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The New: A Portrait of Christopher Drexler
When Christopher Drexler is elected in the state parliament on July 4th as the successor to Hermann Schützenhöfer (ÖVP) as the new state governor, it also results in some changes to the state government: Drexler will retain the culture department as state governor; the sporting agendas will be taken over by Health Councilor Juliane Bogner-Strauß (ÖVP), who will hand over education to the new State Councilor Werner Amon, who in turn will also take over Drexler’s European and personnel agendas.
“Well thought out and quickly decided”
“It was very well thought out and decided quickly,” Drexler told a news conference after the state party executive’s extension, “and you see me very happy, we can present an unparalleled team.”
APA/ERWIN SCHERIAU ÖVP club president Barbara Riener, Provincial Councilor Johann Seitinger, Provincial Councilor Juliane Bogner-Strauß, State Governor-designate Christopher Drexler, State Councilor-designate Werner Amon, State President Manuela Khom, State Councilor Barbara Eibinger -Miedl and ÖVP State Secretary Detlev Eisel-Eiselsberg
On Tuesday, Drexler explained why he chose Amon: “Things have happened that would have been considered impossible just a few years ago and that present us with new challenges every day. That’s why it quickly became clear to me that this is a time when we at the top, with responsibility for our home state of Styria, want to have professionalism and experience, and professionalism and experience are two things that Werner Amon rarely likes to do. honor another.”
Amon declined to say anything about the content on Tuesday, but “I was very happy to accept, especially where there’s almost a department tailor-made for me that I’m incredibly interested in the content. As much as I’ve enjoyed my job as an ombudsman , I must say that the opportunity to work creatively appeals to me.”
APA/ERWIN SCHERIAU Christopher Drexler and Werner Amon
Health Minister Bogner-Strauß will be relieved: “Juliane Bogner-Strauß’s oversized department will be disaggregated,” Drexler said. The complexity of hospitals, care and education has increased due to the pandemic. According to Drexler, sports schedules are an “ideal match”. Bogner-Strauß said of the new allocation of departments: “Two months after I took over, the pandemic broke out, it was a challenge in terms of the complexity that was mastered.” she liked to do. When it comes to health, Styria is in a good position and is happy that sport has been added to her schedule.
Veteran ÖVP
Amon, who was born in Graz, is considered one of the “Styrian parades” in the ÖVP – and he has known the future governor for 36 years: they both grew up near Graz’s Volksgarten – at that time they didn’t know each other. – both were on the student council, the Young ÖVP and the ÖAAB politically socialized holding hands.
From the Young ÖVP to the Ombudsman
The current Ombudsman tried to get into the political business in the late 1980s as a spokesperson for the federal school and with the young ÖVP in Knittelfeld, where he also attended high school. From 1993 he was federal president of the JVP and remained so until 2001, when Silvia Fuhrmann replaced him. In 2003 he became Secretary General of the ÖAAB, a position he held until 2009, when Michael Spindelegger took over the ÖVP Employees Association.
Amon first entered the National Council in 1994. However, he was not consistently represented in Parliament, he had to fear for his term several times or he was able to move up at a later date. In terms of content, as an education spokesperson, he shaped the ÖVP’s education policy for a long time: with interruptions from 2000 to 2012, he worked on this topic for the People’s Party. As of 2013, Amon has been responsible for home affairs and security agendas, in 2016 he was secretary general of the ÖVP for a short time and has been an ombudsman since 2019.
APA/ERWIN SCHERIAU Amon, 53, lives in Gross St. Florian, in western Styria, is married with four children.
The Ombudsman is a respected institution, but it is considered a kind of terminal for long-time and experienced politicians. Amon is one of the few to return from that position to high-level politics — at least at the state level.
Great political experience
Through his parliamentary work, Amon also has extensive experience in U committees – he has been a member of Euroteam, banks, spy and corruption investigation committees, in the latter two as leader of the group. His many years of work as, among other things, his party’s education and Europe spokesperson in Parliament will please him in his new area of work – Provincial Councilor for Education, Human Resources and Europe, as well as international – experience is particularly demanded in the field of elementary education: It’s been brewing here in Styria for a long time.
Reactions: Good wishes – no grace period
On the one hand, there were good wishes from political competitors on Tuesday regarding the change of departments and Amon’s personnel situation and, on the other hand, the announcement of the waiver of the grace period. NEOS club president Niko Swatek said the government reshuffle should not be an excuse for further shutdown: “Amon is expecting great tasks in the field of education. Educators and parents have long expected better conditions in our kindergartens. Our schools lack school psychologists. Amon will soon introduce reforms. I wish him all the best and every success in his new role.”
FPÖ Vice President Stefan Hermann said that while Amon’s new departments should come as a relief to regional councilor Bogner-Strauß, who “at times seemed overwhelmed anyway”, he would not have a grace period: “Especially when it comes to child care, the framework conditions must be urgently improved. Provincial Councilor appointed Werner Amon is asked to dedicate himself to this important matter with the necessary seriousness and professionalism”.
Sandra Krautwaschl, head of the Greens’ club, was surprised that Drexler didn’t live up to his reputation as an innovator with the people: “Amon is a type of politician who finds it difficult to distinguish between office and party affiliation. In this regard, I take a very critical view of this personnel decision. In times like these, education in particular requires a lot of innovative strength and future orientation.”