Wife posts picture

ÖVP mayor beaten up and threatened in park

(Bild: Screenshot/Facebook.com)

Shock in the Lower Austrian municipality of Vösendorf! Mayor Hannes Koza (ÖVP) was beaten up by a stranger on Tuesday evening and threatened with being killed. His wife posted a picture of his injuries on social media. 

As Koza told the "Krone" newspaper on Tuesday evening, the local politician was on his way home on Tuesday evening when a stranger intercepted him in the Schlosspark and then punched him in the face. Koza fell to the ground, then the stranger said to him: "You won't survive tomorrow's meeting!" The background: The municipal council meeting will take place in Vösendorf on Wednesday (6 pm). 

It's just sad. I really didn't think it would come to this."

Hannes Koza (ÖVP), Bürgermeister von Vösendorf

Koza immediately reported the incident to the police, after which he went to hospital to have his damaged face x-rayed. Koza was shocked: "It's just sad. I really didn't think it would come to this." At the municipal council meeting on Wednesday, an increased police presence is probably certain.

Wife: "You wonder why Hannes is still doing this to himself at all" 
His wife Daniela, who made the incident public on Facebook, is also stunned. "Everyone is called upon to de-escalate and not to further inflame the negative atmosphere. Because this is what comes out of the eternal agitation," she wrote. And added: "One wonders why Hannes is still doing this to himself at all. Despite all the difficulties, he lives for this Vösendorf. Nobody has to be our friend, but that?"

Koza clearly won early local elections in May
Koza is not without controversy in Vösendorf. On May 5, he clearly won the early local elections. Compared to the 2020 municipal elections, his ÖVP list increased by 10.7 percentage points to 48.9% and took first place with an absolute majority of seats. 

In the early municipal elections in Vösendorf (Mödling district) in May, the ÖVP led by Mayor Hannes Koza won an absolute majority of seats.

(Bild: Patrick Huber, Gemeinde Vösendorf, Krone KREATIV)

Investigations against mayor dropped
The starting point had been investigations against Koza. The investigations into breach of trust, incitement to hatred and abuse of office were closed in March. There was a diversion in relation to the accusation of falsification of documents. The head of the municipality is said to have been reimbursed by the municipality for costs incurred in the course of a legal dispute following a tweet and to have "corrected" a lawyer's invoice himself. The amount of 1,129.32 euros is said to have been reported as consultancy costs for the purchase of a new fire engine. Koza transferred the sum back.

As a result, Koza called an early municipal council election. His party colleagues resigned their seats for this, and the move was criticized by the opposition.

Opposition with harsh criticism of Koza
The municipality in the district of Mödling was also scrutinized by the responsible state supervisory authority. Following the publication of the corresponding report, the SPÖ, FPÖ and NEOS came out with some fierce criticism. The mayor himself, on the other hand, felt vindicated despite the deficiencies.

After the municipal council election, Koza announced that he would withdraw from all party functions outside of Vösendorf. He had already previously suspended his role as treasury auditor for the district ÖVP.