{{Infobox political party | logo = Team Stronach Logo.svg | logo_size = 250px | colorcode = {{party color|Team Stronach}} | leader = Frank Stronach | foundation = 27 September 2012 | dissolved = August 2017 | ideology = {{ubl|class = nowrap | Economic liberalism<ref name="Magone2017">{{cite book|author=José M. Magone|title=The Statecraft of Consensus Democracies in a Turbulent World: A Comparative Study of Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nzIlDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA115|year=2017|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-315-40785-2|page=115}}</ref><ref name="Nordsieck"/> | Right-wing populism<ref name="Schmuck2017">{{cite book|author1=Desirée Schmuck|author2=Jörg Matthes|author3=Hajo Boomgaarden|chapter=Austria: Candidate-centred and Anti-immigrant Right-wing Populism|editor1=Toril Aalberg|editor2=Frank Esser |editor3= Carsten Reinemann |editor4= Jesper Stromback, Claes De Vreese |title= Populist Political Communication in Europe |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ozaTDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA93 |year=2017 |publisher= Routledge |isbn= 978-1-317-22474-7|page=93}}</ref><ref name="Micklin2015">{{cite book|author=Eric Micklin|chapter=The Austrian Parliament and EU Affairs: Gradually Living Up to its Legal Potential|editor1=Claudia Hefftler|editor2=Christine Neuhold|editor3=Olivier Rosenberg|display-editors = 3 |editor4=Julie Smith|title=The Palgrave Handbook of National Parliaments and the European Union |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=DqyYBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA389|year=2015|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-1-137-28913-1|page=389}}</ref> | Populism<ref>{{Citation |first=Ralf |last=Dargent |title="Maischberger": Neben Österreichs Populisten ist Sarrazin ein Bube |newspaper=Die Welt |date=3 October 2012 |url=https://www.welt.de/fernsehen/article109602547/Neben-Oesterreichs-Populisten-ist-Sarrazin-ein-Bube.html}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |first=Georg |last=Hoffmann-Ostenhof |title=Stronach die Daumen drücken! |newspaper=Profil online |date=29 September 2012 |url=http://www.profil.at/articles/1239/572/343113/georg-hoffmann-ostenhof-stronach-daumen |access-date=4 October 2012 |archive-date=6 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140806035334/http://www.profil.at/articles/1239/572/343113/georg-hoffmann-ostenhof-stronach-daumen |url-status=dead }}</ref> | Euroscepticism<ref name="Nordsieck">{{cite web|url-status=dead|url=http://www.parties-and-elections.eu/austria.html|title=Austria|website=Parties and Elections in Europe|first=Wolfram|last=Nordsieck|year=2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929003403/http://www.parties-and-elections.eu/austria.html|archive-date=29 September 2018|accessdate=10 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |first=Patricia |last=Haller |title=Stronach für fast jeden Dritten wählbar |newspaper=Kurier |date=8 September 2012 |url=http://kurier.at/nachrichten/4511328-stronach-fuer-fast-jeden-dritten-waehlbar.php|language=de}}</ref><ref name="Allinson2014">{{cite book|author1=Mark Allinson|title=Germany and Austria Since 1814|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1CYhBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA206|year=2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-4441-8652-9|page=206}}</ref><ref name="Kessel2015">{{cite book|author=Stijn van Kessel|title=Populist Parties in Europe: Agents of Discontent?|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_kITBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA35|year=2015|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-1-137-41411-3|page=35}}</ref> }} | headquarters = Magna Straße 1<br>2522 Oberwaltersdorf<br>Lower Austria | website = {{URL|http://www.teamstronach.at}} | country = Austria | founder = Frank Stronach | position = {{nowrap|Centre-right<ref name="Gruber2014">{{cite book|author=Oliver Gruber|title=Campaigning in Radical Right Heartland: The politicization of immigration and ethnic relations in Austrian general elections, 1971-2013|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yvTYAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA83|year=2014|publisher=LIT Verlag Münster|isbn=978-3-643-90517-8|page=83}}</ref> to right-wing<ref>{{cite web|title=Frank Stronach|work=Forbes|accessdate=10 October 2018|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/frank-stronach/}}</ref>}} }}
The '''Team Stronach for Austria''' ({{langx|de|Team Stronach für Österreich}}) was a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in Austria founded by and named after Austrian-Canadian businessman Frank Stronach. It was dissolved in August 2017.
