# Team Stronach
> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Team_Stronach
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Team_Stronach.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_Stronach
> Source revision: 1304940972
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
{{Infobox political party
| logo = Team Stronach Logo.svg
| logo_size = 250px
| colorcode = {{party color|Team Stronach}}
| leader = [Frank Stronach](/source/Frank_Stronach)
| foundation = 27 September 2012
| dissolved = August 2017
| ideology = {{ubl|class = nowrap
| [Economic liberalism](/source/Economic_liberalism)[{{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}}][{{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}}][{{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}}]
| [Populism](/source/Populism)[{{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}}][{{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 }}]
| [Euroscepticism](/source/Euroscepticism)[{{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}}][{{Citation |first=Patricia |last=Haller |title=Stronach für fast jeden Dritten wählbar |newspaper=[Kurier](/source/Kurier) |date=8 September 2012 |url=http://kurier.at/nachrichten/4511328-stronach-fuer-fast-jeden-dritten-waehlbar.php|language=de}}][{{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}}][{{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}}]
}}
| headquarters = Magna Straße 1
2522 [Oberwaltersdorf](/source/Oberwaltersdorf)
[Lower Austria](/source/Lower_Austria)
| website = {{URL|http://www.teamstronach.at}}
| country = Austria
| founder = Frank Stronach
| position = {{nowrap|[Centre-right](/source/Centre-right_politics)[{{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}}] to [right-wing](/source/Right-wing_politics)[{{cite web|title=Frank Stronach|work=[Forbes](/source/Forbes)|accessdate=10 October 2018|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/frank-stronach/}}]}}
}}
The '''Team Stronach for Austria''' ({{langx|de|Team Stronach für Österreich}}) was a [Eurosceptic](/source/Euroscepticism), [right-wing populist](/source/Right-wing_populism) [political party in Austria](/source/list_of_political_parties_in_Austria) founded by and named after [Austria](/source/Austria)n-[Canadian](/source/Canada) businessman [Frank Stronach](/source/Frank_Stronach). It was dissolved in August 2017.
== History ==
The new party was registered on 25 September 2012,[{{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](/source/Der_Standard) |date=25 September 2012|language=de}}] and was launched two days later.
In a [Gallup](/source/Gallup_(company)) poll in August 2012, it received 8% of the vote.[{{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](/source/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 }}] Five MPs – [Gerhard Köfer](/source/Gerhard_K%C3%B6fer) of the [Social Democratic Party of Austria](/source/Social_Democratic_Party_of_Austria) (SPÖ), [Elisabeth Kaufmann-Bruckberger](/source/Elisabeth_Kaufmann-Bruckberger) and [Christoph Hagen](/source/Christoph_Hagen) of the [Alliance for the Future of Austria](/source/Alliance_for_the_Future_of_Austria) (BZÖ), and independents [Robert Lugar](/source/Robert_Lugar_(politician)) and [Erich Tadler](/source/Erich_Tadler) – agreed to join the party.[{{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](/source/Die_Presse) |date=26 August 2012 |accessdate=12 May 2012|language=de}}][{{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](/source/Kurier) |date=12 October 2012 |accessdate=12 October 2012 |language=de }}]
Parties with at least three seats are automatically qualified to run in the forthcoming federal election.[{{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](/source/Die_Presse) |date=23 August 2012 |accessdate=12 May 2012|language=de}}]
The party name, programme, and logo were decided in early September 2012.[{{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}}] Köfer was named as the party's leading candidate for the [2013 state election](/source/2013_Carinthian_state_election) in [Carinthia](/source/Carinthia_(state)).[{{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](/source/Der_Standard) |date=28 August 2012 |accessdate=12 May 2012|language=de}}] In September's Gallup poll, it received 10% of the vote.[{{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](/source/Die_Presse) |date=17 September 2012 |accessdate=26 August 2012|language=de}}]
At the party's campaign launch for the [2013 federal election](/source/2013_Austrian_legislative_election), the party unveiled a political advertisement featuring personal endorsements for Stronach from [Bill Clinton](/source/Bill_Clinton) and [Larry King](/source/Larry_King).[{{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](/source/News.com.au) |date=28 September 2012 |accessdate=26 August 2012}}][{{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](/source/Bloomberg.com) |date=27 September 2012 |accessdate=26 August 2012}}] By this time, the party polled between 10% and 12%.[{{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](/source/Die_Presse) |date=8 November 2012 |accessdate=10 November 2012|language=de}}][{{cite news |title=Eurosceptic tycoon secures place in Austrian parliament |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/austria-politics-stronach-idUSL5E8M8HZV20121108 |newspaper=[Reuters](/source/Reuters) |date=8 November 2012 |accessdate=10 November 2012}}]
The party won 11% of the vote in the [March 2013 state election](/source/2013_Carinthian_state_election) in [Carinthia](/source/Carinthia_(state)), only narrowly falling behind [The Greens](/source/The_Greens_%E2%80%93_The_Green_Alternative) and the [Austrian People's Party](/source/Austrian_People's_Party) (ÖVP). On the same day, Team Stronach won 10% of the vote in the [Lower Austria state election](/source/2013_Lower_Austria_state_election), in third place. The result in [Lower Austria](/source/Lower_Austria) gave Team Stronach its first seat in the [Federal Council](/source/Federal_Council_(Austria)), held by [Gerald Zelina](/source/Gerald_Zelina).
On 29 September 2013 Team Stronach participated for the first time in the [elections for the Austrian National Parliament](/source/2013_Austrian_legislative_election). It got 5.73% of the votes and won 11 seats, being the fifth largest party in the new Austrian parliament.[[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] The party did not contest the [2014 European parliamentary election](/source/2014_European_Parliament_election_in_Austria).[{{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}}] After the election the party fell considerably in the polls. On 3 June 2015, two of the party's deputies - [Georg Vetter](/source/Georg_Vetter) and [Marcus Franz](/source/Marcus_Franz) - defected to the ÖVP, leaving it with nine seats.[{{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}}] In August 2017 the planned dissolution of the Team Stronach was announced for after the [legislative election](/source/2017_Austrian_legislative_election). Its MPs changed to the [FPÖ](/source/FP%C3%96), the [FLÖ](/source/Free_Party_Salzburg) and the [Whites](/source/Die_Wei%C3%9Fen).
== Ideology ==
{{Conservatism in Austria|Parties}}
The Team Stronach supported Austria leaving the [Euro](/source/Euro) currency and introducing an Austrian Euro instead.[{{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](/source/Reuters) |date=27 September 2012 |accessdate=26 August 2012}}] 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](/source/Currency).[{{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 }}]
Unlike some other right-wing Eurosceptic parties, Stronach was not as opposed to immigration as others.[{{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}}] The party advocated cutting bureaucracy and instituting a 25% [flat-rate income tax](/source/flat_tax). The Team Stronach supported ending [conscription](/source/conscription) and introducing an all-volunteer army instead.[{{Citation |title=30 Seiten "Grundsatzprogramm" |newspaper=Der Standard |date=27 September 2012 |url=http://derstandard.at/1348284229324/30-Seiten-Grundsatzprogramm|language=de}}] Stronach supported electoral reform, including the use of [primary election](/source/Partisan_primary)s.