In the first round of voting two weeks ago, no candidate achieved an absolute majority. Things will be particularly exciting in the state capital, where there will be a duel between Bernhard Auinger from the SPÖ and Kay-Michael Dankl from the KPÖ Plus. After Graz, a second state capital might soon be under communist rule.
Runoff election between Auinger (SPÖ) and Dankl (KPÖ-Plus)
The local council and mayoral elections on March 10th have turned the city of Salzburg, which was recently dominated by the ÖVP, red once more. The SPÖ won ahead of the KPÖ Plus, at the same time SPÖ Vice Mayor Auinger (29.4 percent) and KPÖ Plus local councilor Dankl (28.0 percent) made it into the runoff election. The narrow margin and the open race might ensure a high voter turnout; at least the number of voting cards issued reached a new record of 15,203.
In terms of content, there is little that separates the two candidates from each other. Auinger, who is going into his third runoff election following 2017 and 2019, once more aggressively advertised his experience in the city government in the remaining days. Dankl, on the other hand, is seen as a politician who credibly advocates for change. With his party’s election success on March 10th, he might bring regarding movement in the deadlocked city politics. In addition to the question of who will be the new city boss, the party negotiations following the runoff election and the distribution of departments will also play a role.
- HONEY: Mayoral runoff election in Salzburg
Auinger was often given better chances on Sunday: Although there were no official election recommendations from the political competition, both state governor Wilfried Haslauer and deputy mayor Florian Kreibich – both from the ÖVP – indirectly spoke out in favor of the SPÖ man as mayor. This was even more clearly the case with FPÖ city party leader Paul Dürnberger. He promoted the “lesser evil” – which from his perspective is also Auinger.
“Huber once morest Huber”
The encounter “Huber once morest Huber” in St. Johann im Pongau also promises to be particularly explosive. ÖVP long-term mayor and municipal association president Günther Mitterer no longer ran in Salzburg’s fifth-largest municipality; in the first round of voting, his successor candidate Rudolf Huber (37.9 percent) was slightly behind SPÖ candidate Eveline Huber (39.4 percent). And excitement is also guaranteed in Neumarkt am Wallersee (Flachgau). There, SPÖ state party leader David Egger led with 41.4 percent ahead of ÖVP incumbent Adolf Rieger (38.1 percent). There are also runoff elections in Schleedorf and Strobl (both Flachgau), Bad Vigaun, Oberalm and Puch (Tennengau), Bad Gastein, Bad Hofgastein, Forstau, Mühlbach (all Pongau) as well as in Neukirchen am Großvenediger and Saalfelden in Pinzgau.
The number of local and city leaders in the state might also increase on Sunday. Eleven women were elected to office in the first round of voting on March 10th. Five other candidates now have the chance to become mayor. If even one of them succeeded in doing this, it would mean a new high in the proportion of women among Salzburg’s mayors.