== History == The new party was registered on 25 September 2012,<ref>{{cite news |title="Team Stronach für Österreich" als Partei angemeldet |url=http://derstandard.at/1348283976932/Team-Stronach-fuer-Oesterreich-als-Partei-angemeldet |newspaper=Der Standard |date=25 September 2012|language=de}}</ref> and was launched two days later.
In a Gallup poll in August 2012, it received 8% of the vote.<ref>{{cite news |title=Austrian magnate's new party wants to dump euro |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2012/0823/1224322766199.html |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=23 August 2012 |accessdate=26 August 2012 |archive-date=24 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120824052004/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2012/0823/1224322766199.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Five MPs – Gerhard Köfer of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ), Elisabeth Kaufmann-Bruckberger and Christoph Hagen of the Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ), and independents Robert Lugar and Erich Tadler – agreed to join the party.<ref>{{cite news |title=Stronach-Partei: Gerüchte um vierten Mandatar "falsch" |url=http://diepresse.com/home/politik/innenpolitik/1283045/StronachPartei_Geruechte-um-vierten-Mandatar-falsch |newspaper=Die Presse |date=26 August 2012 |accessdate=12 May 2012|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Zerfallserscheinungen beim BZÖ |url=http://kurier.at/nachrichten/4515432-zerfallserscheinungen-beim-bzoe.php |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130114234822/http://kurier.at/nachrichten/4515432-zerfallserscheinungen-beim-bzoe.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 14, 2013 |newspaper=Kurier |date=12 October 2012 |accessdate=12 October 2012 |language=de }}</ref>
Parties with at least three seats are automatically qualified to run in the forthcoming federal election.<ref>{{cite news |title=Antritt gesichert: Stronach holt dritten Mandatar an Bord |url=http://diepresse.com/home/politik/innenpolitik/1282120/Antritt-gesichert_Stronach-holt-dritten-Mandatar-an-Bord |newspaper=Die Presse |date=23 August 2012 |accessdate=12 May 2012|language=de}}</ref>
The party name, programme, and logo were decided in early September 2012.<ref name="Logo, Name & Personal fix">{{cite news |title=Stronach-Partei: Logo, Name & Personal fix |url=http://www.oe24.at/oesterreich/politik/Stronach-Partei-Logo-Name-Personal-fix/78648450 |newspaper=oe24.at |date=14 September 2012 |accessdate=16 September 2012|language=de}}</ref> Köfer was named as the party's leading candidate for the 2013 state election in Carinthia.<ref>{{cite news |title=Stronach-Partei tritt in Kärnten an, Köfer wird Spitzenkandidat |url=http://derstandard.at/1345165376371/Fix-Team-Stronach-tritt-in-Kaernten-an-Koefer-wird-Spitzenkandidat |newspaper=Der Standard |date=28 August 2012 |accessdate=12 May 2012|language=de}}</ref> In September's Gallup poll, it received 10% of the vote.<ref name="Logo, Name & Personal fix" /><ref>{{cite news |title=SPÖ liegt in Umfragen klar vorne |url=http://diepresse.com/home/politik/innenpolitik/1291041/SPOe-liegt-in-Umfragen-klar-vorne |newspaper=Die Presse |date=17 September 2012 |accessdate=26 August 2012|language=de}}</ref>
At the party's campaign launch for the 2013 federal election, the party unveiled a political advertisement featuring personal endorsements for Stronach from Bill Clinton and Larry King.<ref name="Billionaire launches eurosceptic party">{{cite news |title=Billionaire launches eurosceptic party |url=http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/world/billionaire-launches-eurosceptic-party/story-e6frfkui-1226483003220 |newspaper=News.com.au |date=28 September 2012 |accessdate=26 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Stronach Leaves Thoroughbreds to Join Austrian Vote Race |first=Jonathan |last=Tirone |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-27/stronach-leaves-thoroughbreds-to-join-austrian-vote-race.html |newspaper=Bloomberg.com |date=27 September 2012 |accessdate=26 August 2012}}</ref> By this time, the party polled between 10% and 12%.<ref name="Billionaire launches eurosceptic party"/> After the defection of a fifth MP, Stefan Markowitz, Team Stronach was given official party status in the National Council: giving the party €1.4m of state funding and places on parliamentary committees.<ref>{{cite news |title=Team Stronach anerkannt: Jetzt sechs Klubs im Parlament |url=http://diepresse.com/home/politik/innenpolitik/1310089/Team-Stronach-ist-sechster-Klub-im-Parlament |newspaper=Die Presse |date=8 November 2012 |accessdate=10 November 2012|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Eurosceptic tycoon secures place in Austrian parliament |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/austria-politics-stronach-idUSL5E8M8HZV20121108 |newspaper=Reuters |date=8 November 2012 |accessdate=10 November 2012}}</ref>
The party won 11% of the vote in the March 2013 state election in Carinthia, only narrowly falling behind The Greens and the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP). On the same day, Team Stronach won 10% of the vote in the Lower Austria state election, in third place. The result in Lower Austria gave Team Stronach its first seat in the Federal Council, held by Gerald Zelina.
