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ÖVP row in Vienna: Mahrer resigns after historic election defeat!
ÖVP suffers historic loss of votes in the 2025 Vienna city council elections. Karl Mahrer resigns, election results show dramatic changes.
ÖVP row in Vienna: Mahrer resigns after historic election defeat!
On April 29, 2025, the preliminary results of the Vienna municipal council election were published, with the ÖVP suffering a historic loss of votes. Loud Cosmo Under the leadership of Karl Mahrer, the party only received 9.65 percent of the vote, a decrease of 11 percentage points compared to the last election. This dramatic loss catapulted the ÖVP to fifth place.
Karl Mahrer, himself 70 years old and therefore the oldest leading candidate, resigned after this electoral defeat. His election campaign was based on law-and-order rhetoric that has increasingly lost political significance. Meanwhile, his “Habibi” campaign was perceived as full of clichés, which met with strong criticism, especially in migrant communities. The ÖVP failed to actively seek dialogue with these voters, especially in the migrant-dominated districts such as Favoriten, Simmering and Ottakring.
Election results in detail
The final results from the election also show that the SPÖ under Mayor Dr. Michael Ludwig remains the strongest party with 39.38 percent. Below is an overview of the preliminary figures:
| party | Voices | percent | mandates |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPÖ | 268,514 | 39.38% | 43 (-3) |
| ÖVP | 65,820 | 9.65% | 10 (-12) |
| GREENS | 98,995 | 14.52% | 15 (-1) |
| NEOS | 68,152 | 10.00% | 10 (+2) |
| FPÖ | 138,761 | 20.35% | 22 (+14) |
| KPÖ and LEFT | 27,657 | 4.06% | 0 |
| Team HC Strache | 7,533 | 1.10% | 0 |
| Social Austria of the future | 5,737 | 0.84% | 0 |
Voter turnout was 62.74 percent, a decrease of 65.27 percent compared to the 2020 election. The official final result will be available on May 8, 2025 and can be found at wien.gv.at/wahlen be tracked.
Political communication in focus
The latest developments also shed light on political communication in Vienna. Loud Academia Communication is crucial during election campaigns. This makes it clear that the ÖVP has failed in terms of visibility and a unifying dialogue with voters. Another aspect is the long-term challenge of promoting focused research on political communication in elections in Austria, while larger EU member states are more in focus.
Given the ongoing debates about voting behavior and political communication, the ÖVP appears to be at a critical point in its development. Mahrer's resignation and the ongoing failures in dialogue design could become a turning point in the party's history.