The Freedom Party who crashed in the country achieved a prestigious success in Wels. They lost 5.30 percentage points to 16.96 percent in the municipal offices, but Andreas Rabl defended the mayor’s chair, which he captured in Wels in 2015, in the first ballot.
The Greens gained two percentage points to 8.75 percent in the municipal council election, the Neos by 0.18 percentage points to 1.22 percent, which, however, remained behind the MFG with 1.27 percent. The SPÖ lost a slight 0.52 percentage points to 27.11 percent.
The blacks are also a force on the mayor’s chairs: They won 296 of 438 municipalities in the first ballot, the reds succeeded in 54 places, the blue in eight. Citizens’ lists were successful in four municipalities, and in 76 two candidates will be vying for office in a runoff on October 10th. Two municipalities could fall into green hands for the first time. Rudolf Hemetsberger took the jump-off with 34.90 percent as the stronger vote in Attersee, Roland Vuketich came into the second round in Arbing (Perg district).
Look with excitement to Wels
Wels was looked to with tension to see whether Andreas Rabl would be able to withstand the national trend – and it succeeded, he won 60 percent in the direct election. Even in the municipal council elections, the Freedom Party stay ahead with wins. The once dominant SPÖ continued to fall with its new top candidate, Petra Wimmer, a member of the National Council, and only had 23 percent. That’s about half of the blue result.
Relief in Steyr
Relief prevailed at the SPÖ, however, in Steyr, which had coined the headlines for weeks because of the excitement about the sale of the local MAN plant. Vogl, who was represented in the National Council in Vienna until a few months ago, can easily follow in the footsteps of long-term mayor Gerald Hackl (SPÖ). With just under 52 percent, the former MAN works council prevailed in round one of the direct election. The 44 percent for the SPÖ in the municipal council election means a plus and also number one.
Runoff election in Linz …
The mayor of Linz has to be detained. Klaus Luger missed the “Absolute” on Sunday, despite the SPÖ winning in the local council and the FPÖ crashing at the same time. However, Luger’s victory in the runoff election is only a matter of form, as he received just under 44 percent, while his challenger, VP Vice Mayor Bernhard Baier, only took a base of around 16.5 percent with him from Sunday.
… and in the traditionally red Bad Ischl
In the traditionally red Bad Ischl, the SPÖ candidate Ines Schiller is practically tied in round two against a former party friend, Johannes Mathes, who is running a list supported by the ÖVP. Schiller took over the mayor’s office last January from her partner Hannes Heide, who was elected to the EU Parliament. An exciting race is also emerging in Ottensheim: incumbent Franz Füreder achieved 47.54 percent in the first ballot, his challenger Klaus Josef Hagenauer from the list pro O (ttensheim) 41.93 percent.
FP regional councilor Klinger also has to go to the runoff
The liberal Provincial Councilor Wolfgang Klinger, whose seat of government in the country is shaking to make matters worse, was also less successful. He was clearly the strongest in Gaspoltshofen, but as incumbent he has to go into the runoff election against an ÖVP candidate.
An ÖVP mayor accused of rape was also re-elected straight away in his community. He got more than 50 percent and does not have to go to the runoff election. However, he suffered losses, in 2015 he received more than two thirds of the vote.
In Steyregg, where the Identitarian Movement has settled, the “Steyregger Citizens’ Initiative for the Environment and City Life” has remained the strongest force in the local council. At 40.43 percent, it topped the 2015 result by 8.3 percentage points.
The MFG vaccination skeptic list was strongest in Maria Neustift (Steyr-Land district) with 26.73 percent and also won two mandates in the state capital. In the municipality of Auerbach in the district of Braunau, which is considered to be the bottom light of Upper Austrian vaccinations, MFG immediately landed third with 13.13 percent.
