After election defeat

LR Gerber to revive seemingly dead city ÖVP

Gerber (right) is to make things right for the Innsbruck City ÖVP. LH Mattle will keep an eye on developments in the provincial capital.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

The Innsbruck ÖVP city party is moving chairs: former top candidate Florian Tursky is long gone after last year's crushing election defeat, and newcomers are now supposed to fix things on behalf of the regional economic councillor Mario Gerber: "A new start with humility!" is the motto.

The search for a new ÖVP city party chairman in Innsbruck took a long time. A job that nobody wanted after the resounding defeat in last year's council and mayor elections in Innsbruck. Former top candidate Florian Tursky said on the occasion of his resignation in May last year that the time would come in fall 2024 at the latest. 

I deliberately want to inspire new faces, critical voices and committed middle-class Innsbruckers to join the ÖVP.

LR Mario Gerber

Another new start for the Stadt-VP
On Monday evening, the Innsbruck city party executive laid the foundations for another new start. As acting chairman, Tursky invited the municipal council club, deputies, alliance leaders and other voting members of the provincial party executive, the provincial government and the city party to a board meeting.

This set out the timetable for the election of Mario Gerber as Tursky's successor.

A picture with symbolic character after the crushing election defeat. Former Governor Günther Platter, Governor Anton Mattle, Tursky (from left).(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

"Have no ambitions in local politics"
"Together with works councillor Selina Eder, student Sophia Quirchmair, entrepreneur Ellen Moll, doctor Julian Margreitter and lawyer Jakob Grüner, as well as with the support of pensioner Angelika Luhan and Franz Hitzl, Chairman of the Traditionsforum Tirol, we will now tackle the new personnel and content," said LR Gerber, setting out the direction of travel. He himself has no ambitions in local politics.

Foundation of a new platform
"I deliberately want to inspire new faces, critical voices and committed middle-class Innsbruckers to join the ÖVP." In the municipal council, however, StR Markus Stoll, club leader Franz Jirka, GR Birgit Winkel and GR Christine Oppitz-Plörer set the tone for the ÖVP: the newcomers can only look on. Gerber wants to "generate new momentum" by founding a new platform "Future Innsbruck People's Party".

The next step will be the party conference in April with 160 delegates, who will then officially elect Gerber.