Additional tension

Vienna and new elections could be combined

Vienna's Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ)

(Bild: Urbantschitsch Mario/Mario Urbantschitsch)

A new municipal council and state parliament will be elected in Vienna this year. Events in the federal government are now causing additional tension. The first politicians are calling for the elections to be held at the same time as a new federal election, should one be held at all.

The Vienna election would actually be on the agenda in the fall. So far, there have been no indications that the five-year legislative period will not be exhausted. This could change if there is a new federal election. Vienna's FPÖ leader Dominik Nepp has already spoken out in favor of a joint date. He argued that this would save costs.

The SPÖ is currently in government under Mayor Michael Ludwig with the NEOS. To date, there has hardly ever been a public dispute. Until now, it seemed impossible that the state election would be presented. It remains to be seen whether the departure of the Pinks in parliament will worsen the climate in Vienna. Deputy Mayor Christoph Wiederkehr (NEOS) recently praised the cooperation with the Reds.

There has already been a pre-postponement
It has already been brought forward in the recent past. In 2001, elections were held in March rather than in the fall. The mayor at the time, Michael Häupl (SPÖ), decided to take this step against the wishes of his coalition partner, the ÖVP. The election gave the SPÖ an absolute majority of seats.

However, Karl Mahrer (ÖVP) now believes that the influence of the once powerful Vienna SPÖ has dwindled. "After the resignation of Federal Chancellor Nehammer, it is high time that the Vienna ÖVP chairman Karl Mahrer also took his hat off," demanded the regional party secretary of the Vienna Blue Party, Lukas Brucker. Mahrer was part of the anti-Kickl faction and had longed for a coalition with the "Marxist Andreas Babler".

Vienna's ÖVP leader Karl Mahrer

(Bild: APA/EVA MANHART)

ÖVP and FPÖ argue
"It is quite remarkable: as soon as the pressure on Dominik Nepp and the Vienna FPÖ from their federal headquarters increases, they react with attacks on Karl Mahrer and the Vienna People's Party," countered VP regional manager Peter Sverak. The FPÖ is distracting from the "real challenges facing Vienna" and sees the ÖVP as its biggest rival.