Styria election: FPÖ in the upswing, SPÖ and ÖVP with losses

Styria election: FPÖ in the upswing, SPÖ and ÖVP with losses

The political elections in Styria have caused some surprises and were also intensively persecuted in Carinthia. The Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) almost doubled its share of votes, while the ÖVP and the SPÖ lost their common majority in the state parliament. As a result, the Greens were lost strongly on mandates and are now only perceived as a mini party. The KPÖ and the NEOS, on the other hand, made it just into the state parliament.

Erwin Angerer, the chairman of the FPÖ, expressed extremely positive about the outcome of the election. He described Mario Kunasek as the governor whom Styria needs, and indicated that the result was a clear message to the previous ÖVP boss and still Chancellor Karl Nehammer. Angerer criticized Nehammer and its adherence to power despite the poor performance in the National Council elections. The fact that Kunasek is the first blue governor since Jörg Haider is particularly noteworthy.

worrying trends

Carinthia's Governor Peter Kaiser, who is also the chairman of the SPÖ, commented on the election results with the words: "The trend against governing responsibilities continues." This statement probably also reflects the disappointment with the SPÖ's own performance. In the 2023 state election, the SPÖ achieved 38.94 percent of the vote, but had to accept a decline in nine percentage points compared to the previous election in 2018.

The situation of the Greens is also precarious; Her state chief Olga Voglauer is disappointed with halving the mandates. She points out that the forecasts have been true and mentions factors such as the called duel for first place and a targeted mood of mood against climate and nature conservation as associated causes of the bad result. Voglauer is concerned that the poor performance of the green could have an impact on important topics for which your party is fighting.

The developments in Styria can have far -reaching consequences for the political landscape in Carinthia and beyond. The election result illustrates the uncertainties in the electorate and reveals questions of how the established parties will react to the loss of support. The political discussion will certainly be intensified, while the parties are trying to teach the results.

For a more detailed overview of the current political trends and developments in Styria and Carinthia, See the reporting at www.kleinezeitung.at .