Vorarlberg chooses: tension in the mayor and municipal council elections!

Vorarlberg chooses: tension in the mayor and municipal council elections!

Meiningen, Österreich - The mayoral elections in Vorarlberg are in full swing! Today, March 16, 2025, the first polling station in Meiningen opened at 6:45 a.m., followed by 11 more at 7:00 a.m. A total of 307,890 eligible voters have to choose between 198 election lists. In most communities, more precisely 61 of 96, direct elections take place, with several candidates competing in 32. The tension is great, because if no candidate reaches the absolute majority, stitch elections are required in two weeks on March 30, such as Exxpress.at . Voters can fall back on 129 candidates, including only 20 women, which illustrates the still small proportion of women in Vorarlberg politics.

important election decisions and candidates

The election Sunday promises to become a heated duel. In the state capital Bregenz, Mayor Michael Ritsch (SPÖ) and Roland Breakfast (ÖVP) compete against each other, while another exciting duel between Simon Tschann (ÖVP) and Mario Head (SPÖ) is expected in Bludenz. It is particularly noteworthy that the ÖVP currently represents 48 of the 96 mayors and keeps their position in the larger cities. Nevertheless, it turns out that in many places the FPÖ and SPÖ are on the rise, which indicates a possible change in the political landscape. In the past, the elections have played a crucial role in municipal self-government, since they give the citizens the opportunity to influence their community directly, which is discussed in bpb.de

The state parliament parties are represented by different degrees: the FPÖ competes in 35 communities, the ÖVP in 24, the Greens in 26 and the SPÖ in 19th. While the elections are officially completed, it is clear that the composition of the municipal representatives and the results will provide many excitement and discussions in the next few days. The ÖVP, although it has lost its absolute majority in many municipalities, remains the dominant force in Vorarlberg, especially in the big cities. Such results could be groundbreaking for the development of local politics in the region.