Mayor Marika Lagger-Pöllinger: Women's power in Carinthia!

Mayor Marika Lagger-Pöllinger: Women's power in Carinthia!

In Austria, women are increasingly influencing local politics. As of May 16, 2025, there are a total of 2,092 mayors, 245 of whom are women. This corresponds to a share of 11.7 percent of the mayoralty. A record was achieved in the country, which now has 236 female mayors OTS reported. Special mention goes to Marika Lagger-Pöllinger, the mayor of Lendorf in the Spittal an der Drau district, who was recently re-elected chairwoman of the SPÖ in the Spittal district with 97.56 percent approval.

However, the current situation of women in Austrian local politics remains challenging. Lagger-Pöllinger emphasizes that political work remains difficult for women, especially in rural areas. She believes that more women need to be active in politics in order to have a say on important issues such as childcare, care and equality.

Upcoming challenges and goals

Marika Lagger-Pöllinger is already planning to prepare her party for the local council elections in 2027. Her commitment and the support of her team are central to her political success. The proportion of women in leadership positions in communities is showing a positive trend, but there is still much to be done. Since last Women's Day, 16 additional women have been elected to the office of mayor, which shows that the path to equality remains an important political goal.

The distribution of female mayors varies greatly between the federal states. Loud kommunal.at Lower Austria leads with 87 female mayors, followed by Upper Austria with 50 and Styria, where 29 women hold this office. With ten female mayors, Carinthia has a share of just 7 percent, which encourages Lagger-Pöllinger and other political decision-makers to take further initiatives to strengthen women in local politics.

Initiatives to promote women

The Austrian Association of Municipalities is actively committed to more women in local politics. Projects like “Girls in Politics,” which encourages young women to get to know the world of local politics, aim to inspire future generations to run for political office. These efforts are crucial to continuing the positive developments of recent years and ultimately achieving balance in the political landscape.

Overall, the political landscape in Austria remains changing, and despite progress, the fight for equality in local politics is an important issue that continues to require the attention of all political actors.