On 29 September 2013 Team Stronach participated for the first time in the elections for the Austrian National Parliament. It got 5.73% of the votes and won 11 seats, being the fifth largest party in the new Austrian parliament.<ref>[http://wahl13.bmi.gv.at/ Nationalratswahl 2013] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412063922/http://wahl13.bmi.gv.at/ |date=2015-04-12 }}, Austrian Ministry of the Interior</ref> The party did not contest the 2014 European parliamentary election.<ref name="Lansford2015">{{cite book|author=Tom Lansford|title=Political Handbook of the World 2015|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yNGfBwAAQBAJ&pg=PT405|date=7 April 2015|publisher=SAGE Publications|isbn=978-1-4833-7155-9|page=405}}</ref> After the election the party fell considerably in the polls. On 3 June 2015, two of the party's deputies - Georg Vetter and Marcus Franz - defected to the ÖVP, leaving it with nine seats.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://derstandard.at/2000016910758/Vetter-und-Franz-wechseln-vom-Team-Stronach-zur-OeVP | title=Georg Vetter und Marcus Franz wechseln vom Team Stronach zur ÖVP - derStandard.at}}</ref> In August 2017 the planned dissolution of the Team Stronach was announced for after the legislative election. Its MPs changed to the FPÖ, the FLÖ and the Whites.
== Ideology == {{Conservatism in Austria|Parties}} The Team Stronach supported Austria leaving the Euro currency and introducing an Austrian Euro instead.<ref>{{cite news |title=Eurosceptic billionaire starts Austrian election campaign |first=Georgina |last=Prodhan |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-austria-politics-stronach-idUKBRE88Q0QC20120927 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306162244/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-austria-politics-stronach-idUKBRE88Q0QC20120927 |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 6, 2016 |newspaper=Reuters |date=27 September 2012 |accessdate=26 August 2012}}</ref> An advisor of the Team Stronach suggested later in an interview with news magazine "Format" that they wanted to keep the Euro but introduce additional national currencies.<ref>{{cite news |title=Stronach-Chefberater Hankel: "Wir behalten den Euro und führen nationale Währungen ein" |first=Astrid |last=Schuch |url=http://www.format.at/articles/1307/930/352773_s1/stronach-chefberater-hankel-wir-euro-waehrungen |newspaper=Format |date=15 February 2013 |accessdate=21 February 2013 |archive-date=27 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130427040423/http://www.format.at/articles/1307/930/352773_s1/stronach-chefberater-hankel-wir-euro-waehrungen |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Unlike some other right-wing Eurosceptic parties, Stronach was not as opposed to immigration as others.<ref>{{cite news |title=Stronach sets up Austrian political party |first=James |last=Shotter |url=http://www.euro2day.gr/ftcom_en/126/articles/724528/ArticleFTen.aspx}}</ref> The party advocated cutting bureaucracy and instituting a 25% flat-rate income tax. The Team Stronach supported ending conscription and introducing an all-volunteer army instead.<ref name="30 Seiten Grundsatzprogramm">{{Citation |title=30 Seiten "Grundsatzprogramm" |newspaper=Der Standard |date=27 September 2012 |url=http://derstandard.at/1348284229324/30-Seiten-Grundsatzprogramm|language=de}}</ref> Stronach supported electoral reform, including the use of primary elections.<ref name="30 Seiten Grundsatzprogramm" />
== Footnotes == {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{in lang|de}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20121001150029/http://www.teamstronach.at/ Team Stronach official website] {{Political parties in Austria}}
Category:European Conservatives and Reformists Party member parties Category:Conservative parties in Austria Category:Political parties established in 2012 Category:Political parties disestablished in 2017 Category:2012 establishments in Austria Category:2017 disestablishments in Austria Category:Eurosceptic parties in Austria Category:Right-wing populism in Austria