Danger in the power triangle

Black-Blue could topple two SPÖ mayors

Peter Müller (left) believes he has little chance of retaining the seat of mayor of Schrems. David Süß (ÖVP) would like to take it over. In Amaliendorf, the match is Anja Scherzer (FPÖ, center) against Claudia Allram (SPÖ). There, the ÖVP will "crown" the future head of the village.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Klaus Schindler, SPÖ, ÖVP, FPÖ)

High tension after the election in the district of Gmünd: two SPÖ mayors' chairs could turn into a skidding chair. However, if the local parties play along, the motto could be: "The kingmaker makes the queen", as the power triangle of ÖVP, SPÖ and FPÖ is closely interwoven. It is also quite possible that the Blue Party could become mayor for the first time in the country's history.

After more than 100 years of socialist dominance in the granite town of Schrems in the Waldviertel, history has been written there. The ÖVP has now been elected as the party with the most votes for the first time.

Both parties hold twelve seats in the largest municipality in the Gmünd district. The FPÖ could become the "kingmaker" with three seats. However, as the blue party could only guarantee a wafer-thin majority with 15 of 29 seats, the SPÖ-critical Prinz list could also play a role with two seats.

Will Mayor Müller have to vacate his seat?
While SPÖ mayor Peter Müller is expecting to have to vacate the mayor's seat for the black top candidate David Süß if talks with the blacks are successful and has not ruled out talks with the FPÖ, there is also a critical view of the neighboring municipality of Amaliendorf, where Claudia Allram ran for SPÖ mayor for the first time and lost the absolute (only 9 of 19 seats). FPÖ member of the provincial parliament Anja Scherzer won seven seats there as top candidate and could become the first blue mayor of Lower Austria with the three municipal council seats won by the ÖVP.

"Kingmaker" could also be queen
A political "horse-trading" between the ÖVP and FPÖ in the district of Gmünd could dethrone two red mayors and thus make history twice over. Would all the local parties play along? If that is the case, one thing is obvious: The "kingmaker" of ÖVP-Süß in Schrems (i.e. SPÖ or FPÖ) will be the "queen" in Amaliendorf.