The 2020 Victorian local elections were held on 24 October 2020 to elect the councils of 76 of the 79

local government areas A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a state, province, division, or territory. The ph ...

in Victoria, Australia. Three councils did not hold elections − South Gippsland (dismissed in June 2019), Casey (dismissed in February 2020) and Whittlesea (dismissed in March 2020). An election for South Gippsland was held in October 2021, while Casey and Whittlesea did not have their elections until

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Background

The elections were held amid the

COVID-19 Pandemic in Australia The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia was a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first confirmed case in Aust ...

, with

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still in lockdown at the time of the elections. A survey conducted in April 2020 showed that a significant majority of councils wanted the elections postponed for a year. However, Minister for Local Government Shaun Leane announced on 19 August that the elections would go ahead as scheduled. Eight councils changed their electoral structure ahead of the election, moving to single-member wards as a result of the Local Government Act 2020: * Bayside City Council * Cardinia Shire Council * Darebin City Council * Greater Dandenong City Council * Kingston City Council * Manningham City Council * Maroondah City Council * Whitehorse City Council Additionally, Swan Hill and

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moved to an unsubdivided structure.

Political parties

The

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

does not endorse candidates for local elections in Victoria. Labor chose to endorse some candidates, and some local party branches also made their own endorsements. Australian Progressives co-founder Peter Wingate contested Yarraville Ward in Maribyrnong as the party's first ever local elections candidate. Labor endorsed a total of 38 candidates in the following LGAs: *

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) () is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Ballarat had a population of 111,973, making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australia and the third-largest city in Victoria. Within mo ...

(6 candidates) *Hobsons Bay (3 candidate) * Maribyrnong (7 candidates) *

(5 candidates) * Moonee Valley (6 candidates) * Moreland (5 candidates) *

Wodonga Wodonga (pronounced ; ) is a city on the Victorian side of the border with New South Wales, north-east of Melbourne, Australia. It is part of the twin city of Albury-Wodonga and is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Wodonga L ...

(1 candidate) * Yarra (5 candidates) Additionally, the Labor Members for Darebin group endorsed 10 candidates (later disendorsing one). The ALP distanced themselves from the group, saying they did not endorse any candidates in Darebin. Six other VEC-registered parties endorsed candidates: * The Greens (88 candidates) * Victorian Socialists (19 candidates) * Animal Justice Party (16 candidates) * Liberal Democrats (10 candidates) * Reason Party (7 candidates) * Sustainable Australia Party (6 candidates) The "Put Climate First" alliance endorsed candidates in Darebin, Greater Geelong and Surf Coast.

Candidates

A total of 2,186 candidates contested the elections.

Party changes before elections

A number of councillors joined or left parties before the 2020 elections.

Results

Council control

Aftermath

Yarra City Council was described Australia's "most left-wing local government" with The Greens receiving a majority and two independent socialists, including Stephen Jolly, elected. However, Gabrielle de Vietri resigned after winning the seat of Richmond and was replaced via countback by independent Michael Glynatsis, ending the Greens majority. In November 2021, Moreland councillor Oscar Yildiz was part of the formation of the Victorians Party, a centrist political party which planned to contest the 2022 state election. Along with Yildiz, fellow Moreland councillor Helen Pavlidis-Mihalakos and

councillor Philip Le Liu joined the party, giving it 3 local government seats. The party disbanded in August 2022, citing financial difficulties. The United Australia Party gained Victorian local representation in Victoria in May 2022, when Swan Hill councillor Stuart King joined the party to contest Mallee at the federal election. The City of Moreland was renamed to Merri-bek in September 2022. Two minor parties, the Angry Victorians Party and Restore Democracy Sack Dan Andrews, gained councillors in 2023 via different countbacks.

Electoral fraud allegations

In February 2022, Labor councillor Milad El-Halabi resigned after being charged with conspiracy to cheat and defraud for allegedly tampering with the council elections in Moreland. He was replaced via countback in March 2022 by Socialist Alliance's Monica Harte. On 31 March 2023, the

Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) was formed by the ''Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act'' 1998 in the state of Victoria, Australia. As part of the Victorian Justice system the tribunal sits 'below' the Magistra ...

found that El-Halabi was unduly elected. He has denied all allegations.

Greens resignations

The Greens had five of its councillors resign from the party since the 2020 elections, and a further four seats have been lost due to resignations and deaths. James Conlan ( Merri-bek) left the party in solidarity with senator Lidia Thorpe, Amanda Stone ( Yarra) resigned in February 2023, and Anab Mohamud ( Yarra) resigned in February 2024. In April 2024, both Greens councillors in Monash − Anjalee de Silva and Josh Fergeus − left the party.

By-elections and countbacks

The Victorian Electoral Commission has held a number of

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