FPO Has 'Strictest Compliance Rules' Among All Austrian Parties After Ibiza Scandal - Head

FPO Has 'Strictest Compliance Rules' Among All Austrian Parties After Ibiza Scandal - Head

The Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) revised its structure and management principles following the Ibiza scandal last year that collapsed the ruling coalition, imposing the strictest compliance rules among all Austrian political parties, the FPO secretary general, Michael Schnedlitz, told Sputnik in an interview

ST.PETERSBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd June, 2020) The Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) revised its structure and management principles following the Ibiza scandal last year that collapsed the ruling coalition, imposing the strictest compliance rules among all Austrian political parties, the FPO secretary general, Michael Schnedlitz, told Sputnik in an interview.

"The Ibiza video has not only changed Austria, but also our party. Not in terms of content, but structure. We have learned that you can and must manage a party like a company. In my opinion we currently have the strictest compliance rules of all parties in Austria. The picture created by the video is of course a terrible one, but our voters � at least 16 percent in Austria � know that this is not the FPO, but only a few former members," the secretary general said, when asked whether the party was able to restore its electoral base after the blow dealt by the affair.

Schnedlitz also stated that, although the party was "still in a chasm," it was still optimistic about chances of winning the trust of the electoral base back, noting that it would take some time.

In May 2019, a seven-minute video filmed in 2017 was released showing Heinz-Christian Strache, who at the time was vice chancellor and leader of the FPO, allegedly discussing exchanging government contracts for help in elections with an alleged niece of a Russian oligarch. The woman was later revealed to be a Bosnian student who was paid for the setup. This led to the parliament introducing a motion of no confidence in the government, which eventually resigned, and Kurz organizing snap elections.

The Austrian People's Party led by Kurz won the election and reached an agreement with the Green Party on forming a coalition government.