"Only Vösendorf"

Koza breaks with provincial party, remains mayor

In a newspaper interview, Hannes Koza has now settled accounts with his party colleagues in the district.(Bild: P. Huber)

Vösendorf has not had a moment's peace recently due to political upheavals. Even after the election, in which the controversial mayor Hannes Koza was able to secure an absolute majority, things are still going strong: the ÖVP politician does not want to be active in state and federal politics. But he will remain head of the town.

It is well known that some members of the Lower Austrian People's Party have not been big fans of Hannes Koza recently. The mayor of Vösendorf in the district of Mödling had forced new elections in the municipality after falsifying invoices, the proceedings were dropped after a diversion. And emerged as the big winner. He has now given a surprising interview to the "Standard" newspaper that makes people sit up and take notice.

No entry into the National Council
Koza announced that he would not be seeking any party functions outside the Vösendorf municipal boundaries. This means he will also not be on the state list for the National Council elections. Why? "Because I still need to think about the approach and the backing of my colleagues in the district," says Koza.

When asked about the mayor of Mödling, who is considered Koza's internal party opponent, the local leader says: "I don't care about him, I mean in general." This is unlikely to fill any rifts. The political dispute surrounding Koza and his election victory, which came as a surprise to many, seems to be going into extra time.