SPÖ to finance Fischer campaign
The Social Democrats (SPÖ) will financially support the election campaign of incumbent president Heinz Fischer, it has emerged.SPÖ federal manager Günther Kräuter said today (Thurs) an “election fund” would be set up in which members will pay in around four Euros. This would be a sum of around one million Euros since the party has 260,000 members. Kräuter added details had not been discussed yet.The party manager dismissed claims the decision contradicts Fischers announcement to run as an independent candidate. The former Social Democratic president of the federal parliament stressed it was important to him to be a president who represented all Austrians.Kräuter said the SPÖs engagement for Fischer was a “statement against FPÖ candidate Barbara Rosenkranz and her slogans which leave one speechless”.The head of the Freedom Partys (FPÖ) branch in the province of Lower Austria has caused outraged by announcing points of view political opponents categorised as “far-right” and “xenophobic”.Rosenkranz was confirmed as being the FPÖs candidate for the 25 April election earlier this week, while incumbent president Fischer is expected to celebrate a landslide victory, according to polls.FPÖ boss Heinz-Christian Strache nevertheless claimed Rosenkranz had the potential to win around 35 per cent.All the Greens, the Peoples Party (ÖVP) and the Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ) decided not to nominate own candidates.