Karin Gastinger leaves BZÖ
5 days before election, the minister of justice Karin Gastinger from “Haider’s blue-orange party for the future of Austria” (short form: BZÖ) leaves the party, because she is not happy anymore with the style of its electoral battle.
Gastinger was a newcomer in politics. She was brought into politics in 2004 by Jörg Haider.
BZÖ’s leading candidate Peter Westenthaler expresses his surprise and astonishment, but he wishes her all the best and luck for the future. Westenthaler also thinks the moment of her leaving gives space for a lot of speculations.
Jörg Haider suspects that chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel was the one who played an important role in that performance, like he did with the current financial minister Karl Heinz Grasser. He also left Haider’s party and staid in the government.
Political observers think that Gastinger just left because she wanted to avoid the horrible election defeat of the BZÖ. All opinion polls show that the BZÖ will have to leave the parlament.