The Graz municipal council election ended on Sunday with a result that should attract attention across Europe. In Austria’s second largest city, VP top candidate and long-term mayor (since 2003) Siegfried Nagl suffered heavy losses. While the ÖVP fell by more than twelve points to 25.7 percent, Councilor Elke Kahr’s KPÖ climbed to 28.9 percent (without voting cards, see graphic) and was clearly the party with the strongest vote. Kahr now has the best prospects of becoming the first female communist mayor of a state capital.
Nagl took the action on election Sunday and announced his resignation before the preliminary election results were announced.
Nagl’s coalition partner, Vice Mayor Mario Eustacchio’s FPÖ, also had to give up. It lost almost a third of its voters and ended up at (provisionally) 10.9 percent. Eustacchio has already announced that he will join the opposition.
Even apart from Kahr’s triumph, the political balance of power in Graz changed significantly. With a plus of 6.2 percentage points, the Greens are now the third strongest force (17.3 percent). There were no major changes for the SPÖ (9.6 percent), which was decisive until Nagl’s tenure in Graz began 18 years ago, and for the Neos (5.3 percent).
With KPÖ, Greens and SPÖ there is now a majority left of center in the Styrian capital. Kahr, who was already measured as the top candidate with the best popularity ratings during the election campaign, remained cautious about her ambitions to become city boss. In any case, she will hold discussions with a sense of responsibility, said the 60-year-old from November 2, 2012, who replaced Ernest Kaltenegger as KP city party leader.
Kahr continued Kaltenegger’s course. Both campaigned for “affordable housing”, donated part of their city council salaries and demonstrated modesty. In 2017, Kahr had to hand over the traditional residential department to Eustacchio and take over the transport department from him. The hoped-for disenchantment of the communists from the black-and-blue city center is unlikely to have succeeded.
With regard to new coalitions, there was at least one determination before the election. Both Nagl and Kahr have ruled out a collaboration, the latter believing that “a labor agreement” could be reached.
