Vienna mayor wins re-election amid pandemic

The incumbent social democratic mayor of Vienna won the local elections Sunday, improving his party's 2015 result by several percent, according to projections. Projections on Sunday evening saw the SPO (Social Democratic Party of Austria) at 42.5%

If confirmed in the final results, Michael Ludwig can pick and choose a coalition partner from five different parties to form his new government. Former Austrian vice-chancellor and right-wing populist Heinz-Christian Strache is unlikely to enter the city parliament with his party Team HC Strache, which is expected to fall short of the 5% threshold. Strache pointed to the still uncounted absentee ballots, saying there had been "surprises" with earlier projections.

Two German newspapers published footage in 2019 of Strache apparently offering lucrative government contracts to a potential Russian benefactor during a meeting on the Spanish island of Ibiza in 2017.

Strache and party colleague Johann Gudenus were heard telling the woman that she can expect lucrative construction contracts if she buys an Austrian newspaper and supports the Freedom Party. Strache subsequently resigned from all official posts and left his party.