Uproar over verbal abuse

Municipal council scandal: SPÖ leaves meeting in protest

At the municipal office in Ollersdorf, the house blessing is hanging crooked.(Bild: Christian Schulter)

No Easter peace in Ollersdorf, district of Güssing: the political situation is tense. The mood changed at the last meeting of the local council. The Social Democratic parliamentary group pulled out. Outraged by personal insults, the SPÖ deputy mayor made her criticism public.

For the nine SPÖ members, the approach of the ÖVP, which has a majority of ten votes in the municipal council, is no longer acceptable. "The disrespectful behavior of the People's Party is unacceptable," said SPÖ Deputy Mayor Tanja Illedits. A moral line has now been crossed. And not just because the municipal council meeting was scheduled on Good Friday of all days.

No flow of information
The list of accusations is long. Once again, documents have been made available too late or not at all, although the ÖVP mayor is obliged to do so, explains the SPÖ deputy mayor. Information was also denied, as no board meetings were held before the municipal council meeting.

Anger about insults
To make matters worse, the ÖVP mayor complained about his Social Democratic deputy without due decorum. "He insulted me as a person with a bad character and as a notorious liar. In front of the assembled municipal council and the spectators present, the mayor declared that he would no longer speak to people like me," complains Illedits.

The deputy mayor considers this tone to be a personal insult that has no place in politics. The SPÖ left the meeting as one. What happens next is questionable. First step: Illedits went public with her criticism.

Waiting for an explanation
The ÖVP mayor has not yet had the opportunity to respond to the accusations. Despite several attempts, he could not be reached for comment on Easter Monday. Each time he called, only the busy signal could be heard.