The Greens Upper Austria
| The Greens Upper Austria | |
|---|---|
| logo | |
| Basic data | |
| Club chairman: | Gottfried Hirz |
| Provincial Council: | Stefan Kaineder |
| Country spokesman: | Stefan Kaineder |
| Member of the state parliament |
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| Country Managing Director: | Ursula Roschger |
| Headquarters: | Landgutstrasse 17, 4040 Linz |
| Website: | The Greens Upper Austria |
The Greens Upper Austria is the Upper Austrian regional organization of the Austrian party The Greens - The Green Alternative . The Upper Austrian Greens have beenrepresentedin the Upper Austrian provincial government by Provincial Councilor Stefan Kaineder since 2003and, following the state elections in Upper Austria in 2015, have six of the 56 members in the Upper Austrian state parliament .
On April 6, 2019, Stefan Kaineder was elected as the successor to Maria Buchmayr as state spokesman for the Greens in Upper Austria. Dagmar Engl and Severin Mayr became their deputies . Country manager Gabriela Schönberger handed over to Ursula Roschger.
history
Another failure to enter the state parliament (1991)
In the run-up to the state elections in 1991 , there were attempts to reach an agreement within the Green Camp. In addition to the Green Alternative and the VGÖ , the Green Awakening was founded at the beginning of 1991 , with which activists from citizens' initiatives in particular wanted to create a broad platform for a unified candidacy for the green camp. Among the candidates for Green Awakening was, among others, the Linz VGÖ municipal councilor Gabriela Moser , and numerous GAL members were also involved in the platform. Since numerous green-affine people saw their new political home in the Green Dawn, the GA decided to also allow non-members as candidates for the list and to win activists of the Green Dawn as candidates. The candidates of the green movement should then stand for an open election. This offer was not accepted, which is why the GAL selected its candidates on April 5, 1991 without the participation of the VGÖ. As a List were Wolfgang Mühllechner , Gabriela Moser and Gottfried Hirz chosen, the outcome of the election was not accepted by the representatives of the Green beginnings. The Green Awakening subsequently dissolved in April 1991. The conflicts between VGÖ and GAL, however, persisted until the state elections.
During the election campaign, the GAL addressed the issues of housing shortages, threats to the environment, traffic, natural agriculture and health. In addition, the GAL sent an environmental measurement vehicle through Upper Austria to draw attention to air and water pollution. The dominant theme in the green election campaign, however, remained the demarcation from the VGÖ, and the GAL's top candidate was largely unknown. This meant that the GAL only achieved 3.1% in the state elections and clearly missed entry into the Upper Austrian state parliament. The VGÖ also failed to enter the state parliament. In the course of the municipal council elections, which took place at the same time, the GAL had looked after around 70 community groups, with 14 GAL councilors and other councilors from citizen lists succeeding in joining the local councils.
The way to the state parliament (1991–1997)
Financially, the defeat in the state elections meant strict savings, as the GAL only received reimbursement of election campaign costs, but not party funding. To realign the party, the GAL commissioned the Linz Science Shop to draw up a party program, which was finally decided at a separate program congress. For the first time, GAL Upper Austria received its own party program at the state level, which served as a guide for the next six years. To reform the party, the GAL held discussions with the green municipal council groups.
In the opposition work, the GAL focused on environmental pollution and the fight against increasing individual traffic. So the GAL fought against the planned waste incineration plants in Wels and Vöcklabruck, presented a concept for waste avoidance and recycling and discussed the pollution of the groundwater, the pollution of the soil and the high ozone values. In addition, the GAL criticized the transport concept of the state of Upper Austria and called for greater investments in public transport instead of road transport. In addition, the Greens in Upper Austria benefited from the work of the Upper Austrian National Councilor Rudi Anschober , who uncovered a scandal surrounding the construction of the Pyhrn motorway. After the federal party had renamed itself in 1993 to Die Grünen - Die Grüne Alternative , GAL Oberösterreich also changed its name to Die Grüne Oberösterreich - Die Grüne Alternative Oberösterreich .
In the 1994 National Council election , the Greens in Upper Austria achieved their best result to date with 7.6%. This enabled Gabriela Moser to join the National Council in addition to Rudi Anschober. Since Theresia Haidlmayr was also elected to the National Council via the federal list, three MPs from Upper Austria were represented in the National Council for the first time. For the Upper Austrian Greens, the success in the National Council election meant a boost in motivation for the 1997 state elections. With a view to the upcoming election campaign, the state board was increased in December 1994, the establishment of community groups was accelerated and a concept developed for 1997, with the state elections being the focus of the Areas of women, housing and social affairs, health, culture, transport and the environment were selected. In terms of personnel, there were also changes in view of the 1997 election, with Anchober being named the new state spokesman with 98%. In addition, Anschober was proposed as a top candidate for the state elections by the extended state executive in June 1995. Thematically, the Greens dealt with a waste referendum in 1995, which was supposed to prevent the compulsory construction of at least ten waste incineration plants. After collecting 2,500 certified signatures, the Greens obtained a change in the law that enabled the establishment of biological-mechanical treatment plants instead of compulsory waste incineration. Furthermore, in 1995 the Greens presented a reform of democracy for Upper Austria.
