have been predicted, while the ÖVP is reportedly unlikely to keep second place.