Seldom has the media center in the Old Town Hall been as full as it was on Friday, and seldom has it been so quiet when city leader Klaus Luger (SP) entered the room. He came to his personal statement without any party friends, with his wife Michaela Mader at his side.
The content of the press conference was already known at this point. Already on Thursday evening, rumors were growing that Luger would resign as mayor on Friday. The previously rumored change in autumn 2025 was already obsolete.
The chats between Luger and the former artistic director of LIVA, Dietmar Kerschbaum, which became known on Tuesday through an exclusive report by OÖN, were too serious. Luger had passed on the questions for the application hearing to him in 2017. Instead of admitting this publicly, when the affair became public a few months ago, he commissioned an expert report to clarify who had passed the questions to Kerschbaum. Public outrage is great.
- Video: Luger self-critical in resignation speech
Luger began his last press conference as mayor with an apology, saying he deeply regretted his mistake. He was angry about “this incident” and that he had “fallen short of his own expectations in this one case.” He had sensed that the Linz faction’s trust in him had begun to crumble, Luger said of the past few days. That is why he had decided to draw consequences and resign as mayor.
Luger had already announced his withdrawal from his party political functions on Thursday. As reported, his Linz comrades had expressed their trust in him on Wednesday. Reducing Luger to his mistakes would not do him justice, they said.
Compose and calm
Luger appeared composed during his farewell speech, and he avoided questions from journalists by disappearing without saying a word immediately after his statement. Even at such a moment, Luger could not and did not want to refrain from taking a dig at SP leader Andreas Babler. His call to resign from his political functions was not the deciding factor. Babler sees things differently (read more here).
Photo gallery: Klaus Luger: Stages of his career
(Photo: VOLKER WEIHBOLD) Bild 1/11
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Luger said that this hour was emotionally moving for him, he had been mayor with “body and soul”. He used his farewell stage to thank his companions, employees and his family – and became very personal. He was aware that he had not always been a model father or husband.
The 63-year-old also took stock of his political career, highlighting the infrastructure projects and the stadium construction in particular. “I am leaving without any grudges,” said Luger. If he had any, it could only be directed against himself. Grudges are not a constructive category, “which is why I will also look forward.”
Image: VOLKER WEIHBOLD
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Image: VOLKER WEIHBOLD
Luger will officially leave office on September 2nd, and his party colleague and deputy mayor Karin Hörzing will then take over. Given the timing of Luger’s resignation, it is clear that his successor will be chosen by the people of Linz in a direct election. An election date is expected at the end of November/December.
Planning councillor Dietmar Prammer (read a portrait here) will be running for the SPÖ. His official nomination is to take place on Monday at an extraordinary district party conference. The decision for a member vote on Prammer’s candidacy is also to be made there.
The 49-year-old is also set to succeed Luger as Linz party leader, and this also requires a vote from members. It is still unclear whether there will be one or two votes (combined with the candidacy for mayor). Theoretically, there could be other candidates for the position of district party leader.
“The situation is challenging for the SPÖ Linz, and also for me as a candidate, but I am confident because we can build on and point to the great successes of the Linz Social Democrats,” said Prammer today in an initial reaction. Luger’s behavior in the LIVA-Kerschbaum affair was “serious” and Luger has now drawn the right conclusions, Prammer paid respect to the outgoing mayor for his achievements.
With Luger’s final departure from politics, the other city hall factions must decide whether or who they will put forward for mayor. The FPÖ has already given its city councillor Michael Raml the green light, while the ÖVP and the Greens consider Vice Mayor Martin Hajart and Climate Councillor Eva Schobesberger to be certain. Other candidates could follow.
A run-off election was necessary for the 2021 mayoral election, with Klaus Luger facing Bernhard Baier (VP). Luger won the run-off election against the then deputy mayor with 73.1 percent of the vote.
