Before the Innsbruck election

Parties present themselves in different ways

The top five FPÖ candidates for the municipal and mayoral elections (from left): Rudi Federspiel, Andrea Dengg, top candidate Markus Lassenberger, Reini Happ, Fabian Walch.(Bild: Birbaumer Johanna)

The various lists for the Innsbruck elections in April are taking different approaches to attract attention. While some are presenting their lists as a whole, others are presenting snacks and a few surprises.

Slowly but surely, Innsbruck's municipal council and mayoral elections are picking up speed. This can be seen in the fact that factual politics is taking a back seat, apart from the housing issue of course, which all parties rediscover every six years before elections anyway. Instead, the electorate is served up countless promises and "sweeteners" for the future of the provincial capital in ever shorter periods of time.

At the moment, of course, the various groups are busy - as they always have been - presenting their lists of candidates, possible supporters and posters.

The approaches to doing this are completely different. Some downright stage it, believing they are creating a spectacle, for example when they like to present "new" faces on Mondays. In most cases, however, these are anything but new. Some dispense with the canapés and serve the list in its entirety. This is what the Innsbruck FPÖ did on Friday.

Led, unsurprisingly, by Markus Lassenberger, who, like dozens of other candidates, is convinced that he will be the next mayor of Innsbruck. In contrast to many other list leaders, however, he currently has a very good chance of making it to the run-off. And, as we know, only two make it to the run-off. Of course, the FPÖ presentation could not miss the blue veteran Rudi Federspiel, the dinosaur of Innsbruck city politics, so to speak, but who still has his voters and is in third place behind the list runner-up Andrea Dengg.

Someone who is also firmly convinced that he will become mayor is taking a completely different approach. Johannes Anzengruber, a former member of the ÖVP and now open to all parties. He shows this quite openly, symbolically with a four-colored, six-pointed asterisk, which serves as his trademark and is intended to "reflect the entire political color spectrum".

To achieve his goal of becoming mayor, Anzengruber has many means at his disposal, but also every supporter. For example, the name Winfried Vescoli can be found on his list in the admittedly insignificant position 52. Vescoli is a liberal veteran, was chairman of the Ring of Liberal Businessmen (RfW) in Tyrol for many years and FPÖ top candidate in the Chamber of Commerce elections in Tyrol. In 35th place is another blue candidate, Michael Andergassen, who is currently a board member of the RfW. Apparently everything is compatible.

There are different ways to stay in the conversation or get into the conversation.