At the end of April, about 1.1 million Viennese will vote in the Vienna Election for their state parliament and municipal council. Since Vienna is both a federal state and a municipality, both bodies are composed of the same members. In total, around 1.4 million people are eligible to vote, as the 23 district councils are also being elected at the same time. In these elections, citizens of other EU countries living in Vienna can also cast their votes.

Vienna Election 2020: Almost Only Winners After FPÖ Collapse

The starting point at the municipal level is as follows: The 2020 election brought almost only winners. The SPÖ achieved 41.6 percent (an increase of 2 percentage points). Their then coalition partner, the Greens, increased by about 3 percentage points to 14.8 percent. The ÖVP climbed by 11 percentage points, celebrating 20.4 percent. The NEOS reached 7.5 percent, an increase of 1.3 percentage points. In contrast, the collapse of the FPÖ was dramatic. The Blues lost 23.7 percentage points after the Ibiza scandal, landing in last place with 7 percent.

Parties Finalized Lists for Vienna Election

In the meantime, all parties had to finalize their lists. It was expected that the SPÖ would enter the race with their party chairman Michael Ludwig and the FPÖ also with the party leader, Dominik Nepp, at the top. The Greens, however, had to make a decision since the party is led by a duo. Peter Kraus allowed Judith Pühringer to take precedence in terms of list position. The nomination of Karl Mahrer as the ÖVP's top candidate became a short-term nail-biter. He is facing charges of breach of trust in the Wienwert case but was ultimately elevated to the first position.

Short-term Reshuffle at NEOS Before Vienna Election

It also became more exciting than expected at the NEOS. State spokesperson Christoph Wiederkehr, who was - at least at that time - the city councilor for education and deputy mayor, was considered the logical top candidate. He was also determined as such in a member assembly. However, a few days later, it was clear that he would become the Minister of Education. After a brief hesitation, he ultimately decided not to run in Vienna. The second on the list, Selma Arapovic, moved to the top. However, the new city councilor for education, Bettina Emmerling, is also expected to play an important role in the campaign for the Pinks.

Vienna Election: KPÖ/Links and Strache Also on Ballot Citywide

In the municipal council election, two more lists are running citywide as they were able to gather enough support declarations - namely KPÖ/Links and the party of former FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache. After the exposure of his meeting with an alleged oligarch's niece, he had already attempted in 2020 to enter the municipal council with defected blue councilors. However, he failed at that time. The Beer Party is not running at all anymore. Even in the districts, they will be missing from the ballot, although they currently have some district councilors.

First Election Posters for Vienna Election Set Up

That the election campaign has started is already noticeable in the city with the first election posters, although not all parties are participating yet. The official campaign kick-offs are still pending, but they will soon be on the agenda. There are already initial surveys. The fact that the results have varied somewhat could also be due to the turbulent time of government formation at the federal level.

Vienna Election: Polls Predict ÖVP Losses and FPÖ Gains

However, relatively unanimously, losses for the ÖVP and significant gains for the FPÖ were predicted. The Greens and NEOS seem to be in the range of their results from five years ago. At the SPÖ, Mayor and party leader Michael Ludwig recently stated at the red club meeting that they are still far from the result at that time. If Red-Pink is possible again, it is expected that the government cooperation will continue.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.