Election went clearly

David Venus achieved a turnaround: SPÖ becomes mayor

The interim mayor will remain in office after the election: David Venus.(Bild: Christian Schulter)

The mayoral election in Rudersdorf was exciting right to the end. In the end, the SPÖ candidate clearly came out on top. David Venus is the new head of the village.

The citizens of the market town of Rudersdorf and the district of Dobersdorf went to the polls on Sunday in glorious sunshine and midsummer temperatures. A strikingly large number of the 2,000 residents entitled to vote were on their feet to cast their ballots.

Candidates with good reputations
The polling stations were open until 12 noon. The votes were then counted. Both ÖVP municipal councillor Patrick Kainz and his SPÖ opponent David Venus have been given a good chance of becoming mayor. Both candidates have a good reputation among the population, are seen as competent and are popular.

Turnaround after resignation
Venus was previously first deputy mayor and has been the interim mayor since April. He was in charge of municipal affairs after the former ÖVP mayor resigned. The local politician drew the consequences when the police imposed a no-entry and no-proximity order on him after a relationship conflict in a pub at Easter.

Clear result
On Sunday in the early afternoon, the eagerly awaited result of the new election was known. 994 citizens voted for SPÖ candidate David Venus (62.67 percent), while ÖVP candidate Patrick Kainz received 592 votes (37.33 percent). Voter turnout was 77.5 percent.

The distribution of seats on the municipal council remains unchanged. The ÖVP has 13 seats, the SPÖ ten.

High praise for Venus
Venus was delighted that "the population has honored the work of the past months". Governor Hans Peter Doskozil (SPÖ) congratulated him on his "sensational election success". ÖVP provincial chairman Christian Sagartz thanked Kainz for his exemplary commitment.