Severe losses in the National Council election in 1995 meant a significant setback for the Greens in Upper Austria, with Gabriela Moser losing her seat in the National Council. As a result, working groups were created in Upper Austria to come to terms with the defeat. From 1995 the fight of the Greens against the Lambach an der Traun power station , which intended to destroy the wetland area, established itself as the main political issue. The Greens supported the occupation of the affected wetlands and were able to consolidate their reputation as an environmental party. At an election congress in November 1996, Rudi Anschober was chosen as the top candidate for the 1997 state election . Doris Eisenriegler and Gunther Trübswasser followed behind . In the election campaign that followed, the Greens presented their election program “100 Reform Concepts for Upper Austria”, with the areas of environmental protection, the fight against unemployment, an eco-social employment program, democratization and the fight against poverty serving as the main topics. With 5.8% the Greens finally succeeded in the election on October 5, 1997, with polls at the beginning of the year even forecasting around 9%. The Greens thus achieved three mandates. In the municipal council elections that took place at the same time, the Greens ran in 22 municipalities, plus 37 lists of citizens close to the Greens. The Greens reached 35 local councils and were able to more than double their result compared to 1991.
The first parliamentary period of the Greens (1997-2003)
After successfully entering the state parliament, Rudi Anschober moved to the state parliament and Gabriela Moser accepted his mandate in the national council. To improve communication, the Upper Austrian Greens founded "oö-planet", an independent newspaper in 1998, which initially appeared as a supplement to the nationwide edition. Recurring topics in the first issues were the Temelin nuclear power plant , an eco-social tax reform, an electricity saving campaign, local supply, full employment and the discussion about the music theater in Linz's Schlossberg. With 7.4% in Upper Austria, the Greens were able to match their best result of 1994 in the National Council election in 1999 and again managed to achieve two basic mandates, which were subsequently occupied by Gabriela Moser and Wolfgang Pirklhuber .
In December 1999, the Upper Austrian Greens moved into their new party headquarters, the “Green House” on Landgutstrasse in Linz. The regional office was previously located at 25 Stahembergstrasse. In the same year, Rudi Anschober also created the “Green Prize”, a prize endowed with 10,000 schillings that is awarded annually to two people in the categories of environment, social affairs, business, women and culture. As early as 1999, the Greens were also busy preparing for the upcoming state elections. The focus of the efforts was on the acquisition of additional members and, from 2000, the establishment of local groups and sub-organizations. While the number of members increased by around 150 percent by 2003, the Greens managed to increase the number of local groups to 57 by this year (1997: 17). In terms of content, the Upper Austrian Greens between 2000 and 2003 mainly dealt with the topics of full employment, the so-called “Freistadt hospital affair” and the Temelin nuclear power plant. In 2001 they also started the “Green electricity instead of atom” campaign. Other important topics of the Greens included a change of course in agriculture after a meat scandal, support for the anti-globalization movement, an education billion for Upper Austria, accessibility, transit, youth unemployment as well as climate and flood protection.
In the 2003 state elections , the Greens again went with Rudi Anschober as the top candidate. The electoral goal was to enter the state government, with a green government chair serving as an omnipresent symbol. In the election on September 28, 2003 the Greens achieved 9.1%, whereby the Greens were also able to overtake the FPÖ. The strong gains meant the acquisition of two seats, with which the Greens were represented for the first time with five members in the state parliament. In addition, the Greens succeeded in entering the state government. After the relationship between ÖVP and SPÖ had suffered from the election campaign, the coalition negotiations failed after a short time. After the SPÖ and the Greens did not have a majority in the state government, the Greens subsequently entered into party negotiations with the ÖVP, which led to a labor agreement and the first Black-Green cooperation at the state level. After lengthy negotiations, the extended state board approved the agreement with 23: 9 votes, with the representatives of the Linz Greens in particular showing resistance. As a result, Rudi Anschober was the first Green Provincial Councilor in Upper Austria to take over the environmental department, which was expanded to include several areas. In the municipal council elections, which were carried out at the same time , the Greens stood with 66 municipal groups, with all groups successfully entering the municipal council. The Greens achieved a total of 171 seats in the municipal councils and were also able to move into 20 city councils or municipal boards.
