2024-02-23 09:35:16
The Innsbruck Green mayor and top candidate for the local council and mayoral direct election on April 14th, Georg Willi, appears confident of victory despite a difficult starting position. Willi said at a press conference in Innsbruck on Friday that he is now “80 percent” confident of being re-elected. He described the ballot as a “choice of direction”.
“We want to become the strongest party again and I want to remain mayor,” said Willi during the presentation of the first wave of posters. The city boss once again expected FPÖ deputy mayor and mayoral candidate Markus Lassenberger as an opponent in a likely runoff election. Right-wing parties are on the rise across Europe, and federal politics also influence the overall political situation, said Willi, who has ruled Innsbruck since 2018, explaining his view. Other important opponents such as “the New Innsbruck” mayoral candidate and ÖVP state secretary Florian Tursky as well as the former deputy mayor Johannes Anzengruber, who defected from the ÖVP, would suffer from the fact that the civil vote potential was “split”, predicted the Green frontman.
Despite a four-party coalition that had blown up and ongoing disputes in city politics, Willi maintained that nothing had progressed. They had “achieved an extremely great deal” – and everything that had not been achieved in terms of major projects was the responsibility of his political opponents, who would now “talk everything down”. “This is their standstill,” Willi told his competitor.
On the posters, Willi is portrayed as a mayor for everyone – and as a fighter against a “threatening” black-blue coalition. “Human like you. Your mayor” can be read on it. Or “I want fair rents. Instead of black and blue”. Or in relation to public transport: “I want free travel. Instead of black and blue”.
The mayor argued for his black-blue focus that the black-blue camp was exactly the one that had prevented positive development of the city in recent years. That is precisely why it is now a “choice of direction”.
Willi placed the ongoing topic of affordable housing and public transport at the center of his presentation. The real estate industry must finally stop “taking money out of people’s pockets”. The Green top candidate said he wanted to achieve solidarity with the other areas of the economy in relation to the expensive housing development in Innsbruck. People should finally be able to afford housing again.
Municipal housing needs to be expanded and vacancies need to be combated further. But something has also happened in this area in recent years. “We were able to hand over 1,750 affordable apartments,” emphasized Willi.
In the area of transport, the Greens advocated, among other things, a free public transport ticket for all Innsbruck residents up to the age of 18 throughout Tyrol. They also want to slow down cars further: the speed limit should be 30 km/h across the board – except for the large thoroughfares and “collection roads”. Short-term parking spaces should also be “gradually reduced”. At the same time, public transport and “trams” should be expanded.
Behind Willi in second place is the previous deputy club chairwoman Janine Bex. Club chairman Dejan Lukovic is in sixth place, and ÖH chairwoman Sophia Nessler is in seventh place.
The Greens won around 24 percent and ten mandates as a list in the 2018 local council elections. Willi prevailed in the runoff against “For Innsbruck” mayor Christine Oppitz-Plörer and became the first Green city boss of a state capital. The eco-party now only has seven mandates – three mandates split off after conflicts.
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