2026 Graz local election

2026 Graz local election
28 June 2026
All 48 seats in the Gemeinderat of Graz
25 seats needed for a majority
Turnout117,204 (54.2%)
Increase 0.2%
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Elke Kahr Kurt Hohensinner Judith Schwentner
Party KPÖ ÖVP Greens
Last election 15 seats, 28.8% 13 seats, 25.9% 9 seats, 17.3%
Seats won 18 13 7
Seat change Increase 3 Steady Decrease 2
Popular vote 43,145 30,554 18,066
Percentage 35.7% 25.3% 14.9%
Swing Increase 6.9% Decrease 0.6% Decrease 2.4%
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader Rene Apfelknab Doris Kampus Philipp Pointner
Party FPÖ SPÖ NEOS
Last election 5 seats, 10.6% 4 seats, 9.5% 2 seats, 5.4%
Seats won 6 2 2
Seat change Increase 1 Decrease 2 Steady
Popular vote 14,509 6,802 5,951
Percentage 12.0% 5.6% 4.9%
Swing Increase 1.4% Decrease 3.9% Decrease 0.5%
Winning party by municipal district.
Mayor before election

Elke Kahr
KPÖ

 Elected mayor

TBD

The 2026 Graz local election was held on 28 June 2026 to elect the members of the Gemeinderat of Graz.[1][2]

Background

In the 2021 Graz local election, the Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) became the largest party for the first time in the city's history, winning almost 29% of votes cast. The previous governing party, the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), fell from 38% to second place with 26%. The Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) also suffered losses and finished in fourth place on 11%, while The Greens moved into third with 17%. The Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) recorded a slight decline to 9.5%. NEOS – The New Austria won 5.4% and gained a second seat.[3][4] The KPÖ subsequently formed a coalition with the Greens and SPÖ, and Elke Kahr was elected mayor by the Gemeinderat on 17 November with 28 out of 46 votes. She became the first female mayor of Graz and the first communist mayor of an Austrian city.[5][6][7]

Electoral system

In Graz, the 48 seats of the Gemeinderat are elected by open list under proportional representation with no electoral threshold.[1][8] The mayor (Bürgermeister) is elected by the Gemeinderat from among its members using a majority vote. The municipal executive (Stadtsenat) consists of the mayor and seven city councillors (Stadträte). Under the Proporz mandated by the constitution of Styria, these seven positions are allocated proportionally among parties according to their share of the vote, resulting in a permanent multi-party executive.[9]

Aftermath

The KPÖ made further gains,[2] winning in a landslide with almost 36% of the vote.[10][11] Following the SPÖ's record-low result, party leader Doris Kampus resigned, taking responsibility for the loss. She was succeeded on an interim basis by Hannes Schwarz.[12]

Contesting parties

No. Name Leader 2021 result
Votes (%) Seats Councillors
1 FPÖ Freedom Party of Austria
Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs		 Rene Apfelknab 10.6%
5 / 48
1 / 7
2 ÖVP Team Kurt Hohensinner – Graz People's Party
Team Kurt Hohensinner – Grazer Volkspartei		 Kurt Hohensinner 25.9%
13 / 48
2 / 7
3 SPÖ SPÖ Graz – Doris Kampus
SPÖ Graz – Doris Kampus		 Doris Kampus 9.5%
4 / 48
0 / 7
4 GRÜNE The Graz Greens – Judith Schwentner
Die Grazer Grünen – Judith Schwentner		 Judith Schwentner 17.3%
9 / 48
1 / 7
5 NEOS NEOS – The reform force for Graz
NEOS – Die Reformkraft für Graz		 Philipp Pointner 5.4%
2 / 48
0 / 7
6 KPÖ Elke Kahr – Communist Party of Austria
Elke Kahr – Kommunistische Partei Österreichs		 Elke Kahr 28.8%
15 / 48
3 / 7
7 DBÖ Democratic Alliance of Austria
Demokratisches Bündnis Österreich		 did not contest
8 KFG Citizens' List for a Corruption-Free Graz
Bürgerliste Korruptionsfreies Graz		 Claudia Schönbacher
9 GAZA GAZA List – Voices for Global Justice
Liste GAZA – Stimmen für globale Gerechtigkeit
10 PIRAT Pirate Party Graz – Young, progressive, better for Graz!
Piratenpartei Graz – Jung, progressiv, besser für Graz!		 0.4%
0 / 48
0 / 7
11 MFG MFG Austria – People Freedom Fundamental Rights
MFG – Österreich Menschen – Freiheit – Grundrecht		 did not contest

