Graz Before the Mayoral Election: Elke Kahr Wants to Defend KPÖ Majority

The KPÖ is running with the programmatic goal of asserting its leading role in Graz. Within the party, the election is seen as a directional decision, after the party had narrowly missed entry to the city senate in 2017 and was able to capture the mayoral seat for the first time in 2021. Elke Kahr, who is perceived in the city as a down-to-earth politician with direct access to the people, relies on social issues and municipal pragmatism to mobilize her voter base.

The Role of the SPÖ as Possible Kingmaker

The greatest unknown in the coalition equation is the SPÖ. Party leader Doris Kampus was not yet at the head of the state party in 2021 and has announced that she will only continue a cooperation if the Social Democrats receive a seat in the city senate. The SPÖ had missed re-entry to the city senate in 2017 by just 100 votes and was once again shut out in 2021 by the same narrow margin. Should the SPÖ this time clearly exceed the five-percent threshold, it could become the kingmaker.

At the ÖVP, a new state party leader, Kurt Hohensinner, has taken the helm, who has made the recapture of the city leadership his central goal. Hohensinner framed his battle cry as the "breaking of the left-wing majority," but did not categorically rule out a cooperation with the KPÖ in the event that his party finishes second. The ÖVP had slipped to second place in 2021 after 18 years under then-mayor Siegfried Nagl, who subsequently resigned. The substantive and personnel realignment is intended to make up for the loss of power.

Greens Under Pressure, ÖVP on the Rise

The Greens, who had still reached 17.3 percent in 2021, must currently prepare for a result below this figure according to current polls. At their head is state party leader Sandra Krautwaschl, who is running together with Judith Schwentner and the Liste Starke Grüne. A loss of city senate seats would be a noticeable cut for the party, especially since the Greens have co-governed in several state governments in recent years and their municipal anchoring in Graz was considered one of their strongest bastions.

The Graz electoral system differs from that of many other state capitals: There is no direct election of the mayor; the choice is made by a majority in the municipal council. After the election, the constitutive session of the municipal council, in which the mayor is also elected, must take place within 60 days. Around 225,000 people are eligible to vote, and the result is expected around 7 p.m. The short deadline makes rapid coalition formation necessary, especially since Graz as Austria's second-largest city remains a political heavyweight.

Electoral System and Time Pressure

From a Vienna perspective, the election is followed with attention, because political trends can be read early from Graz. The KPÖ had captured the mayoral seat in 2021 as the first communist party in a Western European state capital in decades. Should the party hold its place at the top, this would have signal effect beyond Styria.

Observers see three likely scenarios for the formation of government: a continuation of the previous constellation with KPÖ, Greens, and SPÖ, if the latter manages entry; a revival with ÖVP participation, provided it gains ground; or a four-party alliance. Negotiations are expected to begin in the hours after the election result is known, with initial exploratory talks being discussed for Monday.

The city itself has tried in recent years to govern with a pragmatic mix of social housing policy, transport transition, and economic promotion. Elke Kahr repeatedly appeared as a mediator between the coalition partners and profiled herself as a mayor who is perceived as a point of contact across party lines. This course could help her in mobilizing swing voters.

The outcome of the election is considered uncertain despite the poll figures, because in Graz an above-average number of voters traditionally make their decision only shortly before the election. Both the KPÖ and the ÖVP are increasingly relying in the final days on personal door-to-door visits and information stands in the districts. The coming hours will show whether the KPÖ can hold its historic lead.