Vienna City Council election 2025: SPÖ defends first place despite challenges!

Vienna City Council election 2025: SPÖ defends first place despite challenges!

Wien, Österreich - On April 28, 2025, the elections to the local council and state parliament took place in Vienna. The turnout was 59.76 % and thus 663,316 votes cast. This value is not insignificant, but remarkable, considering that more than a third of the viable Viennese population does not have an Austrian citizenship and therefore was not allowed to participate. A total of 1,109,936 Viennese were entitled to vote in this election, with 284,956 postal voting cards issued, which were received before the election.

The counting of the postal voting cards received until the pollener stations were closed took place on the election day itself. The polling stations closed at 5 p.m. and the first projections were published at 6:45 p.m. The outcome of the election, especially for the SPÖ under Mayor Dr. Michael Ludwig, was of great interest because the party had to adjust to slight losses, while the FPÖ with Dominik Nepp could hope for strong gains.

preliminary results and mandate distribution

The results of the choice were counted as follows:

insight into the turnout

The turnout was strongly influenced by various socio-economic and demographic factors. The concept of the "Civic Voluntarism models" illustrates that personal concern and political interest are decisive to mobilize voters for participation. According to the studies, there are rarely a difference in voter turnout, in particular disinterested citizens who do not feel represented by the political parties are rarely available. External factors, such as weather and the spatial context of choice, can also have a strong influence on the decision of the electorate.

Especially the district representative elections that took place at the same time also allow EU citizens to vote. Between 40 and 60 mandates were awarded in each district, whereby the party with the strongest votes automatically puts the district head. These elections are not only an expression of local democracy, but also crucial for the design of urban planning, traffic areas and parks.

It becomes clear that the turnout not only depends on the immediate political situation and the elections themselves, but also on a variety of social aspects that can motivate or demotivate voters. In view of the preliminary results and the electoral system, it is now time that the chosen parties align their policies in terms of voters.

For further information on the topic on the topic, OTS to the preliminary results of the choice, Kleine Zeitung offers current projections, and parlament.gv.at informs about the developments of voter sharing in Austria.