2025 Styrian Municipal Elections Commence

The municipal elections have officially begun across 284 communities in Styria, Austria. The first polling station opened at 6:30 AM in the event hall of Mooskirchen, located in the Voitsberg district. Most polling places will welcome voters starting at either 7:00 AM or 8:00 AM, while some will begin as late as 10:00 AM. Notably, several polling stations, such as those in Mariazell at Gasthof Leitner and the nursing home in Mautern, will close at 10:00 AM, marking a unique aspect of this election.

This year, a total of 1,054 electoral lists have been prepared for voters across the participating municipalities, excluding Graz. The Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) is running in 282 municipalities, followed by the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) in 267, the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) in 258, the Greens in 104, NEOS in 37, and the Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) in 34. Additionally, there are 72 other lists contesting the elections. A total of 5,062 mandates are to be filled. The last polling places will close at 2:30 PM, and the election authority will begin releasing results for the first counted municipalities shortly thereafter.

In the industrial city of Kapfenberg, located in the Bruck-Mürzzuschlag district, voters will find the most extensive ballot featuring eight different parties and lists. Alongside the six parties represented in the state parliament, the ballot will include the "Socially Just List Kapfenberg" and the "Clemens Perteneder List." All polling stations in Kapfenberg will operate from 7:00 AM until 12:00 PM.

Across Styria, there are 805,173 eligible voters, excluding those in Graz. In contrast, two municipalities in the upper Styrian district of Liezen will experience uncontested elections: Wildalpen will only feature the SPÖ on the ballot, while Aich will have only the ÖVP. Although the FPÖ intended to participate in these elections, their candidacy was disqualified due to a formal error.

In the previous elections held in 2020, which were postponed from March 22 to June 28 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ÖVP increased its share of the vote by approximately 4.5 percentage points compared to 2015, achieving a total of 47.2%. The SPÖ also saw a modest gain of 0.3 percentage points, bringing their total to 31.9%. Conversely, the FPÖ suffered a significant decline, losing 5.66 percentage points and finishing with 8.20%. The Greens improved their standing by 1.42 percentage points, totaling 4.75%, while the KPÖ recorded a slight gain of around 0.1 percentage points for a total of 1.64%. Other lists, including NEOS and numerous local lists, garnered a collective 6.37% of the vote. Elections in Graz are scheduled to occur again in 2026.