Elke Kahr

Elke Kahr (; born 2 November 1961) is an Austrian politician of the Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) who has been serving as mayor of Graz since 2021. She was previously a city councillor in the municipal government since 2005. Between June 2016 and April 2017, she also served as vice mayor of the city.

Early and personal life Kahr was born in Graz in 1961. Her biological father was a student from Iran, and she was placed for adoption right after birth by her biological mother. She was adopted by Edith and Otto Kahr at three years of age, and grew up in the working-class district of Gries. After finishing elementary and lower secondary school, she attended the Grazbachgasse commercial school, while working at the Oesterreichische Kontrollbank, graduating with the Matura in 1984. She was unemployed for a period until 1985.

After the 2005 state election, popular local KPÖ leader left the city council to focus on state politics. Kahr succeeded him as the face of the Graz KPÖ, and replaced him as councillor for housing, a position she held until 2017. The 2008 municipal election saw the party lose 6 of their 12 seats and slide to fourth place. However, it recovered in the following years and, under Kahr's leadership, became the second-largest party in Graz with 20% of the vote in the 2012 election, an unprecedented result.

After the resignation of vice mayor of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) in 2016, Kahr was elected as her successor. She was confirmed by the Landtag with 38 of 46 votes. Kahr again headed the KPÖ list in the 2017 local election and maintained her party's performance at around 20%. After the election, she lost her housing portfolio and was instead appointed councillor for transport.

Mayor of Graz Kahr led the KPÖ for a third time in the 2021 Graz local election on 26 September. Despite opinion polling suggesting a victory for the ruling Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), the KPÖ became the largest party with 28.8% of votes and 15 seats, making Kahr the most likely candidate for mayor of the city.

After the election, the KPÖ entered into discussions with the Greens and SPÖ. The three parties agreed to form a coalition government, with the KPÖ holding three city councillors and the Greens one, while the SPÖ take over a number of committees in the city council. Kahr was elected mayor by the Gemeinderat on 17 November, winning 28 out of 46 votes. She became the first female mayor of Graz and first communist mayor of an Austrian city.

In the 2026 Graz local election held on 29 June, the KPÖ made further gains and won in a landslide with almost 36% of the vote.

Political views and activity Kahr has been active in numerous community and social initiatives since entering politics, and has helped cultivate the Graz KPÖ's emphasis on housing policy. She has become popular due to her work as housing councillor, especially with the "tenant helpline" which provides financial and legal assistance to renters. Between 2004 and 2016, while Kahr was in office as councillor for housing, 960 new community housing units were built and property was acquired for 550 more. She donates two-thirds of her monthly salary to charity, totalling around 900,000 euros by 2014. In a 2021 interview, she stated that the Communist Party in Graz has "never had a dogmatic relationship to actually existing socialism. We are communists... Of course, crimes have been committed in the history of the communist movement as well, and they need to be openly discussed... Among the many human lives on Stalin’s consciousness were no small number of great communists." After the Graz school shooting, Kahr called for a ban on the private ownership of handguns.

Awards 2023 World Mayor Prize (Mayor of the year 2023); awarded by City Mayors Foundation.