“The federal party isn’t running after money anyway – and now we can only afford two party congresses a year. And then there are the high costs of this member survey,” criticized an SPÖ insider in an interview with eXXpress. And the numbers have also been mentioned: the special party congress in Linz on 3 June this year would have cost up to 500,000 euros – as is well known, after the votes there was a day-long election cabaret, which caused enormous damage to social democracy. image.
However, before that, the federal party had to finance the member survey (which many SPÖ veterans did not want at all) – 200,000 euros were also due for this.
And now the new SPO leadership also wants a “proper” party conference, with the date now set for November 11 – the start of the carnival. Then, 500,000 Euros are expected to be spent for the invitation, organisation, hall rental, presentation and catering.
The SPÖ may have managed to spend 1.2 million euros on its party events in just one year – after all, this is also tax money from membership fees, donations and party funding.
eXXpress asked the SPÖ federal party leadership for an official statement on the costs, but the answer was very brief: “We do not provide any information on accounting data.”
It is clear to longtime SPO members, even without any further comments from the party leadership: It does not bode well that only months before a major election campaign in 2024, the party itself Such a huge amount is being spent. First. These funds may then disappear for the crucial election campaign – the FPO and OVP were particularly frugal with their party funds this year, with strategists of both factions planning to use their possibilities extensively in the coming year.
Perhaps the SPO leadership is also hoping for the next general party congress in November that the turnout for the top candidate will improve: Pamela Randi-Wagner came in last summer at 20.7% on the chancellor question, but Andreas Bübler currently only Making up 15%. In this regard, one can question the sense in the SPÖ of the entire investment in the two party conferences and a total of 1.2 million euros in the voting of one member…
