The situation: Inside Austria – Nehammer invents Nehammer

What could possibly go wrong?

Karl Nehammer is now to be officially elected federal party chairman of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP).

There is no opposing candidate and no program that could distract from his election.

Important personnel decisions - the departure of Ministers Elisabeth Köstinger (Agriculture) and Margarete Schramböck (Digital) - have already been anticipated, and the excitement about their successor should have subsided by next Saturday.

Everything is tailored to Karl Nehammer, his speech is the only relevant item on the agenda, and inevitably also the highlight of this party congress, which will take place in Graz next weekend.

So what should go wrong?

And yet Nehammer's team is sufficiently nervous to allow all sorts of assumptions to arise: after the government team has been restructured, the party could also be staffed differently, that would be logical (and also necessary).

Finally, Sebastian Kurz has to be warded off, who could be working on a comeback into politics and use the party conference as a first step.

Background noise undesirable

One thing is certain: at the party conference itself, nothing should distract from Nehammer's performance, he has it hard enough.

Background noise is absolutely undesirable.

The personnel changes in the run-up were undoubtedly unpleasant, but a necessary clarification.

Any fundamental work required in the party will only be tackled – if at all – after the party congress is over.

However, the shadow of Kurz hovers over the party congress.

The young former chancellor will come, he has already let it be known, and everyone is extremely excited about his first major public appearance after retiring from politics in December last year.

The mere presence of Kurz could disturb the prescribed focus on Nehammer.

Because with all the reservations that there are – also in the ÖVP – against Kurz: He is an extremely exciting figure.

That's not Nehammer.

Happy abroad

Kurz himself tried to take the tension out a little on the weekend before this party conference.

In the country's highest-circulation newspaper, the "Kronen Zeitung", he announced that he was happy, moved abroad a lot and did not want to return to politics under any circumstances - permanently, as he protested.

You don't have to believe that, but it can be ruled out that he is already preparing a comeback at the party conference on Saturday.

Now it's Nehammer's turn, and he will have to take the brunt of the outcome of the coming election.

Kurz will initially enjoy the attention and probably also the goodwill that will be expressed here and there.

Even Karl Nehammer will probably not be able to avoid paying tribute to the work of his predecessor, even if it is a delicate undertaking.

It will be even more difficult to sell Nehammer as Nehammer: So far he has presented himself as a good party soldier, as an administrator - without any trace of the will or ideas for his country.

It is debatable that Nehammer, with his visits to Moscow and Kyiv, imposed himself on the world as a mediator in Russia's war against Ukraine.

Some find it embarrassing, others unimportant. In any case, nothing happened that would have turned the war or even Nehammer's career upside down.

Nehammer has now suggested skimming off the profits of the state energy providers in Austria, which is at least courageous and highly unusual for an ÖVP boss.

One would expect such a proposal from social democracy.

This will probably not be implemented, but it is exciting to discuss it.

With this initiative, Nehammer has at least demonstrated a feeling for what moves and upsets people: energy prices, the cost of life.

Within a few months, the prices for gas and electricity have skyrocketed, and this is now really starting to hurt – for people and, as a result, for politicians.

Thinned staff, no inputs

Nehammer will have to provide answers here as Chancellor and as party leader.

The right announcements are needed at the party conference.

And after that, when the party congress is over, he has to go deeper into the party: Not only is the staffing level completely thinned out.

There are also no relevant initiatives in terms of content, instead everything is under the command of the state party leaders, who are only driven by highly transparent and always self-interested particular interests.

As a semi-autonomous party leader, Nehammer would also need an apparatus that works for him – like Kurz had.

There is a general suspicion that the ÖVP has settled into government offices too comfortably and has developed a degree of routine and professionalism in giving and taking that comes very close to the limits of criminal law and, in the opinion of many, has long since exceeded the limits of ethics and decency Has.

In short: If Nehammer takes himself seriously as head of the People's Party, he will simply have to reinvent it.

And that's where everything can go wrong.

Social Media Moment of the Week:

Even politically interested and committed people are not immune to being enthusiastic about the Eurovision Song Contest and what is sold as music there.

And there is a striking connection, which Peter Kraus, leader of the Viennese Greens, uncovers: For every song contest in Austria there was also a politically notable resignation in the same week.

Can't be a coincidence, right?

Thank you very much for your attention and greetings from Vienna,

Yours sincerely, Michael Völker, Head of Domestic Department DER STANDARD

Stories we recommend you today:

• Ministers Elisabeth Köstinger and Margarete Schramböck have resigned: is the ÖVP going to be blacked out again at the upcoming party conference? 

• On a lonely pass near Kitzbühel, investors are building a »self-sufficient« luxury resort for the well-heeled who want to flee from the end of the world: Noah's Ark for the rich 

• Köstinger and Schramböck did a lot to avoid being perceived as independent personalities - they did little good for a modern image of women. 

• Nehammer's plan to siphon off the profits of state-owned companies shows how much pressure he is under because of the inflation wave: he has his back to the wall. 

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