NEOS expel co-founder Veit Dengler from party and caucus

Accusation of authoritarian leadership

On the substantive level, Dengler escalated the conflict with the party leadership. In the Ö1-Mittagsjournal, he criticized that party leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger surrounded herself with very young professional politicians, naming Yannick Shetty, Sophie Wotschke and Douglas Hoyos. The party had developed a "very hierarchical" structure and tolerated no contradiction, said Dengler. "Diese Partei hat leider unter Beate Meinl-Reisinger ihre Diskussionskultur verloren. Es ist keine Diskussion erwünscht, keine Kritik erwünscht."

Dengler had also called on NEOS members to vote against parts of the double budget. On the same day that the NEOS faction decided on the expulsion, the budget was passed in the National Council with the votes of the ÖVP-SPÖ-NEOS coalition.

Meinl-Reisinger herself did not comment publicly on the case until Sunday evening. According to reports, she initially remained "untergetaucht" and left communication to caucus chairman Shetty. No substantive statement from the party leader was available by editorial deadline.

Meinl-Reisinger remains silent

The expulsion comes as no surprise to Dengler. He stated that the party had "nur nach einem Vorwand gesucht" to get rid of him. He interprets the expulsion as a prepared decision. He also pointed to the departures of former party officials: Stephanie Krisper and Gerald Loacker have already left the NEOS, and Dengler speaks of a "Fanal". It is also striking, he said, that his co-founder Matthias Strolz is no longer a member of the party.

Dengler, who had founded NEOS in 2012 together with Matthias Strolz, showed himself combative despite the expulsion. He will remain in the National Council and expects more speaking time. "Ich habe jetzt mehr Redezeit", he said. He left open whether he would take legal action against the expulsion. Dengler also mentioned an offer made to him years ago to serve as co-leader alongside Meinl-Reisinger and said: "Eine Stärke, die ich habe: Ich kann Parteien aufbauen."

Reactions and outlook

Looking at the overall situation of the party, Dengler said: "Die beiden Gründer und viele kritischen Geister sind jetzt nicht mehr bei den NEOS." The NEOS are strong in Vienna and in two or three other federal states, but otherwise barely present, in his assessment.

Shetty rejected the accusations of authoritarian leadership and described the expulsion as a necessary consequence. Within the party, the process is understood as a signal that internal discipline and confidentiality within the caucus take precedence. Observers also see it as a watershed moment for the party, whose profile since its founding was strongly shaped by the founder duo of Dengler and Strolz.