In Austria’s capital Vienna, elections are underway. Around 1.4 million people are called upon to decide the future composition of the City Council (which also serves as the state parliament) and the district assemblies. Although the vote was originally scheduled for autumn, the governing parties SPÖ and NEOS agreed in January to bring it forward. Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. and will close uniformly at 5 p.m. The lead candidates have already cast their ballots.

First to vote was Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ), who this morning cast his vote at an elementary school in his home district of Floridsdorf. Afterwards he urged all Viennese to vote, stressing that the right to vote is not to be taken for granted in a democracy and recalling the meeting of Austria’s first provisional government exactly 80 years ago. Half an hour later FPÖ lead candidate Dominik Nepp voted, advising the mayor to dress warmly despite the sunny weather.

“We showed everything and campaigned with passion,” said Green Party lead candidate Judith Pühringer as she voted at a school in the 17th district. The Greens plan to celebrate the campaign’s end this evening. ÖVP lead candidate Karl Mahrer cast his vote at midday at the Adult Education Center in Landstraße, saying he felt “incredibly good” and sensed real momentum; he expects the ÖVP to gain enough to return to government in a “fire-extinguisher coalition” with the SPÖ.

NEOS lead candidate Selma Arapović said her aim was “adding a plus before every number” and expressed confidence in renewing the red-pink coalition. KPÖ/LISTA LINKS candidate Barbara Urbanic was “quite optimistic” about entering the City Council this time and expects gains in the districts (she currently holds 23 seats across 15 districts). Team HC Strache’s Heinz-Christian Strache tempered expectations, calling his party “underdogs” and saying any surprise would be welcome.

Background – 2020 results
In 2020, all parties except the FPÖ were winners: SPÖ rose to 41.6 percent (+2 pp), Greens to 14.8 percent (+3 pp), ÖVP to 20.4 percent (+11 pp), NEOS to 7.5 percent (+1.3 pp), while FPÖ fell to 7 percent (–23.7 pp).

A total of 100 seats in the city parliament are at stake, as well as all 23 district assemblies. Unlike the City Council vote, EU citizens may also vote in the district elections.

Media Center Opened
This afternoon the election media center opened in the City Hall’s Festsaal. Journalists and party representatives will gather there, and TV specials will be broadcast from the hall. Lead candidates typically arrive only after the first exit polls, expected around 6:30 p.m. City Election Director Jürgen Czernohorszky (SPÖ) will later announce the provisional final result in a press conference scheduled for no earlier than 9 p.m. Around 750 people—from technical crews to media—are accredited for the Festsaal and adjacent rooms, with roughly 50 media outlets and some 15 outside broadcast vehicles on site.