The Freedom Party aims for a leading position in the upcoming elections, with candidate Mario Kunasek expressing a desire to govern and foster change. While he seeks partnerships with other parties, he emphasizes the need for significant influence in Styria. Kunasek plans to halt the project for a new flagship hospital, favoring alternatives, and believes collaboration is possible with parties like the SPÖ on key issues. Concerns about recent financial controversies have not significantly impacted his campaign, though he acknowledges public dissatisfaction with current choices.
The Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) has been on the rise, not just since the national elections. In an interview with APA, the Styrian lead candidate expressed a humble outlook: “To say that we must be in first place would be presumptuous. However, our goal must be to become the first. We want to govern and make changes.”
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“We need to take the lead in Styria to the point where governance cannot function without us,” Kunasek elaborated. However, he added that this should not be an all-consuming effort: “We want to govern and shape, but we don’t have to. If it becomes apparent that there is no room for dialogue with other parties or if discussions are blocked entirely, we must acknowledge that democratically. Yet, I cannot envision that happening in Styria. If the Freedom Party comes in first, perhaps even with a decent margin, it will be possible to find a partner, and that is my goal.”
Kunasek intends to engage with all parties
Though Kunasek did not specify who this partner could be, he expressed that if the FPÖ wins, he will first engage with the second-placed party and then proceed in order of election results. He wishes to speak with all parties, explaining, “There are issues that divide us, but there are also those that unite us.” As governor, he feels it is his duty to “find common ground and merge dividing issues into a unified whole.”
A “gift hour” similar to what former governor Franz Voves (SPÖ) offered to Hermann Schützenhöfer (ÖVP) in 2015, which involved handing over the governor’s post to the second-placed party, will not occur with Kunasek—especially if that means Christopher Drexler would not be available as deputy governor: “The People’s Party doesn’t require this, and neither does Christopher Drexler. It is his personal decision regarding the role he is willing to take on. However, it is clear that if a governor runs and doesn’t come in first, party mechanisms come into play—this falls to the People’s Party. I expected something similar at the federal level, but that did not happen,” he said, referencing a potential resignation of Nehammer.
Kunasek: ‘This is not a wish list’
Kunasek prefers a partnership with a party that can contribute more to Styria and where a Freedom Party imprint is feasible. He understands that “this is not a wish list,” acknowledging that there are overlapping interests with both the Social Democrats and the People’s Party. However, there are also topics that concern them more, such as the lead hospital in the Liezen district. He believes they could reach a solution with the SPÖ more quickly and find it more challenging with the People’s Party.
While he did not exclude any party from future collaborations, Kunasek indicated that working with the Greens or the Communist Party (KPÖ) would be difficult due to “ideological chasms.” Nevertheless, the FPÖ collaborates with these parties on substantive issues, as seen in their opposition to the proposed lead hospital in Liezen.
Kunasek would initiate a project halt
Kunasek’s first official action as governor would be to halt the construction project, allowing for a revised Plan B that considers upgrading the existing hospital in Rottenmann into a lead hospital while maintaining the other specialized hospital locations (Schladming, Bad Aussee) as well. He is convinced that even at the proposed lead hospital in Stainach-Pürgg, recruiting staff would be daunting. Therefore, he views the funds allocated for the new hospital as a misguided investment.
Kunasek dismissed comparisons to the situation in Lower Austria, administered by the ÖVP and FPÖ, where a recent work paper indicated potential hospital closures: “First, some facilities have already been closed in Styria. Secondly, it was just a work document from the relevant councilor and that’s not inherently objectionable. Thirdly, I hear from the FPÖ in Lower Austria that there will be no closures with them. The critical factor is that the Liezen district has unique geographical characteristics.” If certain routes are impassable and a rescue helicopter cannot operate, significant challenges arise in transporting someone swiftly to a hospital. It is thus “irresponsible to close three relatively modern hospitals.”