Structure and organs
Membership in the Upper Austrian Greens
As members of the Upper Austrian Greens, people are accepted who are committed to the goals, basic values and programs and who act in their interests. Persons who represent “anti-democratic, in particular fascist, racist, militaristic and sexist ideas” are definitely excluded from membership. Joining the party must be made through a written declaration to the national organization and begins with the payment of the membership fee. The rights of the members, of which the members can exercise two months after paying the first membership fee, included the right to vote at state, constituency, district and municipal assemblies, the introduction of resolutions and motions to the state assembly and the active and Passive right to vote at state, constituency, district and community assemblies.
National Assembly
The regional assembly, which consists of all members of the Upper Austrian Greens and whose resolutions are binding on all other party organs, acts as the highest-ranking body of the Upper Austrian Greens. The state assembly meets at least once a year and is convened by the state board. The tasks of the state board include passing resolutions on programs, statutes with a two-thirds majority and the acceptance of sub-organizations, community and district groups. In addition, the members of the Upper Austrian Greens in the regional assembly elect the candidates for the regional parliament and national council elections in the constituency of Upper Austria as well as the members of the regional executive board and the auditors. The authority of the state assembly also includes the approval of the statement of accounts of the state board and the accounting report as well as the resolution on the rules of procedure, the arbitration rules and the contribution and cash rules.
State Board
The state executive serves to implement the resolutions of the other party organs and is also entitled to make statements. Within the framework of the program and the resolutions of the state assembly or the extended state executive committee, the state executive committee can make decisions in those areas that cannot be presented to other organs due to the urgency. The competencies of the state board include the annual report for the state assembly and the preparation of the annual budget estimate, which must then be approved by the extended state board. In addition, the state executive appoints the editorial team of the party media in consultation with other party bodies.
The term of office of the state executive is two years, with the number of members and persons being determined by the state assembly. The core of the state board includes the finance officer, the state spokesman and the managing director, and the board with the seat and voice of the club chairman of the Green Landtag Club, the chairman of the Green Education Workshop Upper Austria, the Greens are members of the state government and a member of the Green elected by the state assembly Landtag clubs involved.
Country spokesman, managing director and financial officer
The state spokesman and the managing director of the Upper Austrian Greens represent the party externally and implement the resolutions of the other party organs. In addition, the two persons can make decisions within the framework of the programs and resolutions of all other party bodies which, due to the urgency of the matter, cannot be submitted to any other bodies for decision. In addition, the managing director, together with the financial officer who manages the party's assets and accounts, regulates the financial matters and the correspondence and convenes the state board and the extended state board. The managing director also assumes the decision-making authority in the area of infrastructure and the staff of the Greens Upper Austria and represents the party in the extended federal board.
Extended state board
The extended state board (ELV) is responsible for making decisions within the framework of the program and the resolutions of the state assembly, which, due to the urgency, cannot be presented to the state assembly. In addition, there is the decision-making of the budget, the definition of the party's spokesperson roles at the suggestion of the state board, the coordination and support of the district organizations, sub-organizations, community groups and initiatives as well as the coordination of state-wide work. Furthermore, the ELV is responsible for the ongoing control of the provincial executive board, the nomination of the Upper Austrian members of the Federal Council and the provincial government as well as the appointment of a negotiating team in the event of party negotiations. The decision-making on government and labor agreements at the state level is also one of the competencies of the ELV. From among their group, the members of the ELV also appoint a delegate for the Federal Party's Extended Executive Board (EBV). Furthermore, the ELV elects some of the delegates to the federal congress.
The ELV meets at least six times a year and consists of the provincial executive board, one delegate each from the 18 district organizations and the Upper Austrian mandataries in the state parliament, national council, federal council and European parliament. In addition, there is a representative of the Green Education Workshop of Upper Austria, two representatives of the Green Women's Organization of Upper Austria and a consultant appointed by the provincial board without voting rights. During election times, the extended state board is expanded to include the election campaign team, which however has no voting rights.
