Only two ballots: These elections are coming up in 2026

After intensive election years, the coming year offers a breather for the government. At the federal and state level, there are no scheduled elections at all in 2026. However, at the municipal level, there are elections in two state capitals: in Graz and St. Pölten.

The start is made by the Lower Austrian state capital, where elections will be held on January 25. More excitement is promised by the municipal council election in the Styrian state capital following in the autumn.

Only in Graz and St. Pölten will elections be held in 2026 as scheduled

In St. Pölten, which has been governed by the SPÖ since 1950, long-time mayor Matthias Stadler is seeking re-election. In the municipal council election in January 2021, his SPÖ clearly maintained the absolute majority with 56.02 percent despite a decrease of 2.98 percentage points. Seven lists are running on January 25: in addition to the SPÖ, ÖVP, FPÖ, Greens, and NEOS already represented in the town hall, the KPÖ and the "Multicultural Society" list are also running.

Graz KPÖ mayor runs again

The election in Graz is likely to attract more attention nationwide, where since 2021, a communist, Elke Kahr, has been serving as mayor. The 64-year-old, who surprisingly took the first place from long-time mayor Siegfried Nagl (ÖVP) four years ago, is running again. Currently, the KPÖ governs together with the Greens and SPÖ, with the Social Democrats not holding a city council seat.

Since municipal elections generally only serve as a limited barometer for federal politics, the largely campaign-free year promises some calm for the three-party coalition. The next state-level elections are not until autumn 2027 in Upper Austria and Tyrol, provided the coalitions in the two states hold until the end of the legislative period. Additionally, the election year 2027 offers municipal council elections in Carinthia, Upper Austria, and Burgenland.

(APA/Red)

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