Due to formal error

FPÖ is now not on the ballot in Gumpoldskirchen

FPÖ provincial councillor Christoph Luisser (left) senses a set-up, ÖVP mayor Ferdinand Köck (right) sees himself in the right.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/ZVG ÖVP und FPÖ Doris Seebacher)

Tempers are currently running high in Gumpoldskirchen. The blue party is not allowed to stand for election this time. The reason for this is a formal error in the submission. FPÖ provincial councillor Christoph Luisser sees arbitrariness, ÖVP mayor Ferdinand Köck sees himself in the right. 

FPÖ provincial councillor Christoph Luisser is extremely angry about this. Because in the end, everything went according to plan for him during the submission process. "The list was submitted three times within the legal deadline. Always with the same candidates and always in the same order." The mistake with the first submission was that the list was submitted without the candidates' declarations of consent. "The current municipal councillor was wrongly told by the municipality that he could take the list back with him," says Luisser. The municipal electoral authority rejected the submission with a verbally announced decision.

Submitted three times, failed three times
The second submission was then made with the candidates' signatures. And to be on the safe side, a third submission was also made, this time a so-called "contingent application". This was also not accepted because the decision on the second application was still pending. Luisser: "For us, it is undisputed that the FPÖ submitted a formally correct motion. Nevertheless, this submission was arbitrarily not accepted". A challenge to the election is already being considered.

The FPÖ is currently represented on the municipal council by one member, Peter Souczek. 

"The authority has to decide"
ÖVP mayor Ferdinand Köck comments: "The municipal electoral authority made this decision because the FPÖ submitted an incorrect election proposal". According to Köck, the second application was submitted by two different authorized representatives. "And the third application, a contingent application, is not provided for in the municipal regulations," explains Köck.

He sees nothing unlawful in the electoral authority's decision. "We also had it all legally checked and are not doing this just for the fun of it," Köck grumbles. "This has absolutely nothing to do with the ÖVP". The municipal council regulations state exactly who has to submit what and how. And: "Every citizens' list gets it together, but not the FPÖ?"