3 million members closely related to the SP

We are not wet in the scandals. "The Greens trumpeted. They eventually make an electoral slogan. The formula is, in any case, good place on some posters of their leader, Alexander Van der Bellen. The argument carries. The campaign for the legislative elections of Sunday in Austria was dominated by the "business". In particular those resulting from the discovered embezzlement last spring, at the Bawag the fourth Bank in the country.

"Revelations" have not ceased to be succeed in recent weeks, relegating to second all the other issues. A series of scandals which could be very expensive in large formations in the running, including the Social Democratic Party (SP). "We lost 6 to 8 points in voting intentions since the Bawag case erupted last April and we fail to rebound", notes, powerless, Andreas Schieder, one of the candidates of the SP in the Parliament. Largely in the lead in the polls this winter, the Social Democrats are now a delay of 2 to 4 points on the Conservatives of Chancellor Schüssel, in power since February 2000 and 38 of the vote about credit.

The extreme right wing positioned

The Bawag was owned and operated by the GB, the big Trade Union Confederation (1.3 million members) closely related to the SP. His fall did not fail to splash party. Its leader, Alfred Gusenbauer, has attempted to respond, excluding lists of candidates all trade union leaders were in place, as in the usual. Without great result. On the contrary. "This decision was displeased with the traditional social democratic voters and has somewhat weakened the SP," said political analyst Peter Ulram.

The people's Party (VP) of Chancellor Schüssel, who sought a time to exploit the scandal, stigmatizing the inability of the left properly manage the economy, eventually, also be mopped indirectly by the Bawag case. He would lose 4 points from the last parliamentary elections in 2002, according to polls.

The Greens, populists left and the extreme right should, draw the chestnuts from the fire. Environmentalists are credited with about 10 of the vote. As the Liberal Party (FP), the former formation of Jörg Haider, now led by an even more radical leader, Heinz Cristian Strache. Low estimates for many experts. "Worn by the scandals, the FP will much more", predicts Margaretha Kopeinig, political journalist with the daily Kurier.

The extreme-right party had continually, in recent weeks, to denounce the major parties "all rotten' and shake the threat of a creeping islamisation of the country. A speech that fly and which appears to be charges the Alliance for the future of the of Jörg Haider (BZ) Austria. Issue of a split from the FP in April 2005, the party remained member of the Government and the parliamentary majority. Support that pay: the BZ should not cross the bar of 4 of the votes necessary to be represented in Parliament.

Poor quality of campaigns

This disaffection for the two major formations led the Austria since the second world war has been strengthened by the mediocrity of their campaigns. The VP is simply praise its good economic balance sheet (see below) and put forward the Chancellor. "A man respected, much more popular than the leader of the opposition", the very charismatic Alfred Gusenbauer, said political scientist Anton Pelinka. And "The SP did almost nothing suggested" deplores, in private, one of its leaders. The Social Democrats were "particularly attacked Chancellor Schüssel", said Alexander Mathé, journalist for the "Wiener Zeitung". Without however clearly stand of the policy pursued by the conservatives (see below).

Relative convergence of views that could be used as early as Sunday evening. For breakthrough of the FP, which excludes any participation in a any majority, conservatives and Social Democrats will likely not choice but to reform a "grand coalition". An alliance that had contributed to the rise of the extreme right in 1999 and with which intended to break Wolfgang Schüssel.