Alexander Radl wins with 77 percent: A new mayor for Wolfsberg!

Alexander Radl wins with 77 percent: A new mayor for Wolfsberg!

On September 14, 2025, a decisive mayoral election took place in Carinthia's third largest city, Wolfsberg. The reason for this was the unfortunate death of the previous SPÖ mayor Hannes Primus in May 2023. The previous deputy mayor Alexander Radl ran in the by-election and was able to prevail by receiving a whopping 77 percent of the votes. A total of 9,509 votes were cast, with Radl receiving 7,075 votes and thus being confirmed as mayor for the next year and a half until the next election in 2027.

His main rival, Josef Steinkellner of the ÖVP, received 17.52 percent of the vote, followed by Reinhard Stückler of the Greens, who brought up the rear with 5.43 percent. Voter turnout was around 46 percent, which can be seen as quite encouraging considering the circumstances. With 22 of a total of 35 seats, the SPÖ holds the absolute majority in the Wolfsberg municipal council. The ÖVP has 6 seats, the FPÖ has 5 and the Greens has 2 seats.

Reactions and future outlook

The election was commented on by various political actors. Peter Kaiser, the SPÖ state party chairman, congratulated Radl on his election victory and emphasized the importance of social democratic politics for the region. In his remarks, he also recalled the work of Hannes Primus, whose legacy must now be preserved and continued.

This mayoral election will go down in the history of the city of Wolfsberg, not only because of the number of votes Radl was able to achieve, but also because of the circumstances under which it took place. The SPÖ's support also shows that the party remains firmly in the saddle after the loss of its long-time leader.

Election statistics and distribution of mandates

The data from the election database is very informative for a detailed analysis of the election results and mandate distributions. This database includes a large number of elections since 1945, including National Council and EU elections as well as state elections. The historical data, which extends to the last update in July 2025, provides important information about voter turnout and results in different communities. A separate identification for gemeenten without real community codes is also available and makes analysis easier.

This shows that the political landscape in Carinthia remains dynamic, and the results of the election in Wolfsberg could also have far-reaching effects on the parties' future political strategies.