Elephant round

Smooth sailing into the Linz election campaign finale

What do you think? ORF presenters Conny Deutsch and Chris- toph Kinast also had the seven candidates answer with smileys.

(Bild: Werner Kerschbaummayr/TEAM FOTOKERSCHI / WERNER KERSCHBAUMMAYR)

When the leading candidates met for the elephant round before the Linz mayoral election, the government negotiations officially broke down. However, this did not cause the waves to rise and it was generally noticeable that the seven city politicians were soft as strokes and eager to attack. 

The provincial capital of Linz is facing decisive weeks: In eight days, it will be decided whether a woman or a man will head the city in the future. However, everyone is already predicting that it will not be clear who will be allowed to move into the mayor's office until after a run-off election on January 26.

Federal politics in the mix
The first major clash between the seven candidates from the SPÖ, ÖVP, FPÖ, Greens, Neos, KPÖ and Linz+ took place on Friday afternoon in the ORF regional studio in Linz. The moderator duo Christoph Kinast and Conny Deutsch started the discussion with a trip to federal politics. In Vienna, the Neos broke off the government negotiations - which the Linz Neos man Georg Redlhammer already thought: "You could expect it, because the euphoria among our colleagues in Vienna was not really great." SPÖ candidate Dietmar Prammer was disappointed, FPÖ politician Michael Raml said: "Better an end with a scare than a scare without an end." After seven minutes, however, we were back in Linz.

The "Krone" asked the mayoral candidates to take the Linz quiz before the elephant round

(Bild: Wenzel Markus)

Economy, security, families
All candidates gave examples of why they belong at the top of the city. Executive Deputy Mayor Prammer, for example, spoke of the strengthening of industry, which is a guarantor of prosperity in Linz: "We have always proven in Linz that we can achieve further development." Deputy Mayor Martin Hajart said: "The economy is under great pressure, all levels must now work together." One of the ÖVP candidate's personal concerns is to make Linz a city for children and families. The Freedom Party candidate Raml promises: "If I become mayor, the issue of safety will become a top priority."

The Reds are clearly ahead
If you talk to opinion pollsters these days, they assume that the SPÖ has a big advantage and that the ÖVP and FPÖ have significantly fewer chances in the match for the mayor's seat. The question is whether the ÖVP or the FPÖ will come second and then face the SPÖ candidate in a run-off.

Little headwind arose
Nevertheless, even if the chances of the other parties are marginal, the candidates engaged in a passionate and gentle debate. Gerlinde Grünn (KPÖ), who has been on the municipal council for 15 years, called for better administration: "It is undisputed that the city has a great responsibility for the people who live here." Lorenz Potocnik, top candidate for the Linz+ list, is very visionary: "We have to look to the future in order to pursue a solid location policy. We have to think big." Green candidate Eva Schobesberger complained that past mistakes are now becoming apparent when it comes to the location. She wants to rebuild the city in a climate-friendly way. Neos candidate Redlhammer is in favor of control and a humble policy. And he sees potential for savings in the city's finances: "We don't need to spend 300,000 euros on flower boxes."