Political affair in Linz

SPÖ now discusses the future of Klaus Luger

Mayor Klaus Luger (in white shirt) on his way to the meeting at the seminar hotel in Langenlois. He is accompanied by city councillor Dietmar Prammer (l.), who has repeatedly been put forward as a possible successor.

(Bild: Antal Imre/Imre Antal)

The non-public meeting in the Loisianum in Langenlois, Lower Austria, has begun: Behind closed doors, Linz Mayor Klaus Luger (SPÖ) is facing a vote of confidence from his party comrades and the city party executive. As reported, the SPÖ politician admitted to being involved in the Brucknerhaus affair. 

The case surrounding the dismissal of LIVA's artistic director and Brucknerhaus artistic director Dietmar Kerschbaum has been enriched by another facet: as Mayor Klaus Luger (SPÖ) confirmed, he had forwarded general questions about the hearing to him in advance. In retrospect, he regrets his behavior, he said. 

The Linz city party executive of the SPÖ before the start of the meeting in Langenlois.

(Bild: Antal Imre/Imre Antal)

The political excitement in the provincial capital is great: without further ado, a summer academy of the Linz City SPÖ planned for today, tomorrow and Friday has been turned into a crisis meeting. The comrades are currently discussing the mayor's political future at the Losianum seminar hotel in Langenlois. 

Mayor Klaus Luger wanted the best for Linz, which led him to take an action that he deeply regrets.

Florian Koppler, Landesparteisekretär der SPÖ OÖ

Bild: Markus Wenzel

Will he continue or leave? In any case, Luger is asking for a vote of confidence and would like to put it to the vote. Within the SPÖ, his comrades are putting up a wall in front of him. SPÖ regional party secretary Florian Koppler said: "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 extremely regrets. It is clear that the opposition parties in Linz 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 facing up to a detailed discussion about this in the party committees today." Koppler is also a member of the Linz committee because he sits on the municipal council for his party and heads a section. 

Only the federal SPÖ remains silent on the affair in Linz
Andreas Babler, who is starting his election campaign tour in Linz on August 29, as reported by the "Krone", does not wish to comment on the affair at present. Political observers are not surprised, as Luger is an opponent of the new SPÖ chairman's policies within the party. Luger can therefore not expect his Traiskirchen mayor colleague Andreas Babler to stand in front of him.