Bratislava: Jan Hrcka Should Become New Petrzalka Mayor Again

Bratislava, 7 September (TASR) - Jan Hrcka has become the new mayor of the Bratislava borough of Petrzalka in the by-election held on Saturday (6 September), TASR has learnt from his post on a social network, while his victory in the election was also confirmed by Petrzalka spokeswoman Maria Halaskova. The results of the election have yet to be confirmed by the state election commission. Hrcka said that 12,260 voters reportedly gave him their vote, which was 78.58 percent with a turnout of more than 16 percent. "Your trust is again a strong commitment to me. A huge one. I'm aware of it and I'll remember it," he posted on the social platform. Hrcka declared that under his leadership as mayor of Bratislava's largest borough it will continue to be seen in its streets that work is being done and things are changing for the better. He reiterated again that what happened was a great experience, stressing that he doesn't want to disappoint the residents as well as himself. "I'll never forget how you've supported me during a time that has been the most difficult in my professional and, for the most part, personal life," noted Hrcka. Petrzalka borough has been without an official mayor since 1 June after Hrcka resigned. It was a matter of taking political responsibility for a million-euro fraud that was uncovered at the local authority. He justified his decision to give up his mandate on the grounds that they hadn't found out about the fraud sooner. Hrcka has been the head of the Petrzalka local authority since 2018. Hrcka later announced his candidacy in the by-election in early July, explaining this move by saying that if the residents give him their trust, he'd like to finish things with the people at the local authority. His only opponent in the election was councillor Juraj Mravec. am