The number of city councillors is voted upon by the Landtag after each election, and may legally vary between nine and fifteen.

In practice, parties seek to form a coalition which holds a majority in both the Landtag and city government.

In the 2005 state election, the SPÖ increased its majority, while the opposition was divided between the ÖVP (18.8%), FPÖ (14.8%), and Greens (14.6%).

The 100 seats of the Gemeinderat and Landtag of Vienna are elected via open list proportional representation in a two-step process.

For parties to receive any representation in the Landtag, they must either win at least one seat in a constituency directly, or clear a 5 percent state-wide electoral threshold.

There were divisions within the ÖVP, as some members favoured remaining in opposition to build the party's profile with hopes of making gains in the next election.

Shortly after the election, a website titled "red-green for Vienna" was registered,[7] featuring statements of support from various public figures, including director David Schalko, student activist Barbara Blaha, journalist Robert Misik, and former Liberal Forum leader Heide Schmidt.