Elections in Koroška: Mayors in five municipalities without competition, in four contests, and in three municipalities with trumpets

Ten candidates will compete for the mayor's office in Maribor during this year’s local elections. Current mayor Saša Arsenovič, who has served two terms, will not seek re-election. This means the city, which has had the same mayor since 2018, will welcome a new leader after eight years. The deadline for submitting candidacies expired on Thursday, October 15. Nine men and one woman have entered the race for the mayor’s position. They represent political parties, independent lists, and groups of voters. The candidates include Andrej Bauman (group of voters), Aleš Ernecl (Party of Watch), Matevž Frangež (SD, Left, and Bicycle and Pedestrian List), Vincenc Gajser (Party of the Slovenian Nation), Bor Greiner (For Our Maribor Again), Igor Jurišič (Young Party, Greens of Europe), Katja Koren (SDS, Democrats, NSi, Focus, with support from SLS), Andrej Matvoz (Movement Freedom), Matej Vodopivec (List for Fair Development of Urban Districts and Local Communities), and Mitja Zgoznik (Truth). The contest for seats in the municipal council will also be diverse. Seventeen political parties and lists will vie for 45 council seats. The Municipal Election Commission must still confirm the candidacies, which should happen by October 20. It will also determine the order of candidates on ballots through a draw. On Wednesday evening, eight mayoral candidates participated in a quiz organized by Večer. The participants included Andrej Bauman, Matevž Frangež, Andrej Matvoz, Igor Jurišič, Matej Vodopivec, Vincenc Gajser, Aleš Ernecl, and Bor Greiner. Mitja Zgoznik from the Truth party submitted her candidacy on the last day of the deadline, completing the final list of ten mayoral candidates. In addition to the mayoral race, seventeen parties and lists will compete for seats in the 45-member municipal council. These include the Party of the Slovenian Nation, Bauman for Maribor, Left, SD, Young Party, Greens of Europe, Movement Freedom, For Our Maribor Again, Sovereigns, Firefighters of Maribor, Party of Watch, NSi and Focus, Bicycle and Pedestrian List, SDS, Democrats, Truth, List for Fair Development of Urban Districts and Local Communities, and Pirates. On Koroška, five municipalities will have only one candidate for mayor or mayor, four will have two candidates each, and three will have three candidates. All current mayors are among the candidates. Out of 22 candidates, six are women, including both current mayors. The situation remains unofficial until the municipal election commissions receive the candidacies and conduct their verification process. The commissions will issue decisions on the confirmation or rejection of candidacies at least 20 days before the election day on November 15. In Črna na Koroškem, three candidates are competing for the mayor’s position. Current mayor Romana Lesjak, who has led the municipality since 2010, seeks her fifth term. She declined invitations to enter national politics following her prominent role during catastrophic floods in 2023 and decided to remain in Črna. Her opponents are Dragica Mazej and Aleš Praprotnik. Mazej, previously elected to the municipal council on the SD list in 2022, runs on an independent list called New Start. A former municipal employee and currently assistant director of the Central Statistical Office of Koroška, she emphasizes transparency in municipal operations and measures for youth. Praprotnik ran against Lesjak four years ago, securing 32.58 percent of the vote compared to Lesjak’s 63.44 percent. He won two seats in the municipal council with his list. In Mežica, there is a duel between current mayor Mark Mazej and Saša Porčnik, who was the director of the Mežica municipal administration until the end of this April. Porčnik was elected to the municipal council on the SD list in 2022 and took over the administration under Mazej’s tenure. Mazej seeks a second term after defeating previous mayor Dušan Krebl in the second round with 58.94 percent of the vote. He announced his intention to run again in February at the municipal anniversary reception. In Prevalje, long-time mayor Matic Tasič, who has led the municipality for all 28 years since its establishment in 1998, seeks his eighth term. There were rumors of his withdrawal and the possible candidacy of current deputy mayor Staša Lodrant (SDS), who later decided to support Tasič. Four years ago, Tasič narrowly defeated Boštjan Gorenšek by just 150 votes with 52.20 percent of the vote. Mayor of Ravne na Koroškem Tomaž Rožen, who has led the municipality for 20 years and seeks his sixth term, faces no competition. He did not face opposition in previous elections either. Former SD MP Jani Prednik was mentioned as a potential opponent but decided to run only for a seat in the municipal council on the SD list. In Ravne, the main interest will be the competition for seats in the municipal council, where Rožen’s list currently holds seven of 22 council members. Most Koroška municipalities elect council members using proportional representation, with lists of candidates and preference voting. However, in four municipalities, Muta, Podvelka, Vuzenica, and Ribnica on the Pohorje, the council members are elected directly due to population size. Mayors of these municipalities typically lead their own candidate lists. In Mislinj, the mayor’s race is yet to be fully detailed in the available information.