Inauguration at city hall

Prammer (SPÖ) now officially head of the city of Linz

Dietmar Prammer (right) was sworn in as the new mayor of Linz at 2.15 pm. Governor Thomas Stelzer congratulated him.(Bild: Wenzel Markus)

157 days after the resignation of Klaus Luger as mayor, the provincial capital once again has an official number one: election winner Dietmar Prammer (SPÖ) was officially sworn in this afternoon. 

The current acting Deputy Mayor Dietmar Prammer (SPÖ) was sworn in today by Governor Thomas Stelzer (ÖVP) as the new Mayor of Linz. In the municipal council, he promised to "give something back" to his home city as mayor "moved, full of humility and joy". Prammer is the eighth mayor of the Upper Austrian capital since 1945, all of whom have belonged to the SPÖ, thus continuing a tradition. 

"On an equal footing despite different values"
He assured Stelzer of "good cooperation with the state", who had already offered this to the city shortly beforehand, but also asked the new mayor to do the same. Prammer wanted to meet the other parliamentary groups in the municipal council "at eye level despite different values". The central challenge for the city was to "reconcile industry and climate protection".

Prammer won the run-off election a week and a half ago
Following the resignation of city leader Klaus Luger (SPÖ) in August last year due to the Brucknerhaus affair, first deputy mayor Karin Hörzing (SPÖ) took over at short notice, with planning councillor Prammer becoming acting deputy mayor shortly afterwards. In the mayoral election on January 12, he was already clearly in the lead of the seven candidates with 40.2 percent, and in the run-off election two weeks later he clearly prevailed against FPÖ candidate Michael Raml with 77.1 percent of the vote.

Also on Thursday, SPÖ municipal councillor and university professor Thomas Gegenhuber was sworn in as the new city councillor for innovation and business, while SPÖ city councillor Tina Blöchl was appointed third deputy mayor. Since Luger's departure, there have only been three members of the SPÖ in the city government. However, according to the results of the 2021 municipal elections, the SPÖ is entitled to four seats in the city senate. The red government team is now complete again with two women and two men.