In wet and cold weather, mayoral elections started on Sunday in 14 of Salzburg’s 119 municipalities. The match in the capital promises to be particularly exciting, where SPÖ Vice Mayor Bernhard Auinger (SPÖ) meets municipal councilor and KPÖ-Plus MP Kay-Michael Dankl. The krone.at live ticker takes you through the exciting election day.
A second election for the mayor’s office is therefore necessary in the fourteen affected municipalities, because no candidate was able to achieve an absolute majority in the first round of voting two weeks ago.
- The emphasis is mainly on the match in the city of Salzburg. On March 10, Auinger and Dankl were only 821 votes apart. When it comes to big questions, there is little that separates the two.
- These mayors have shaped Salzburg since 1945. Direct elections have existed since 1999.
- In Flachgau there was still no decision in the first round of voting in Neumarkt, Schleedorf and Strobl. All three places are currently still controlled by the ÖVP. The meeting ‘Huber against Huber’ in St. Johann im Pongau also promises to be particularly explosive.
The first polling station closed at 1:30 p.m
In Forstau voting closes at 1:30 PM, in the capital Strobl, Saalfelden, Mühlbach, Bad Gastein, St. Johann and Oberalm you can cast your vote until 4:00 PM.
More than 15,000 voting cards in the city of Salzburg
The issue of turnout will also be exciting in the city of Salzburg on Sunday: the number of voting cards issued reached a new record of 15,203. It is unclear whether the narrow gap between the candidates and the open race indicates increased interest or whether many voters wanted to keep Palm Sunday free. According to reports, crowds at individual polling stations were significantly lower than two weeks ago.
Will the state capital become communist?
If the KPÖ Plus candidate wins the second election, Austria’s fourth largest state capital, after Graz, would also be under communist rule.
In terms of content, there is little that separates the two candidates. Auinger, who is entering his third mayoral election after 2017 and 2019, again aggressively promoted his experience in city government in the remaining days.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
