Pinkafeld council elects Kubat as mayor

Pinkafeld’s council elected Adrian Kubat of the SPÖ as mayor on Thursday evening, ORF reported. He won 14 votes, defeating Carina Laschober-Luif of the ÖVP, who received 11.

The result keeps the municipality in SPÖ hands following the resignation of long-serving mayor Kurt Maczek. The SPÖ and ÖVP each hold 11 seats on the council. The FPÖ has two representatives and NEOS has one. Before the vote, the FPÖ had said it would support Kubat; NEOS had not announced its position.

Laschober-Luif, the outgoing first deputy mayor, said she intends to run again in next year’s mayoral election. She said Kubat must now take responsibility and make clear decisions.

SPÖ state chairman and Governor Hans Peter Doskozil congratulated Kubat, saying his work as second deputy mayor had familiarised him with Pinkafeld’s municipal challenges and upcoming projects. Doskozil and the state SPÖ also thanked Maczek for his 24 years as mayor.