Siegfried Nagl, ÖVP mayor of Graz since 2003, announced that he would resign in light of his party's poor result. The KPÖ subsequently formed a coalition with the Greens and SPÖ, and Elke Kahr was elected mayor by the Gemeinderat on 17 November with 28 out of 46 votes. She became the first female mayor of Graz and first communist mayor of an Austrian city.[3][4]
Background
The Styrian constitution mandates that positions in municipal government (city councillors, German: Stadträten) be allocated between parties proportionally in accordance with the share of votes won by each; this is known as Proporz. As such, the government of Graz is a perpetual coalition of all parties that qualify for at least one city councillor.
In the 2017 election, the ÖVP made modest gains and retained its first-place position with 38%. The KPÖ remained the second largest party in Graz with 20%. The FPÖ finished in third place with 16%. The Greens suffered slight losses, while the SPÖ fell from third to fifth place with just 10% of the vote. NEOS won a single seat in the council. The city government was dominated by the ÖVP with three councillors, while the KPÖ won two councillors, and the FPÖ and Greens won one each.
The victory of the Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) was unexpected.[2]Elke Kahr herself expressed surprise at the result: "The preliminary election result is a huge success for us and more than gratifying. I didn't expect to gain that much." While conceding the election, mayor Siegfried Nagl quipped: "You can see that the clocks in Graz run differently than in the rest of Austria."[5]
The KPÖ were expected to take over the mayoralty as no practical majority could be formed to oppose them. The Greens were considered a likely partner, but a third party was required for a majority in the Gemeinderat. Although Nagl ruled out working with the KPÖ during the campaign, the new ÖVP leadership took a noticeably softer stance, raising the possibility of cooperation between the two. The SPÖ and NEOS were also possible partners. Elke Kahr previously voiced her preference for pragmatic cooperation on policy matters and "free play of groups in the Gemeinderat" rather than a fixed coalition pact; the process for electing the mayor could enable the KPÖ to win even without a majority.[6]
After a series of exploratory talks, the SPÖ voted on 22 October to start official coalition talks with the KPÖ and Greens.[7] The three parties presented their coalition program on 13 November. Elke Kahr described a "socially, climate-friendly and democratically transparent" Graz as their goal, with plans to expand community housing, access to transit and education, and transform the city centre into a car-free green space. Kahr will become mayor and reclaim the housing portfolio. Overall, the KPÖ will also hold the finance, health, housing, integration, and education portfolios, with Manfred Eber joining Robert Krotzer as the party's third city councillor. Judith Schwentner will become vice-mayor and councillor for transit and planning. The SPÖ, lacking any city councillors, will chair several committees in the Gemeinderat.[8]
The Gemeinderat convened for its constituent session on 17 November. Elke Kahr was elected mayor with 28 out of 46 votes, becoming the first female mayor of Graz and first communist mayor of an Austrian city. As one KPÖ deputy was absent from the session, Kahr received at least one vote from the opposition.[3]
In FPÖ Graz there was a financial scandal after the election. As a result, the chairman and ex-vice mayor resigned.
Claudia Schönbacher took over the FPÖ in Graz. This helped the judiciary exclude the club chairman of the FPÖ in the municipal council from the club. Federal party chairman Herbert Kickl then expelled Claudia Schönbacher and her team from the Freedom Party. After that, Schönbacher reported several FPÖ politicians, and the Austrian police found Nazi material on several FPÖ city politicians during house searches.
The FPÖ club in Graz municipal council is split, all FPÖ municipal council members founded the club: "(corruption) free municipal council club", KFGK. As of 2022, there was only one FPÖ member of the Graz municipal council.
The investigations of the judiciary are still ongoing (April 2023).
Related Research Articles
Styria is an Austrian state in the southeast of the country. With an area of approximately 16,399 km2 (6,332 sq mi), Styria is Austria's second largest state, after Lower Austria. It is bordered to the south by Slovenia, and clockwise, from the southwest, by the other Austrian states of Carinthia, Salzburg, Upper Austria, Lower Austria, and Burgenland. The state's capital is Graz, the second largest city in Austria after only Vienna.
Legislative elections were held in Austria on 1 October 2006 to elect the 23rd National Council, the lower house of Austria's bicameral parliament.
Local elections were held in Graz on 20 January 2008. Apart from the five parties present in the municipal council – the Austrian People's Party, the Social Democratic Party of Austria, the Communist Party of Austria, the Freedom Party of Austria and the Greens – The Green Alternative – the Alliance for the Future of Austria also contested the election.
The 2005 Styrian state election was held on 2 October 2005 to elect the members of the Landtag of Styria.
The 2003 Upper Austrian state election was held on 28 September 2003 to elect the members of the Landtag of Upper Austria.
The 2005 Viennese state election was held on 23 October 2005 to elect the members of the Gemeinderat and Landtag of Vienna.
The 2010 Viennese state election was held on 10 October 2010 to elect the members of the Gemeinderat and Landtag of Vienna.
Legislative elections were held in Austria on 29 September 2013 to elect the 25th National Council, the lower house of Austria's bicameral parliament.
Legislative elections were held in Austria on 15 October 2017 to elect the 26th National Council, the lower house of Austria's bicameral parliament. The snap election was called when the coalition government between the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) and Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) was dissolved in May by the latter party's new leader Sebastian Kurz.
The 2017 Graz local election was held on 5 February 2017 to elect the members of the Gemeindesrat of Graz.
Legislative elections were held in Austria on 29 September 2024 to elect the 28th National Council, the lower house of Austria's bicameral parliament.
The 2015 Upper Austrian state election was held on 27 September 2015 to elect the members of the Landtag of Upper Austria.
The 2015 Viennese state election was held on 11 October 2015 to elect the members of the Gemeinderat and Landtag of Vienna.
The 2020 Viennese state election was held on 11 October 2020 to elect the members of the Gemeinderat and Landtag of Vienna. The outgoing government was a coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) and The Greens.
The 2001 Viennese state election was held on 25 March 2001 to elect the members of the Gemeinderat and Landtag of Vienna.
The 2021 Upper Austrian state election was held on 26 September 2021 to elect the members of the Landtag of Upper Austria.
Elke Kahr is an Austrian politician of the Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) who has been serving as Mayor of Graz, the second-largest city in Austria, since 2021. She was previously a city councillor in the municipal government since 2005. Between June 2016 and April 2017, she served as vice mayor of the city.
Judith Schwentner is an Austrian journalist and politician of The Greens who has been Vice Mayor of Graz, the second-largest city in Austria, since 2021. She has also served as councillor in the city government since 2019 and a member of the municipal council since 2021. She previously sat as a member of the National Council from 2008 to 2017.
The 2023 Lower Austrian state election was held on 29 January 2023 to elect the members of the Landtag of Lower Austria.
The 2024 Styrian state election was held on 24 November 2024 to elect the members of the Landtag of Styria.
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