Slovenian minority in Austria focused on who will form govt
Klagenfurt, 26 September - The umbrella organisations of the Slovenian minority in the Austrian state of Carinthia said ahead of Sunday's general election in the country, where opinion polls predict a victory for the right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ), that it is more important who will form the government and which parties will be in the coalition.
An opinion poll published last week sees 27.2% of the respondents preferring the FPÖ, with the currently ruling People's Party (ÖVP) of Chancellor Karl Nehammer trailing with 24.6%, and the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) in third place with 20.5%.
"It's not so much about who will be first, it will be interesting to see who forms the government and which parties are part of the coalition," Manuel Jug, the president of the Association of Slovenian Organisations (ZSO), has told the STA.
He added that regardless of who will be in the leading positions, "we will have to cooperate and coordinate our efforts with any government."
Bernard Sadovnik, the president of the Community of Carinthian Slovenians (SKS), said that "victory does not necessarily mean a lot, because everything always depends on the composition of the government."
In the event of a possible victory of the FPÖ and the ÖVP coming in second, he expects a coalition of the ÖVP and the SPÖ with the Green Party or the liberal NEOS.
However, Sadovnik did not rule out the possibility of a coalition between the Freedom Party and the People's Party.
Both Jug and Sadovnik hope that the new government in Vienna will lend an ear to and have understanding for the issues important to the Slovenian minority.
"We hope that the new government will seriously and actively tackle the remaining open issues, especially in education and judiciary," said Jug, while Sadovnik warned that without appropriate action in these fields, the minority languages in Austria will disappear.
Sadovnik has studied the platforms of all participating parties, expressing his disappointment with the fact that only the SPÖ and the Green Party mention the minorities in Austria.
The most prominent member of the Slovenian minority among the candidates is Olga Voglauer of the Green Party, who according to Jug could keep her seat in the National Council.
A few other Slovenians are running on the lists of other parties, but he does not give them any realistic chances of being elected to the lower chamber of the Austrian parliament.