Vienna Election Campaign Reaches Finale with Closing Rallies
In a few days, on April 27, elections will be held in Vienna. The Viennese will not only elect their municipal council, which is also the state parliament, but also the 23 district councils.
Next week, the final events of the short and uneventful election campaign are planned. A clear election victory for the SPÖ of Mayor Michael Ludwig is considered certain, but a majority with the previous pink coalition partner could be tight.
SPÖ as Winner of the Vienna Election 2025 Certain - Coalition Partner Still Open
Ludwig has so far left open which party he wants to govern with in the future - he only ruled out a coalition with the FPÖ. Since, in addition to the NEOS, both the ÖVP and the Greens would like to be junior partners in the next city government, sharp attacks against the SPÖ, which has been in power since 1945, were absent in the election campaign. Only the FPÖ worked against the mayor's party in a familiar manner. There were no controversies in the election campaign, whose hot phase fell during the Easter holidays and therefore became lukewarm at best.
Final Rallies of the Parties on Thursday and Friday
The biggest concern of the SPÖ is therefore mobilization. If the red supporters stay at home in view of the seemingly certain election victory, there could still be surprises. Until their final rallies next week, the parties are therefore still trying to mobilize as much as possible. On Thursday and Friday, they will then invite to their official campaign closures.
The FPÖ will kick things off. The Blues invite on Thursday from 3:30 PM to Stephansplatz, where speeches will be held from about 5:30 PM. In addition to the Vienna party leader Dominik Nepp, the federal party chairman Herbert Kickl will also speak. The other city hall parties will officially celebrate the finale on Friday. The ÖVP will forgo an event setting. Instead, they will invite to a final distribution action. Party leader Karl Mahrer and officials will meet at 2:30 PM at Rochusmarkt for this purpose.
The rest rely on classic rallies - all scheduled for 4:00 PM. The Greens will gather at the Architekturzentrum in the Museumsquartier. Appearances by top candidate Judith Pühringer, the designated federal spokesperson Leonore Gewessler, and former Justice Minister Alma Zadić are on the program. The NEOS event will not only take place at the same time but also not far from there. At the Platz der Menschenrechte - right next to the MQ - the pink party celebrities will be present. Speeches by federal party leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger, Vienna state spokesperson and Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr, lead candidate Selma Arapovic, as well as Deputy Mayor and City Councillor Bettina Emmerling have been announced.
Vienna SPÖ Mobilizes Voters at Viktor-Adler-Markt
The largest party in Vienna, the SPÖ, is choosing a traditionally significant location for their closing event: they will hold their rally at the Viktor-Adler-Markt in Favoriten. Speaking at the event will be the party leader and top candidate, Mayor Michael Ludwig, as well as the Deputy Mayor and City Councillor for Housing and Women, Kathrin Gaal. The federal party chairman, Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler, will be present but, according to the Vienna state party, will not give a speech.
In the polls, the SPÖ has been stable for weeks at just under 40 percent. Trailing far behind is the FPÖ with around 22 percent. Compared to the disastrous election five years ago, this would be a tripling of votes, but it is not enough to declare a duel situation. The race for third place between the Greens, ÖVP, and NEOS, as well as the question of which of the three parties will form a two-party coalition with the SPÖ in the 100-member city council, will be exciting.
Three of the Seven Top Candidates Under Judicial Scrutiny
In terms of content, the election campaign was dominated by the topics of security, integration, education, transport, and the Lobau tunnel. The legal issues of several candidates played only a limited role. Remarkably, three of the seven top candidates and a district leader are under judicial scrutiny.
ÖVP top candidate Karl Mahrer was charged in February in the Wienwert case on suspicion of aiding and abetting breach of trust. In addition to Mahrer, SPÖ district leader Ernst Nevrivy will soon stand trial in the Wienwert case. Investigations are ongoing against FPÖ top candidate leader Dominik Nepp in the FPÖ expenses affair, as well as against his predecessor Heinz-Christian Strache, who is running with his own list.
Vienna Election 2025 with Record Number of Non-Eligible Voters
A total of 1,109,936 people are eligible to vote in the city council election. This time, the number of non-eligible voters in Vienna has reached a record high. More than 35 percent do not have voting rights due to the lack of Austrian citizenship. In the simultaneously held district council election, the number of eligible voters is larger, with 1,374,712 people. This is because citizens of other EU countries are also allowed to vote at the district level. Between 40 and 60 mandates are to be awarded in each of the 23 districts. The party with the most votes in the districts automatically appoints the district leader.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.