MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS
St. Pölten will elect a new local council on January 25th. The Greens are currently represented with three mandates and want to gain additional seats. In the election campaign they are focusing on typical green issues, such as climate and soil protection, transparency and saying no to the construction of the S34.
The Greens want to bring a breath of fresh air and movement into the city – that is the motto for the Green election campaign in the state capital. It is cold and windy in the pedestrian zone on this Saturday morning. Equipped with organic apples and election information, the top green duo Walter Heimerl-Lesnik and Lisa-Maria Koban are walking through the city center to come into contact with as many potential voters as possible.
The Greens want to present themselves courageously and critically in the election campaign – and do not skimp on criticizing the absolutely ruled red town hall. The “biggest concern” is transparency, said Walter Heimerl-Lesnik in an interview with noe.ORF.at. He wants “all parties to be involved if possible and citizens to be involved in the big and important decisions”. So far, everything has been decided in secret.
More cycle paths and green spaces, less development
The local council meetings should also be broadcast live again. This was recently stopped for reasons of savings, although Heimerl-Lesnik admits that savings have to be made. The Greens are also ready for this; the only question is how and where. According to the Greens, there is still a lot of money for “self-expression and representation”, but not for social concerns such as an increase in the heating subsidy.
The Greens want to score points with climate and soil protection as well as the expansion of public transport and the cycle path network. They also demand more support for the socially disadvantaged and want to promote diversity in the city. According to criticism, too few green spaces have been created, especially in the city center.
noe.ORF.at reports
In the run-up to the local council elections, ORF NÖ reports on the campaign kick-off events of all parties represented in the local council
There is a clear no to the construction of the S34, for the Greens it is a “million dollar grave”. There is also support for this in the election campaign from the green party leader Leonore Gewessler. During her term as infrastructure minister, she stopped and resized the project and sees the S34 as “not a sensible transport policy for this city” in the future. St. Pölten needs a policy “with a future, with courage and with more space for mobility for people and not for trucks,” said Gewessler.
Election goal: More mandates and becoming stronger
The Greens want to break the absolute majority of the SPÖ. They themselves want to become stronger in the election on January 25th and win a mandate. Five years ago, the city party achieved 8.01 percent and three mandates.
