ÖVP, FPÖ, Greens, Neos, Linzplus and MFG are pushing for an early election date in December. In a joint letter, they are calling on interim mayor Karin Hörzing (SPÖ) to make a corresponding decision.
Should Linz elect a mayor before Christmas?
LINZ. With a view to the upcoming mayoral election in Linz, there is now a cross-party alliance between the ÖVP, FPÖ, Greens, Neos, Linzplus and MFG. They are calling for the election to be held as early as possible – the proposal is December 8th. According to information from the state of Upper Austria, December 8th is the earliest date – taking all deadlines into account. An election – including a possible run-off – should therefore be possible before Christmas. It is up to Vice Mayor Karin Hörzing (SPÖ) to set this date.
Six factions join forces
Last week, the ÖVP, FPÖ and Greens had already spoken out in favor of an election on December 8th – now Neos, Linzplus and MFG have joined in. In a joint letter signed by all the club leaders of the above-mentioned factions in the Linz municipal council, Hörzing is called upon to schedule the mayoral election on December 8th and to prevent a long election campaign. Stability in the city should be restored as quickly as possible. In addition, this solidarity represents a democratically elected majority in the municipal council. “Reject the party tactical games,” is the joint demand. Hörzing officially took over Klaus Luger’s office on an interim basis on September 2nd and wants to deal with the issue starting this week.
Prammer for appointment in January
A decision could be made as early as this week, but the legislature provides for a six-week period in which the date must be set in the event of new elections. SPÖ mayoral candidate City Councilor Dietmar Prammer had previously expressed his preference for the election date to be as late as possible in a press conference. He wanted to give the people of Linz a “breather after the National Council elections” and avoid an election campaign over the holidays. He hinted that a later election date would also help to increase his profile among the population.