Opinion polling

Outlet Date ÖVP KPÖ FPÖ Grüne SPÖ NEOS Others Lead
2026 local election 28 June 2026 25.3 35.7 12.0 15.0 5.6 4.9 1.5 10.4
Peter Hajek 6 Jun 2026 22 32 15 12 9 9 1 10
M&R 10 May 2026 24 27 14.5 17 7.5 7.5 3 3
Peter Hajek 14 Mar 2026 20 31 18 14 8 8 1 11
Triple M 19 Feb 2026 23 28 16 15 9 8 1 5
2021 local election 26 Sep 2021 25.9 28.8 10.6 17.3 9.5 5.4 2.4 2.9

Results

Party Votes % +/− Seats +/− Coun. +/−
Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) 43,145 35.7 Increase 6.9 18 Increase 3 3 Steady 0
Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) 30,554 25.3 Decrease 0.6 13 Steady 0 2 Steady 0
The Greens – The Green Alternative (GRÜNE) 18,066 14.9 Decrease 2.4 7 Decrease 2 1 Steady 0
Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) 14,509 12.0 Increase 1.4 6 Increase 1 1 Steady 0
Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) 6,802 5.6 Decrease 3.9 2 Decrease 2 0 Steady 0
NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum (NEOS) 5,951 4.9 Decrease 0.5 2 Steady 0 0 Steady 0
Others 1,840 1.5 Decrease 0.9 —
Invalid/blank votes 1,493 1.2 Decrease 0.3 —
Total 122,360 100.0 — 48 — 7 —
Registered voters/turnout 225,883 54.2 Increase 0.2 —
Source: Stadt Graz

Results by district

District KPÖ ÖVP Grüne FPÖ SPÖ NEOS
I. Innere Stadt 40.8 25.8 15.3 8.3 3.7 5.0
II. St. Leonhard 40.2 22.2 20.6 6.5 3.8 5.3
III. Geidorf 37.9 24.6 18.7 7.4 4.2 5.9
IV. Lend 43.2 16.9 15.3 12.6 6.8 3.3
V. Gries 49.0 14.5 12.7 12.9 5.4 2.3
VI. Jakomini 45.3 19.2 14.8 10.1 4.9 4.3
VII. Liebenau 30.7 28.1 9.8 18.4 7.0 4.6
VIII. St. Peter 28.7 33.2 17.1 9.5 4.6 5.7
IX. Waltendorf 27.3 35.5 16.6 8.4 4.4 7.0
X. Ries 28.2 32.8 16.9 9.5 4.7 6.8
XI. Mariatrost 26.5 36.7 17.0 8.3 3.9 6.5
XII. Andritz 28.2 32.5 16.5 10.1 6.3 5.3
XIII. Gösting 32.6 25.3 10.4 17.6 6.7 5.7
XIV. Eggenberg 38.3 20.9 14.2 13.7 6.7 4.5
XV. Wetzelsdorf 33.0 24.0 9.8 20.0 8.1 3.3
XVI. Straßgang 30.1 26.1 9.0 21.5 7.9 4.0
XVII. Puntigam 31.0 24.4 8.6 23.6 6.6 3.8
Total 35.7 25.3 14.9 12.0 5.6 4.9
Source: Stadt Graz

References

  1. 1 2 "Graz wählt am 28. Juni neuen Gemeinderat". Graz.at (in German). 20 February 2026. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
  2. 1 2 Sottili, Fabio (1 July 2026). "Austria: nella città di Graz trionfa il Partito Comunista". Il Pollo Viaggiatore (in Italian). Sondaggi BiDiMedia.
  3. ↑ "Communist party wins municipal election in Austrian city". Associated Press. Berlin. 27 September 2021.
  4. ↑ Leonhard, Ralf (27 September 2021). "KPÖ wins municipal council elections: Graz hears the signals". Die Tageszeitung (in German).
  5. ↑ "Livestream: Elke Kahr is Graz mayor". ORF (in German). 17 November 2021.
  6. ↑ Gonzalez, Jenipher Camino (17 November 2021). "Austrian city swears in first-ever communist mayor". Deutsche Welle.
  7. ↑ Yüksek, Ipek (26 June 2026). "The Red Fortress in the Blue Sea: Why Graz Has Become the Litmus Test for Progressive Politics". Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung Brussels Office. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  8. ↑ Kloiber, Verena (26 June 2026). "Alles, was man zur Graz-Wahl wissen muss: Vom Proporzsystem über Vorzugsstimmen". Der Grazer (in German). Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "Wahl in Graz: Proporz als Hürde für Linkskoalition" (in German). Austrian Broadcasting Corporation. 26 June 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  10. ↑ "Graz Election: KPÖ Wins Again". European Left. 29 June 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  11. ↑ Loxton, Rachel (29 June 2026). "What Graz's election results mean for foreign residents". The Local Austria. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  12. ↑ "Nach Graz-Wahl: SPÖ-Chefin Doris Kampus tritt zurück". Die Presse (in German). 29 June 2026. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
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