Local leader on ÖVP plus

“I would never have dreamed of something like this”

In this municipality, the ÖVP remained stable in the elections on Sunday. "It should have worked out reasonably well," says the mayor.(Bild: Scharinger Daniel)

In Berndorf, the ÖVP made a big gain. This was not expected. The head of the village is surprised and remains very reserved in his analysis.

The ÖVP suffered drops of five, ten and even 20 percent in many places in the election. Berndorf is an outlier. In the municipality of around 1700 inhabitants, three out of four citizens voted, which is above average. Around 80 percent voted for Johann Stemeseder on the ballot paper. The local leader thus recorded an increase of 15 percentage points compared to the last election. "His" ÖVP also won 71%, ten percentage points more than in 2019.

How did this come about? In the "Krone" interview, Stemeseder is surprised. The ÖVP is currently "not number one" in the polls. "I would never have dreamed of such an increase," says the mayor and farmer. "We have worked very well with the SPÖ in the municipality," he emphasizes.

The new motor skills equipment for children in the school area and the new sports facility were probably a plus. Pump track cycling facilities, fitness equipment and a beach volleyball court are now attracting young and old. All in all, according to the head of the village, the political work "should have gone reasonably well".