In three weeks, elections will be held in Vienna
In just three weeks, the people of Vienna are called to elect a new municipal council or state parliament as well as the district councils. The election campaign for the ballot, which was moved forward from autumn to April 27, is almost reaching its finale.
In the cityscape, the election is already omnipresent thanks to many colorful posters. And voting can already take place. Because the voting cards are already being sent out. In total, around 1.4 million Viennese are called to go to the polls.
Vienna Election 2025 Likely to Bring Gains for FPÖ Again
The 2020 election brought almost only winners. The SPÖ reached 41.6 percent (plus 2 percentage points). Their then coalition partner, the Greens, increased by about 3 percentage points to 14.8 percent. The ÖVP climbed up by 11 percentage points, celebrating 20.4 percent. The NEOS achieved 7.5 percent, an increase of 1.3 percentage points.
In contrast, the FPÖ's decline was dramatic. The Blues lost 23.7 percentage points after the Ibiza scandal, landing in last place with 7 percent. They are predicted to make a significant leap back towards their former strength. However, the ÖVP is threatened with larger losses. A continuation of the red-pink coalition could be possible according to current surveys - even though the SPÖ always emphasizes that they are still far from the previous result.
Ballots for Vienna Election Vary by Electoral District
A total of seven parties are running in the municipal council election. In addition to the groups represented in the town hall, two more lists are participating comprehensively, as they were able to collect enough declarations of support. These are KPÖ/Links and the party of former FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache. In 2020, both failed to pass the five-percent hurdle. According to the latest surveys, this fate is likely to befall them again this year.
Until the result is determined, it will take some time, but voting can already begin. The voting cards are already being issued or sent. Those who apply in person at the authority can also mark and submit the ballot there immediately. Great importance is also placed on discretion there: Shielded areas are available for voting.
Voting card applications possible until April 25
Voting card applications can be submitted in writing or online until April 23 and in person at the responsible election office until April 25. A voting card used for postal voting must be received by election day at 5:00 p.m. at the latest. Those that arrive later will not be considered.
New this year is that not all postal votes will be counted only the day after the election. In Vienna, similar to the new regulation for national elections, ballots (except those from non-Austrian EU citizens, note) that arrive by Friday at 5:00 p.m. will be counted in the responsible precincts. This means that the preliminary result on election night will be closer to the final result, and the precinct results will also be more meaningful for analyses.
Official result for the Vienna election on May 8
The postal votes received by Friday will be delivered on election day by employees of the district election authorities to the responsible precincts in specially designated boxes - and will be included there. However, evaluation will only take place after the polls close. In Vienna, all polling stations are uniformly open until 5:00 p.m. Not a single vote will be counted before then.
On Sunday evening, the preliminary final results for the municipal council and districts will be available. Postal voting cards that arrive between Friday afternoon and Sunday will then be counted on Monday. This also applies to all voting cards of EU citizens with non-Austrian citizenship. The result of the Vienna election will be officially announced a few days later: The official final result will be determined after the meeting of the city election authority on May 8.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.