Kreisky may quit over atom poll

Press, 7 November 1978, Page 8

Kreisky may quit over atom poll

NZPA-Reuter Vienna The Austrian Chancellor (Dr Bruno Kreisky) may offer to resign after a narrow defeat in a referendum on nuclear energy, but Socialist Party leaders will urge him to stay in office. The 67-year-old Chancellor has seen his hopes for Austria’s first atomic power station shattered by fewer than one per cent out of three million voters. The razor-thin decision against nuclear energy was pushed through by only 29,469 votes — 50.47 per cent “No” ballots against 49.53 per cent in favour. Dr Kreisky, Head of Government for eight years, called the result a personal set-back, as well as a blow to the ruling Socialist Party. He said he would meet! party leaders to consider his next step. He will also hold a press conference. Though the Chancellor! was expected to offer to re-; sign, informed sources said any such move would be strongly resisted by the; party leadership, which has; a slender three-vote majority! in Parliament. >. 1

Dr Kreisky threatened obliquely two weeks ago that : he might resign if the vote went against the Government. Yesterday, he refused to comment on the possibility, saying he would talk first to the party leadership. He admitted he had “refused to exclude” resignation, but noted pointedly that he had never said he was actually thinking of stepping down. Dr Kreisky said he would

respect the voters’ decision to abandon the almost-com-pleted Zwentendorf nuclear power station, built on the. shores of the Danube River, al a cost of $425.M. The station may be con-1 "erted for other energy uses,, out it could become a costly white elephant. Austrians joked that the plant could become a tourist, attraction — the world’s only unused atomic power station. Jubilant anti-nuclear campaigners sang in the streets of Vienna. The Socialist Party, facing a General Election next October, has already been severely bruised by losses in municipal polls in Vienna, and by a prestige defeat, lover the leadership of the State-owned radio and television network. The party also has a leadership crisis, with no clear contender in view to succeed Dr Kreisky. Political observers said it was extremely unlikely the Socialists would risk their future by letting the Chan-; ! cellor resign over a narrow defeat in a constitutionally non-binding referendum.