Stilling campaign thunderstorms: Parties start the hot phase of the state election

Stilling campaign thunderstorms: Parties start the hot phase of the state election

Political competition in Styria is faced with an intensive start, as the state elections are just around the corner in November. Until last weekend, the mood was steamed by the National Council election campaign. But now it becomes clear that the parties are preparing for the upcoming six weeks. It will be particularly interesting how the FPÖ starts the election campaign on Sunday with a morning pint at the Hartberg Oktoberfest. Herbert Kickl, the election winner, will support the Styrian top candidate Mario Kunasek.

The SPÖ already presented its first poster wave last week and is planning an extraordinary state party conference in Leoben on October 12 to officially open the election campaign. The Greens also get involved with internal preparations and start their campaign on Saturday with a state assembly. In the coming week they want to present their priorities and the first posters. The ÖVP, on the other hand, has planned a later start and only wants to enter the intensive care campaign on November 4, just 20 days before the election.

election history and political changes

A look back at the state election in November 2019 shows that the ÖVP emerged as the strongest force with 36.05 percent of the vote, followed by the SPÖ with 23.03 percent and the FPÖ with 17.49 percent. The Greens secured 12.08 percent, while the KPÖ and NEOS were 5.99 percent and 5.37 percent. All six parties moved into the state parliament, and the ÖVP and the SPÖ continued their decades of cooperation in a coalition. This was continued under the former governor Hermann Schützenhöfer (ÖVP) and the SPÖ party chairman Anton Lang.

The political landscape, however, experienced a striking change when Schützenhöfer declared his resignation in June 2022 and handed over the office to Christopher Drexler. In the meantime, both Drexler and Lang are aiming for a continuation of the coalition work. The coming weeks promise some drama and strategic features, while the parties are trying to consolidate their positions and mobilize the voters.

If you look at the preparations within the parties, an exciting picture is ideal: the NEOS planning to present their campaign on October 11th in front of the Graz city hall, and the official campaign kick -off is to take place on October 22nd in the pink elephant, a well -known Graz restaurant. Such events could be crucial for the mobilization of voters and provide the parties visibility in public.

The dynamics of this upcoming election campaign can be seen not only in the events, but also in the strategic considerations of the parties. It remains to be seen how the individual candidates and party codures will present themselves in the coming weeks. The political movements in Styria are therefore under special attention, while the election campaign is in full swing. Anyone who can ultimately convince voters will be decisive for the election results and significantly influence the political future in the region.