100 percent for SPÖ

In one municipality, the election has already been decided

In Wildalpen, only the SPÖ (pictured: still mayor Karin Gulas) is running.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Gemeinde Wildalpen)

A new municipal council will be elected in 284 Styrian municipalities on March 23 - in one of them everything has already been decided: In Wildalpen (Liezen district), only the SPÖ is standing. There was a similar case five years ago.

Wildalpen lies between Landl and Mariazell in the very north of Styria, has just over 400 inhabitants, lots of forest - and supplies the federal capital of Vienna with drinking water via the high spring water pipeline. The municipality is a stronghold of the SPÖ (Social Democratic Party of Austria), and the red party also emerged as the strongest force in the national and regional elections in the fall.

It is therefore not surprising that no other party is entering the ring in the municipal council elections in March. Five years ago, the ÖVP was still on the ballot paper, winning 23.8 percent and two out of nine municipal council seats. Even the FPÖ, which usually runs almost everywhere in the Liezen district, has no candidate for Wildalpen this time either.

And yet the municipality will have a new mayor. As the incumbent Karin Gulas is no longer leading the list as the top candidate this year, as she told the "Krone" newspaper, the current deputy mayor Stefan Ganser will succeed her. He already has 100 percent support.

100 percent for ÖVP in Lassing
There was a similar case in the election five years ago, also in the district of Liezen: back then, only the ÖVP stood in Lassing and naturally won all 15 seats. This time, however, the FPÖ has again submitted a list.