The former SPÖ chairman and Chancellor Christian Kern admits that he is partly to blame for the party’s current problems. When asked whether he was to blame for the current mess after his hasty resignation, Kern replies in the current “profil”: “Yes, that’s me.” And further: “I am absolutely aware of my part in the current mess. And I understand everyone who is resentful. I’m sorry that I can’t even contradict them.”
In an interview with the news magazine, Kern called the member survey a “crazy process”, which is one of the reasons why he is not running for office. You stumbled into it without giving clear rules. “Some want the member survey, while others are doing everything they can to make the process look ridiculous.” He hopes for a cleansing thunderstorm, but: “Of course there is a leadership vacuum in the SPÖ. There are no longer any authorities that everyone is happy to follow. If the different camps don’t find each other, then the SPÖ will no longer play a role.”