Community groups
After the Greens had run in the 1997 municipal council elections in only 22 municipalities (there were also 37 citizen lists close to the Greens), the Greens managed to run 66 groups in the 2003 municipal elections. By October 2010, the Upper Austrian Greens were able to increase the number of their community groups to 95, which means they were represented in 21% of all communities. In May 2011, community groups from Pollham and Walding were also accepted. With twelve community groups, the Greens have since been most strongly represented in the Vöcklabruck district, followed by the Linz-Land and Grieskirchen districts , each with eleven community groups. There are also seven community groups in Ried , Urfahr-Umgebung and Wels-Land , six community groups in Gmunden , five each in Eferding , Freistadt and Steyr-Land and four in the Schärding district . There are only three community groups in the Braunau , Kirchdorf and Rohrbach districts . In addition, the Greens are represented in the three statutory cities Linz , Wels and Steyr . In terms of proportion, the Greens are most strongly represented, apart from the statutory cities in the Linz-Land district, where they form community groups in 50% of the communities, followed by Eferding (42%), Grieskirchen (32%), Gmunden (30%) and Wels- Land (29%). In the districts of Rohrbach and Braunau, on the other hand, the Greens only have their own community groups in 7% of the communities, also in Kirchdorf and Schärding only 13% each, in Perg 15%. The Greens are roughly in line with the national average in the districts of Freistadt and Ried (each 19%), Vöcklabruck (23%), Steyr-Land (25%) and Urfahr-Umgebung (26%).
Election results
State elections
The Greens of Upper Austria, which entered the Green Alternative List (GAL) in 1985 , achieved 1.7% of the votes in the 1985 state elections and thus clearly failed to enter the state parliament. The GAL was thus also behind its competitor in the green camp, the United Greens Austria (VGÖ), which achieved 2.2%. The GAL achieved its best result in the constituency of Linz and the surrounding area with 2.3%, and the election result in the constituency of Hausruckviertel was above the overall result , where the GAL achieved 1.9%. In the following state parliament election in 1991 , the GAL was able to increase its result to 3.1%, with which it was able to book an increase of 1.4%. Nevertheless, the GAL failed, as in 1985, when it entered the state parliament, but was able to position itself for the first time in front of the VGÖ, which achieved 2.6%. The GAL again achieved its best election result with 3.6% in the constituency of Linz and the surrounding area, followed by the Traunviertel (3.3%) and the Hausruckviertel (3.2%). After the GAL had renamed itself in 1993 to Die Grünen Oberösterreich - Die Grüne Alternative (GRÜNE) and the VGÖ had disappeared from the political scene, the Greens succeeded in entering the state parliament with 5.8% and three seats in the 1997 state elections . Once again, the constituency of Linz and the surrounding area emerged as the strongest voter base of the Greens with 7.3%, followed by the Hausruckviertel with 5.8% and the Traunviertel with 5.7%. In the constituency of Linz and the surrounding area, the Greens even achieved a basic mandate.
After entering the state parliament in 1997, the Greens of Upper Austria were able to increase their share of the vote by 3.3% to 9.1% in the 2003 state parliament election . The strong gains meant the acquisition of two seats, which means that the Greens subsequently appointed five members of the state parliament. In addition, the Greens entered the state government for the first time with Rudi Anschober as regional councilor. The state electoral district of Linz and the surrounding area again proved to be their strongest constituency, in which the Greens achieved 11.6% and again a basic mandate. In the Hausruckviertel constituency, too, the Greens won a direct mandate with 9.0%, followed by Mühlviertel for the first time with 8.8%. The Greens recorded their weakest result with 6.6% in the Innviertel . In the state elections in 2009 , the Greens defended their 2003 result. With an increase of 0.1%, the Greens achieved 9.2% of the vote and were thus able to keep their five mandates. In addition to the basic mandates in the constituencies of Linz and the surrounding area and Hausruckviertel, the Greens also achieved a basic mandate in the Mühlviertel for the first time. With 11.4% the result in the constituency of Linz and the surrounding area was just below the value of 2003, followed by the Mühlviertel with 9.2% and the Hausruckviertel with 9.0%. While the Greens in the Traunviertel with 8.8% remained only slightly below the result of the state parliament, the Innviertel again proved to be the weakest constituency with 7.0%.
In July 2020, the Greens from Upper Austria voted Stefan Kaineder as the top candidate for the state election in 2021 .
literature
- Irmgard Maria Stimez: The government participation of the Greens in Upper Austria 2003-2006. Thesis. Salzburg 2006
- Marco Vanek: From movement to party. The development history of the Greens in Upper Austria. planetVERLAG, Vienna 2007
Web links
Footnotes
- ↑ a b c Courier: Kaineder new state spokesman for the Greens Upper Austria . Article dated April 6, 2019.
- ↑ Kleine Zeitung: 92.54 percent Greens in Upper Austria: Kaineder's new state spokesman . Article dated April 6, 2019, accessed April 6, 2019.
- ↑ Province of Upper Austria ( Memento of the original from October 4, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Detailed results of the 2003 municipal council election. According to the Greens, the Greens reached 189 councilors.
- ↑ Green Upper Austria ( Memento of the original dated February 8, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Regional Green Groups, accessed October 6, 2010
- ↑ 93.8 percent for Kaineder as the Green Top Candidate. In: ORF.at . July 28, 2020, accessed July 28, 2020 .
