Austrian political party announces wrong winner of election

A political party in Austria has said that it announced the wrong winner of its party election over the weekend.

The Social Democrats (SPÖ) leader Michaela Grubesa announced Monday that that the election results to decide the new federal party chairman at the party’s conference were mixed up as a result of a technical error.

According to a revised tally, Andreas Babler, the mayor of the city and municipality of Traiskirchen, received 52.66 percent of the votes and Hans Peter Doskozil, the governor of Burgenland, received 46.51 percent of the votes.

Speaking at a press conference, Babler said that he’ll ask the electoral commission to jointly check the votes again, saying that if the results from Monday’s readout still is correct, he’ll take office.

“It is important that there are no question marks and that we can face the future with certainty. I expect absolute transparency and clarity. We owe it to the party, the members and the voters. Now it’s the electoral commission’s turn,” Babler said Monday.

“Today’s low point with the reversed election result is painful for everyone involved, and I feel sorry not only for Hans Peter Doskozil, but for the entire movement. Nothing can justify that, and nothing can put it into perspective,” he added. “I give my word: If I take over the party, I will work together with my team on the comeback of social democracy.”

SPÖ supporters hoped the election would give the party, which is currently polling behind the far-right Freedom Party, a brighter outlook moving forward according to Politico.

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