Election chaos in Lower Austria: Klosterneuburg and Gablitz have to vote again!

Election chaos in Lower Austria: Klosterneuburg and Gablitz have to vote again!

The political landscape in Lower Austria is currently in jeopardy! After the local council elections on January 26, 2025, a total of twelve challenges were submitted, which are now being examined by the state's main electoral authority. The authority's chairman, State Parliament President Karl Wilfing, announced on March 10 that these legal challenges exist in eleven municipalities, especially in Klosterneuburg, Gablitz, and Marchegg, where the elections must be partially or completely repeated. The reasons for these challenges are, in part, serious deficiencies in the electoral process that occurred during the counting of votes, such as meinkreis.at reported.

In Klosterneuburg, the election will only be held in Sprengel 28, the Caritas retirement home. Here a member of the electoral commission accepted votes on his own initiative, which ultimately led to a challenge. The situation is different in Gablitz and Marchegg, where all voters have to go to the polls again after serious irregularities were discovered. Arbitrary voting by members of the district electoral authorities before the start of the election and incorrect announcements of election proposals led to these drastic measures. The electoral picture could also change in Maria Lanzendorf, as a list that is incorrectly not approved makes re-selection necessary.

What happens now?

The decisions of the state's main electoral authority mean that new election dates must be announced in the affected communities. The earliest date could be mid-May. In the seven other municipalities where challenges were rejected, the newly elected municipal councils must be constituted within four weeks ots.at reported. The authorities are therefore under pressure to quickly provide clarity in order to preserve democracy in Lower Austria, while at the same time the integrity of the elections is under scrutiny. The lawyers are required because the most precise tests and the quality of the arguments count here!