Elke Kahr set for re-election as Mayor of Graz

Elke Kahr is set to be re-elected as the Mayor of Graz following the municipal elections held on June 28. The KPÖ secured first place with 35.7 percent of the vote, followed by the ÖVP with 25.3 percent and the Greens with nearly 15 percent.

Kahr will be re-elected through a coalition between the KPÖ and the Greens, who together hold 25 of the 48 seats in the city council. This partnership continues from 2021, though the SPÖ, which previously supported the coalition, has seen its influence diminish significantly, losing its club status after receiving only two mandates.

The city government will follow a proportional distribution in the seven-member city senate, with the KPÖ holding three seats, the Greens one, the ÖVP two, and the FPÖ one. The election of the Vice Mayor, proposed by the ÖVP, may require multiple rounds of voting according to the city statute, potentially extending the constituent session into Friday.