"Politics is still a male domain"

This is raging in the SPÖ all week. The reasons for the bitter debates in front of and behind closed doors – and thus a red people crisis meeting on Thursday – were personnel issues. SPÖ's director, Pamela Rendi-Wagner, now claims that a man's decisions would probably have been less questionable. "I actually notice that I discuss staffing decisions much more critical than those of my male predecessors," she said in an interview with AUSTRIA.

But now the party must focus on "bringing social democratic answers to the concrete concerns of the people".

AUSTRIA: In recent weeks, the SPÖ staff debates have been semi-public. You want to end this now. Is your party going to stick to it?

Pamela Rendi-Wagner: There is only one possible answer for the coming months and beyond: we must all work together to regain confidence in politics and to provide social democratic solutions to the concrete concerns of the people. People want to know if they can afford apartments, if the care of their grandmother is safe and they are not aware of the staff structures within the party. It makes a difference that runs a country. That's my message.

AUSTRIA: You said that a woman's decisions on staffing are more subject to scrutiny than those of men. Is the SPO too macho for a woman at the top?

Rendi-Wagner This is not a party issue, it's a symptom of politics in general. Politics has been and still is a clbadic male domain for centuries. In fact, I notice that the decisions of people in public, but also within the party – including my director general, who is my campaign manager – have discussed in a much more critical way than those of my predecessors. I have made my decisions and these must be respected as much as those of men.

AUSTRIA: Is it a call to your party to treat women differently?

Rendi-Wagner It's a call to politics as a whole, but also to his own party colleagues. Social Democracy in particular should and should set an example on these issues. I expect higher standards from social democracy.

AUSTRIA: With Christian Deutsch, you have confided the secret of the former Chancellor Faymann to the direction of the campaign. Is this also an attempt to heal the wounds of May 2016 in some parts of the SPÖ?

Rendi-Wagner The only reason I appealed to Christian Deutsch, is that he is a seasoned campaign manager who knows the party well. These are qualities we need for the election campaign.

AUSTRIA: Last time we had the impression that the SPÖ would become the anti-Kurz prayer league. Now, you want to force the content, right?

Rendi-Wagner Yes, the current phase is also an opportunity. We want to impose non-smoking protection as quickly as possible. Health should not be a political party affair. As a doctor, I think the health of the population and children is too committed. But after the video of Ibiza, in which Strache spoke about the privatization of water, we also wish to present a proposal to protect our water in Parliament, in order to avoid any dangerous privatization of our potable water.

AUSTRIA: In polls, the SPÖ is 15 percentage points from the ÖVP. Can you still turn that?

Rendi-Wagner We will approach people and give them the answers to their questions. With courage and determination, we will right the situation. The SPÖ was often prematurely amortized and then won elections.

AUSTRIA: Who reigns with whom after the elections? Currently, all enemies are enemies.

Rendi-Wagner First, the electors decide on the majority. We do not exclude a coalition with anyone except the FPÖ. We will lead with all the conversations.

Isabelle Daniel