Vienna Greens re-elect Pühringer and Kraus as leaders

Judith Pühringer and Peter Kraus have been re-elected as the Vienna Greens’ joint leaders, winning 87.7 percent of votes cast by eligible members at the party’s state assembly, ORF reported.

The pair, who have led the party together since 2021, said they would work towards a “Vienna of tomorrow” with “affordable living for all”. In speeches before the vote, they said the Greens listened to people and would not leave them alone with their problems. They also pledged to oppose what they described as stagnation under the SPÖ and said they would “never leave Vienna to the FPÖ”.

Pühringer cited the planned social assistance reform, which has drawn widespread criticism, as one of the current issues facing the city. Kraus said the joint leadership had been “exactly the right decision”. Pühringer credited Kraus’s loyalty and his promise to stay by her side with helping her succeed as the Greens’ lead candidate in the previous Vienna election.

Green federal spokesperson Leonore Gewessler said the party would have to fight for the future, pointing to the climate crisis and authoritarian tendencies. She also referred to a campaign of house visits intended to hear people’s concerns. Listening, she said, could help bring people together and strengthen democracy.

The Greens won 14.5 percent of the vote in Vienna’s 2025 state election, close to their record 14.8 percent in 2020. They have led four district administrations since last year, with Margareten joining Währing, Josefstadt and Neubau.

After the 2025 election, the SPÖ and NEOS continued their coalition in the city government, leaving the Greens in opposition, where they have been since 2020. The party had previously governed with the SPÖ for 10 years. Pühringer and Kraus were first elected as joint leaders in 2021 with 83.6 percent support; they received 76.8 percent at the 2024 assembly.