Vorarlberg chooses: FPÖ for record course - ÖVP before coalition negotiations

Vorarlberg chooses: FPÖ for record course - ÖVP before coalition negotiations

In the recent election in Vorarlberg, voters sent clear signals. While the ÖVP finished 38.3 percent, it suffered a loss of 5.3 points. The FPÖ, on the other hand, was able to double its number of votes and achieved a record result of 28 percent. This shows a remarkable turn for the top candidate Christof Bitschi, who, according to the difficulties of the Ibiza affair five years ago, can now hope for a possible government participation.

The Greens were able to combine 12.5 percent of the votes, but this means a loss of over six points. The SPÖ landed with 9.1 percent and the NEOS followed just behind 8.9 percent, which is a small decline of 0.4 points for the Social Democrats, while the NEOS added similarly. These election results show that the political landscape in Vorarlberg has moved in motion.

explorations and coalition talks

Markus Wallner, Governor of the ÖVP, has announced that it would be explored with all parties from Tuesday. He is faced with a clear voter order. There are two possible coalition variants in the room: black and blue or black and green. Wallner left open which direction he preferred, but the signs indicate that the FPÖ could have the better cards. His reference to a "strong desire to change" of the voter could speak for future cooperation with the Greens.

This choice becomes particularly important for the FPÖ. If she got into a government responsibility, this would be the first time after 15 years. Bitschi said that he had no preconditions for coalition talks and made it clear that the two best -placed parties - ÖVP and FPÖ - should use the opportunity to form a government. However, it is now up to Wallner how he will design the further procedure of the parties.

an exciting development or rather step back? For the Greens, the opposition bank could threaten the government after a decade. Her top candidate, Daniel Zadra, has now seen responsibility at the governor. The Greens are determined to show the voters that they have learned from their previous mistakes. This was also confirmed by the top candidates of the SPÖ and NEOS, Mario Leiter and Claudia Gamon, who also expressed their discomfort about the current results.

The ÖVP has been able to defend the position reasonably in some larger communities, such as Bregenz and Feldkirch, while in many smaller communities it had to accept significant losses. The experience in Lustenau and Hohenems was particularly painful, where the ÖVP had to give the lead to the FPÖ. The tiredness, which can often be observed after the National Council elections, did not seem to be present in this round, since the turnout showed an increase compared to the 61 percent in 2019 with over 68 percent. This increase could be a sign that voters are particularly interested in current political developments.

The coming days will be crucial, because the political course for Vorarlberg will have to be re -set quickly. The conversations about the possible government formation are imminent, and it remains to be seen how the individual parties position and what coalitions ultimately come about, as apa.at reports .