Election campaign in Lower Austria: Parties set up candidates for January!

On December 6, 2024, the presentation of the election proposals for the upcoming local elections on January 26 ended at the deadline at 12 noon. A total of 11,821 mandates are awarded in 568 municipalities. As already five years ago, the ÖVP will compete in all communities. The cheering about this broad line -up in a politically challenging time is great. The SPÖ is also active and becomes election campaigns in 539 municipalities, whereby it occurs for more participation and dialogue. With 448 municipalities, the freedoms record a record start and speak of a "historical departure" that they see as a turning point for real change, while the Greens compete in 120 communities to strengthen their positions. Neos is expanding its presence to 52 communities and promises transparent politics.

The electoral authorities will check all lists submitted by December 23 to ensure that all candidates are entitled to vote. A crucial difference to the last election affects the electorate: only people with the main residence in the respective municipality can choose, which leads to a significant decline in voting citizens. On January 26, only 1,307,510 people will be entitled to vote, compared to 1,459,072 five years ago.

election behavior and community structures in Germany

In Germany, as of December 31, 2021, there are a large number of municipalities that represent the smallest administrative units of the political system. While Rhineland-Palatinate counts the highest number of communities, the population varies strongly-from only nine in Dierfeld to almost 3.7 million in Berlin, the largest community. The financial challenges in particular are urgent for many communities: some are highly indebted, which has been part of the political debate for years. Communities in North Rhine-Westphalia experience special problems, where the debt was over 52 billion euros in March 2023.

The financing of the communities shows great differences: While Büttel in Schleswig-Holstein achieved the highest tax revenue per inhabitant in 2020, they were lowest in Nossentiner Hütte with only 24 euros. The infrastructure and living conditions also vary greatly between urban and rural communities. While large cities usually have good supply infrastructure, it can take several hours in rural areas to achieve the next basic supply. According to the report in Germany, only about 83 percent of rural households are supplied with fast internet, in the urban area it is over 98 percent.

For further information on the elections in Austria and the structures in Germany, the pages of and Statista .