Handling victory for the FPÖ: What does that mean for Styria?

Handling victory for the FPÖ: What does that mean for Styria?

A surprising landslide victory was experienced in Styria when the right -wing populist FPÖ won almost 35 percent of the votes last Sunday. This success is all the more impressive because no party had expected a similarly great growth. The ÖVP lost more than nine percentage points and only reached 26.8 percent, while the SPÖ came to 21.4 percent. The Greens almost halved while the NEOS reached almost six percent. The FPÖ became the strongest party in almost all electoral districts.

FPÖ supporters not only celebrated the triumph in Styria, but also in Vienna. Under the party leader Herbert Kickl, the FPÖ continues to success. The party is expected to receive Mario Kunasek, the Styrian FPÖ chairman, as the new head of government. This success could also make the coalition negotiations in the federal government more difficult because a triple coalition in parts of the ÖVP is considered as an emergency solution.

While the FPÖ relied on election gifts and caused ignitional policies, the financial scandal for misappropriated taxpayers did not seem to influence the voters. It remains unclear whether the ÖVP is a potential coalition partner. The freedoms now have to look for a partner, while the FPÖ is still gaining political influence.

The situation is excited to do both at the state and federal level, and the political landscape in Austria could change fundamentally due to this unexpected success of the FPÖ. [ Source ]