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04. 02. 10. - 12:00

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04. 02. 10. - 12:00

Politicians boycott Villacher Fasching over HGAA disaster

One of national broadcaster ORF’s most popular programmes will be broadcast without any federal political representatives this year, it has emerged.

Villacher Fasching organisers said today (Thurs) all federal political leaders had rejected invitations to attend Saturday’s traditional Fasching (carnival) show in the Carinthian town.

Broadcasts of the comedy stage entertainment show – in which politicians of all colours and other well-known personalities have pranks played on them and current affairs topics are mocked – has been one of the ORF’s most successful programme almost every year.

Last year’s broadcast of the Villacher Fasching had 1.33 million viewers.

"No official grounds have been given by politicians’ offices, but on the quiet I’ve heard they don’t want to meet the people who have brought Carinthia to the verge of bankruptcy," Villach’s Social Democratic (SPÖ) Mayor Helmut Manzenreiter said.

Manzenreiter referred to the recent nationalisation of former provincial bank Hypo Group Alpe Adria (HGAA) and the ongoing investigations of corruption prosecutors against businessmen, investors and political leaders in Carinthia and Germany.

The Mayor said Federal President Heinz Fischer, SPÖ Chancellor Werner Faymann, People’s Party (ÖVP) Vice Chancellor Josef Pröll as well as several ministers have told them they would not go to the show which has traditionally been attended by political leaders year after year.

Deputy Carinthian governor Uwe Scheuch of the Carinthian Freedom Party (FPK) and Carinthian ÖVP boss Josef Martinz are however lined up for the event set to take place in the town’s Kongresscenter, Manzenreiter said.

Carinthian FPK Governor Gerhard Dörfler meanwhile surprisingly announced he had decided to attend a Fasching meeting in Reichenau in the province’s Feldkirchen district.

"We decided not to cancel the show because he won’t come," Villacher Fasching director Gernot Bartl said jokingly.

Austrian Times

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