Riding a wave of support from a civil society group that rose to prominence during the protests that led to the resignation of Franc Kangler at the end of December, Fištravec secured a landslide with 52.37% of the vote.

His election cemented a major victory for the protest movement, as he entered the race with the support of 1,200 voters, including other authors of a notable manifesto for change in the city and prominent members of the protests.

Fištravec announced his priority will be to implement measures from the Manifesto for Maribor to kick-start the decaying economy of the city.

But his term until the next local election in autumn 2015 looks set to daunting, as he faces a recalcitrant city council dominated by Kangler's old allies.

In a recent interview for the STA, Fištravec said he would work with the city council by presenting specific projects and seeking support on a case-by-case basis.

He also announced he would tackle the network of patronage that Kangler installed in city hall, though he said he would stop short of outright purges.

He plans to honour the protest movement by "returning the city to the people", including by bringing members of the protest movement into politics and engaging in dialogue with the civil society.