Vienna City Council: New faces and exciting elections today!

Vienna City Council: New faces and exciting elections today!

The 65th meeting of the Vienna City Council started on March 7, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. in the town hall. The focus of the agenda was the swearing in of new local councilors and the election of new city councilors. As part of this first agenda, GR Astrid Pany BEd MA and GR Ing. Christian Meidlinger were ceremoniously sworn in as new local councilors. After the resignation of Dr. Mireille Ngosso, GR Dr. Sascha Obrecht elected as new secretary. A notable incident was the decision to exclude GR Ömer Öztas (Greens) from the Green Club, which means he will now continue to work as an independent representative.

New city councilors were also elected at the meeting. In secret votes, Bettina Emmerling, proposed by the NEOS, was elected with 55 votes and Christoph Maschek, proposed by the SPÖ, with 64 votes. Both accepted their appointment and were sworn in. These elections took place under proportional representation, which meant that Emmerling's election created a vacant mandate for NEOS in the local council. GR Mag. Karim Rihan moved up and was also sworn in. In another vote, Bettina Emmerling was elected as the new deputy mayor with 57 votes, which she also accepted and was ceremonially confirmed wien.ORF.at reports.

New deputy mayor and confidential meeting

The renewal in the management levels of the Vienna City Council brings a breath of fresh air, even though the meeting was interrupted shortly after the election at 10:10 a.m. for a confidential meeting of the city government and city senate. This approach shows that new strategic decisions and planning are already being undertaken behind the scenes. The elections and the subsequent changes signal a clear change of direction within Vienna's political landscape, which will shape the future work of the local council the Vienna press.