At the Summer Academy

Luger case: crisis meeting of the SPÖ in the afternoon

Mayor Klaus Luger will face a vote of confidence this afternoon.

(Bild: Markus Wenzel)

A planned routine meeting of the Linz SPÖ executive has turned into a crisis meeting: this afternoon, the leaders of the city party in Lower Austria are meeting to discuss the future of Mayor Klaus Luger. He admitted yesterday that he had leaked hearing questions to former LIVA board member Dietmar Kerschbaum. He will now ask for a vote of confidence.

A good 50 Linz comrades have an entry in their calendars this afternoon: Every summer, the Linz SPÖ parliamentary group meets to discuss the past year and decide on topics for the fall. But there won't be much time for that today. The routine meeting in Loisium Langenlois is quickly turned into a crisis meeting of the party executive, in which the future of city leader Klaus Luger (SPÖ) is discussed. 

Klaus Luger asks for a vote of confidence in the afternoon
According to a member of the board, several options are currently being discussed in the Linz SPÖ: One possibility would be for Luger to call a vote of confidence after admitting his mistake and apologizing. This is what Luger announced this morning.

Luger lied to the people of Linz for months and presented himself as the great investigator in the Brucknerhaus affair who was not guilty of anything himself.

Vizebürgermeister Martin Hajart, ÖVP

If he is given a vote of confidence, he will remain in office. Is that realistic? After all, there are open calls for his resignation: Deputy Mayor Martin Hajart of the ÖVP, for example, says that the SPÖ politician is no longer acceptable: "After months of sham fights and smoke grenades in the Brucknerhaus case, Linz Mayor Klaus Luger's construct of lies has now completely collapsed."

Luger will not give up without a fight
For those in the know, one thing is clear: Luger will not give up without a fight. However, if he does not have the feeling that the majority of the party executive is sincerely behind him, he will draw his conclusions and vacate his seat in Linz City Hall. 

The former head of the Brucknerhaus, Dietmar Kerschbaum.

(Bild: Foto Kerschi)

First denied, "then admitted mistakes"
And further: "Luger lied to the people of Linz for months and presented himself as the great enlightener in the Brucknerhaus affair, who himself was not guilty of anything," says the ÖVP politician. The background to this is that excerpts from a private chat between Luger and former LIVA board member Dietmar Kerschbaum were made public on Tuesday, proving that the mayor and LIVA supervisory board chairman had sent questions for a hearing to the candidate in advance. The mayor vehemently denied this until the very end. 

If he resigns, Linzers will have to go to the ballot box
In any case, the pressure on Luger is increasing within the party, which is why option two is also realistic: Luger declares his resignation and thus accelerates the debate about his successor that has been going on for months. In any case, the people of Linz would have to set a date for the election of a successor within 40 days of his resignation. The popular practice of electing a new mayor during the current term in the municipal council is only possible after the end of the fourth year. 

Provincial party backs Luger
In an initial reaction, the provincial party is backing the mayor of Linz. It must be acknowledged that he has admitted his mistake and apologized. He deserves a lot of credit for this, according to the SPÖ party headquarters in Linz. Regional managing director Florian Koppler told the "Krone" newspaper: "We should leave the church in the village: Mayor Klaus Luger wanted the best for Linz, which led him to take an action that he deeply regrets. It's clear that Linz's opposition parties want to exploit this to the maximum, but the uproar about it is exaggerated. Mayor Luger has taken responsibility and is not ducking away, but is instead facing up to a detailed discussion about this in the party committees today."

Klaus Luger resigns from two offices
Mayor Luger will be resigning from one of his posts at LIVA, the Linz event company. He is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of this company. He will also resign from his role as the highest representative of the owners.