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Austria in a super election year: Communist becomes deputy mayor

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Salzburg
Austria in a super election year: Communist becomes deputy mayor

This man wanted to become the second communist mayor of Austria: Kay-Michael Dankl

© Barbara Gindl / APA / DPA

In Graz, Austria’s second largest city, the communists from the KPÖ have been in power for years. In Salzburg they made the next attempt – in vain.

The communists in Austria failed with its intended takeover of power in the state capital Salzburg. In the runoff election for mayor on Sunday, the candidate of the Social Democratic SPÖ, Bernhard Auinger, was clearly ahead according to the preliminary results. KPÖ candidate Kay-Michael Dankl only came in second place by a wide margin.

Around 63 percent of voters voted for Auinger and around 37 percent for Dankl. The result takes into account all votes except those from postal voters. A decisive change in the result was considered impossible. The duel between the two candidates from the left camp ended a phase of government by the conservative ÖVP in the festival city.

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The 50-year-old former deputy mayor Auinger announced in the late afternoon that he would be a mayor for everyone. “It’s a wonderful day for me today.” SPÖ leader Andreas Babler also saw the election as a tailwind for the federal level.

From Dankl’s point of view, the result of Sunday’s runoff election, but also the result of the local council elections two weeks ago, shows that many people want a different, social policy. The KPÖ has increased the number of its mandates in the local council tenfold and has now achieved 40 percent in the runoff election, said Dankl. He will become deputy mayor in the future.

The KPÖ has caused a stir at the local level in Austria in recent years. In Graz, the country’s second largest city, a KPÖ mayor, Elke Kahr, has been in power since 2021. The communists’ recipe for success is closeness to the citizens and their commitment to affordable housing. Surveys also give the KPÖ a chance of entering the National Council.

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The local elections in Salzburg, the fourth largest city in the country with 150,000 inhabitants, were the start of the super election year 2024 in Austria. In the Alpine republic, the National Council and also the state parliaments of the federal states of Vorarlberg and Styria will be elected this year. On top of that, the EU elections will take place on June 9th.