Kurz accuses others of lack of transparency «kleinerzeitung.at

ÖVP party chief, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, on Wednesday dismissed criticism of the cost of the mbadive election campaign exceeding his party's expectations in the 2017 National Council elections. Unlike others, they made everything transparent. and paid the fine, he said after the Council of Ministers, in the direction of the SPÖ. Regretted Heinz-Christian Strache, director of the FPÖ.

13:41, November 7, 2018

Instead of a maximum of seven, the ÖVP spent just under € 13 million on the election campaign. In short, this sum does not go further, but relies on the remarks of its secretary general, Karl Nehammer; like that, he attacked (without naming them) the SPÖ. If the other parties have presented their spending in a similarly transparent way, "it is an issue that you would probably want to critically question as a journalist," he said. After the press, he gave in. It was "not good for others to cheat and come out unpunished," he told APA in writing. Kurz, however, has not cited any evidence alleging irregularities by other parties.

Kurz s' is retained on a possible legal extension of the ceiling of expenses. This must be decided at the parliamentary level and not the government, he said in the press hall.

Vice Chancellor Strache also spoke about what had already been said and scattered ashes on his head. It was "transparent and honest with this unexpected overshoot and unfortunately happened," he said. The leadership of the campaign and the party should take responsibility and pay the appropriate sanction. "This has happened to us, it was not our goal and we have already covered this explanation," Strache said of the $ 10.7 million spent by his party.

With heated criticism, the SPÖ and NEOS reacted on Wednesday to the counterattack of the ÖVP leader and Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz in terms of campaign costs. The federal director general of the SP, Thomas Drozda, has indignantly rejected the Chancellor's accusations of fraud.

"Being caught in a breach of the law, then pointing fingers at others, bears witness to a questionable nature," Drozda said in a written statement addressed to the APA. He recalled the statement "We stick to the rules" that Kurz made at the call of the summer of 2017. Even the campaign leader, Elisabeth Köstinger, said that 14 days before the polling day, he still did not respect the law.

"How serious are these statements if one spends almost twice as much money in the end as the ceiling allows?" Obviously, the ÖVP has never intended to respect the legal limits, "Drozda criticized:" We ask the Kurz party leader to reveal where the millions of rain come from. "

Similarly, NEOS Secretary General Nick Donig has seen. "It's no longer the hypocrisy that the president of the ÖVP, Kurz, is now trying to deport his violation of the law," he said in a statement: "It's time that Kurz stops repairing and that the consequences of his ruthless violation of the law are fired. "

Donig calls on the president of the ÖVP to ease the finances of his party according to the model of NEOS. In addition, severe penalties must be imposed for violations. The NEOS wish to submit a package of demands corresponding to all party leaders.