Graz re-elects left-wing Elke Kahr as New Caledonia votes in provincial elections

Graz re-elects left-wing firebrand Elke Kahr as municipal vote closes, while New Caledonia’s independence referendum looms after high-turnout provincial elections.
Voters in Graz, Austria’s second-largest city, cast their ballots on Sunday in a tightly contested municipal election that polls suggest will return left-wing incumbent Elke Kahr to the mayor’s office for a second term. With 111 polling stations open until 16:00 local time, turnout reached levels comparable to 2021, when Kahr’s Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) defied expectations to win the mayoralty in a city long dominated by centrist parties. A provisional result is expected by 19:00, according to Austria’s *Der Standard* . Early projections cited by *Die Presse* indicate Kahr’s coalition partners are poised to retain their majority, though the final tally may hinge on turnout in working-class districts where the KPÖ’s grassroots campaign has focused .
Across the globe, New Caledonia’s first provincial elections since 2019 concluded on Sunday with a 54.42% turnout, the highest since the territory’s last vote seven years ago. The elections, which renew assemblies in all three provinces, will reshape the political balance ahead of fresh negotiations with France over the archipelago’s future status. Independence remains the central issue, with the southern province—home to 75% of the population and most economic activity—expected to play a decisive role. French public broadcaster France 24 reported that 2,500 police officers were deployed to secure polling stations amid tensions . *Le Monde* noted that 192,500 registered voters participated, with results likely to reflect deep divisions between pro-independence and loyalist factions .
In Central Europe, Czech polling released Sunday showed the ANO movement maintaining its lead ahead of hypothetical snap elections, with 32.2% support, while the libertarian STAN party followed at 13.5% and the Civic Democrats at 13%. The Motorists’ Party and Pirates Party each cleared the 5% threshold, according to a STEM survey for CNN Prima News . Meanwhile, Germany’s far-right AfD surged to a record 35% potential in a national poll, overtaking the conservative Union for the first time in a survey by INSA for *Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung* .
In Cyprus, turnout for a local deputy-mayor election in Nicosia’s Aglandjia district stood at just 15.02% by midday Sunday, with 2,281 of 15,182 registered voters casting ballots. The result is expected later this evening . In Portugal, the nationalist Chega party held internal elections for 12 district and regional structures, testing its organizational strength ahead of national contests .
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