ÖVP and SPÖ at loggerheads

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There is no end in sight to the political wrangling between the ÖVP and SPÖ in the southern Burgenland municipality of Ollersdorf (Güssing district). The latest incidents: the Christmas party of the pensioners' association and an aborted municipal council meeting.

There is no political Christmas peace in Ollersdorf: ÖVP mayor Bernd Strobl and the SPÖ parliamentary group clashed once again. One occasion was the Christmas party of the SPÖ pensioners' association. As in previous years, ÖVP local leader Strobl was also invited, but this time he canceled.

In a letter to the members, Strobl explained that former provincial councillor and SPÖ local councillor Christian Illedits had taken over the chairmanship. "A person who prefers to constantly criticize the work of the municipality and my related work in an unobjective manner and thus tries to divide our municipality and our associations," the head of the municipality said in the letter. Illedits rejects this: "I have proven that I am a bridge builder. If I am, then Mayor Strobl is dividing us with his approach."

Municipal council not quorate
The next uproar came after Christmas: the budget meeting had to be canceled because the SPÖ parliamentary group excused itself for scheduling reasons and the municipal council was not quorate. "The meeting between Christmas and New Year is a tradition for us," says Strobl. Apparently, other things were more important than the well-being of the municipality.

The SPÖ parliamentary group countered: "We informed Strobl back in October that the majority of our elected representatives would be unable to attend on this date." There had even been a municipal council resolution in November to hold the meeting before Christmas. "But this was apparently ignored," they say.