EUROPEAN GREENS SUPPORT AUSTRIAN GREENS IN ELECTION ON SEPTEMBER 28th:
The European Green Party today called on Austrian voters to vote for the Austrian Green Party in the upcoming General election on Sunday 28th October.
European Green Party Co-Spokesperson Philippe Lamberts said: "We very much hope that many voters will vote for Green candidates in the Austrian General Election and that the Austrian Greens (Die Grünen) will be able to increase their representation in parliament. There is a real opportunity to bring greens into the government. In fact, voters have a clear choice between a right-wing government and a government with green participation. The latter implies a serious struggle against climate change and for energy efficiency and renewables, including the creation of tens of thousands of new jobs; it implies a clear policy in favor of women's rights and human rights - be it of migrants, of refugees, of lesbians and gays, to mention a few.It also implies social justice and the struggle to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor that has been increasing in Austria as in many other parts of Europe.
It is also important that the Greens are able to have a strong group in the parliament or even in government in order to advocate a constructive approach to the EU, in contrast to the Social Democrats who are becoming increasingly isolationist in relation to the EU. The Greens also are the only parliamentary party that - in contrast to both the Social Democrats and the conservative People's Party - takes a strong stance against the racist and xenophobic policies of the extreme rightwing parties, the Freedom Party and the so-called Alliance for Austria."
Philippe Lamberts concluded: "We very much hope that the Greens will be able to increase their parliamentary strength so that they can further the green agenda of environmental sustainability and social justice. In particular, I would like to give my best wishes to my EGP Co-Spokesperson, Ulrike Lunacek, who has served as an MP since 1999 and who is again standing for election in Vienna."
