Liezen: election results show resistance to new leading hospital

Liezen: election results show resistance to new leading hospital

After the 2019 referendum, in which an overwhelming majority of 67.3 percent spoke out against the construction of a new guiding hospital in the district of Liezen, the recent election results show significant consequences. All of this happened in the context of a debate about the location and the need for the new hospital in Stainach-Pürgg, which led to increased political mobilization of the citizens.

Especially in the communities that had already spoken out against the project in 2019, the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) was able to make significant profits. In the current elections, the freedom in Rottenmann received over 63 percent of the vote, 51 percent in Schladming and 34.5 percent in Bad Aussee. These are not only numbers - they also reflect the continued rejection of the project, since existing hospitals in these communities are threatened by the closure.

choose for resistance

The FPÖ has prevailed in the districts in which resistance to the new guiding hospital was particularly strong. The voters who are interested in the redesign of the health infrastructure seem to use their voice as a kind of protest against the government plans. In conjunction with the collection of Foresight, this indicates deeper dissatisfaction with the political landscape, especially since the SPÖ also recorded significant losses in 20 percent and the ÖVP is only 18 percent.

The picture becomes a little different when we look at the communities that originally supported the plans. Here the FPÖ also gained voices, but approval remained among the values in the protest communities with 38.5 percent. So the ÖVP, even if it lost the absolute majority, at least in Stainach-Pürgg and the neighboring community of Wörschach.

Occupation and reactions of the parties

The turnout increased significantly in many communities. In Bad Aussee, for example, it rose by 16 percentage points to almost 70 percent. Around 68 percent of those entitled to vote were also mobilized in Schladming, which corresponds to an increase of 15 percent. This increased participation clearly shows that the citizens are very interested in the topic and want to actively participate in the political debate.

The political reactions to the election outputs are spirited. Governor Christopher Drexler from the ÖVP rejected a direct connection between the planned hospital reform and his election defeat. In his opinion, it was not conclusive to blame the controversial plans for the defeat of the People's Party. In contrast, SPÖ boss Anton Lang, one day after the election, showed open to a change of course. He made it clear that the project was not "carved in stone" and announced talks with the FPÖ to discuss possible changes.

The developments related to the leading hospital are not only a local policy problem, but also reflect a greater topic of health care. Changed voter currents and the clear message from the protest communities are calling for the current plans to be reassessed. The residents have expressed their opinion significantly and it remains to be seen how the political parties will react to this massive pressure. Further details on this topic can be read in a report on Styria.AT .