Parties demand Bludenz mayor resign after abuse of office conviction

Bludenz Mayor Simon Tschann is facing renewed calls to resign after Austria’s Supreme Court made his abuse-of-office conviction final, ORF reported.

The court rejected Tschann’s appeal, leaving the conviction in place. The Innsbruck Higher Regional Court will decide the sentence. The case concerns a 2021 construction project on Fohrenburgstrasse in Bludenz. Tschann was found to have granted a building permit without reviewing a critical assessment by an official expert.

The Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) in Vorarlberg and the liberal NEOS party in Bludenz called on Tschann to step down. NEOS group leader Ricardo Griesser said a mayor convicted of abuse of office could not simply carry on. Tschann has said he will remain in office, citing his re-election in March 2025, when the judgment was not yet final.

Vorarlberg SPÖ leader Mario Leiter also demanded Tschann’s resignation and called on state ÖVP leader Markus Wallner to explain how the party would respond. Bludenz SPÖ leader Antonio Della Rossa said Tschann was still describing the complaint against him as politically motivated.

The Greens called on Tschann to give up all his supervisory board positions as a first step. Their parliamentary group leader, Daniel Zadra, said the conviction was serious and criticised Tschann for keeping all his roles.

Tschann said the city accepted the Supreme Court’s decision, although he said he did not fully understand it. He maintained that he had acted in the city’s interests and said he had gained no personal benefit from the construction project. He rejected calls to resign.