A view of the castle and the historic city of Salzburg, Austria March 20, 2024. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
But now residents' growing exasperation at some of the highest housing costs in Austria could push them to elect a young Communist as mayor in a run-off election on Sunday. "Many people who have lived in the city are moving back to the countryside or going back because rents are extremely expensive," said 26-year-old social worker Michelle.
Dankl, a 35-year-old historian and former leader of the Young Greens, grew his party's share of the vote to 23.1% this month from 3.7% in 2019. He has also won over part of the public by keeping only 2,300 euros a month of his salary and donating the rest for one-off financial aid to constituents in need. Dankl hopes his dedication in addressing voters' concerns will outweigh rivals' calls not to vote for a Communist.Rattling off figures and examples, he said that on average renters in his city spend half their household income on rent and associated costs like heating.
Both candidates support investigating how many apartments lie empty for much of the year and say a levy on empty apartments must be better enforced.