Election crash looms

ÖVP Vienna in trouble, but leader can stay (for now)

The charges of embezzlement against the Vienna ÖVP leader Karl Mahrer are overshadowing the current election campaign in the federal capital.

(Bild: Klemens Groh, Peter Tomschi, Krone KREATIV)

Accused and counted out: Party chairman Karl Mahrer still leads the list of candidates for the ÖVP Vienna in the upcoming state elections on April 27. However, the People's Party is threatened with a total collapse.

The first wave of posters has already been rolled out. The People's Party's posters have been put up all over the city: "Vienna remains Vienna - only with Karl!" Soon around 1000 triangular stands with Karl Mahrer's likeness will also be added. But whether the ÖVP Vienna will really go into the early election with its party leader was not so certain until Friday evening.

Majority of the party still backs Mahrer
Behind closed doors, the committees decided on the list of candidates, which will not be presented until Monday. One thing is certain: Mahrer was once again able to unite the majority of the presidium and the provincial party executive behind him and is running for first place on the list.

The previously unknown Kasia Greco, Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce, is running for second place. JVP Vienna chairman Harald Zierfuß can be found in third place. Seniors' Association chairwoman Ingrid Korosec, Hannes Taborsky, Sabine Keri, Manfred Juraczka and Elisabeth Olischar take the other places.

In the dock after the election
Mahrer and his wife Christine will probably only take their seats in the dock after the election. Both are accused of contributing to infidelity. The PR consultancy company run by Mahrer's wife received almost 85,000 euros from Wienwert over a period of 7 months without having provided any corresponding services in return. Although Mahrer, then Vice-President of the Vienna Provincial Police and later a member of the National Council, had no legal relationship with the company, he repeatedly appeared in connection with the payments from Wienwert. The presumption of innocence applies.

There are different opinions within the ÖVP Vienna. However, we stand united behind Karl Mahrer.

ÖVP Wien-Landesgeschäftsführer Peter Sverak

Weak poll ratings
The last few days have been remarkably quiet around WK Vienna President Walter Ruck, Mahrer's fiercest critic. He is said to have tried to hoist Döbling's district leader Daniel Resch into office as an alternative candidate. But Mahrer is a party leader on call. Unsurprisingly, the prospects for the City Blacks with their accused leading candidate in the election on April 27 are not particularly rosy.

Polls currently put the ÖVP Vienna at just 10 percent - barely in double figures. A disastrous result will therefore immediately trigger a debate about who should be elected.

Many ÖVP celebrities no longer on the list
In the course of Friday, a veritable orgy of cuts was revealed behind the scenes in the ÖVP, as the "Krone" found out. Several prominent elected representatives fell politically victim to the list creation process or voluntarily withdrew from the game because they were offered a place on the list.

Such as Laura Sachslehner, Isabelle Jungnickel and Norbert Walter. Some are now trying their luck by standing for election in their constituency.

Local councillor Laura Sachslehner now wants to try to enter the local council via her Landstraße constituency.

(Bild: krone.tv)

The deputy district leader of Floridsdorf, Christian Klar (ÖVP), will no longer be running in the district council elections. He found out about this via WhatsApp.

(Bild: krone.tv)

Learned of political retirement via cell phone message
Another political career has come to an abrupt end - at least for the time being. One of the most courageous representatives of the Vienna People's Party and former district deputy, secondary school principal Christian Klar, was no longer nominated in Floridsdorf. Klar: "I received the list of VP candidates in the district via WhatsApp and saw that I was no longer on it. There was no personal conversation. They obviously want to do without my political expertise."