Styrian change of power: FPÖ conquers the government!

Styrian change of power: FPÖ conquers the government!

A political realignment is imminent in Styria: After the ÖVP has dismissed parts of its negotiating team, the Freedom Party (FPÖ) will nominate a state governor for the first time. Under the title “Strong Styria. Secure future,” the FPÖ and ÖVP agreed on a new government program that will be presented on Tuesday. Mario Kunasek, the former Minister of Defense, will appear as the new state governor, thereby breaking the traditional black-red dominance in the state governors' conference. This comes from a report by The press out.

Change of government and the challenges for the ÖVP

The political waves are rising because the incumbent state governor Christopher Drexler is coming under increasing pressure. Political scientist Peter Filzmaier criticized the fact that Drexler and his team were forced to quickly vacate their positions on the “afternoon of the long knives”. Manuela Khom, the ÖVP's new deputy governor, was hardly involved in the negotiations and is now being sent out into a political environment in which the FPÖ is taking on a dominant role. This could lead to intra-party tensions within the ÖVP, especially if next year's local council elections turn out badly, as reported by ORF Styria reported.

In addition, the ÖVP is faced with the challenge of withdrawing the projects it has already signed, such as the hospital reform in Upper Styria, under the leadership of Drexler. The new coalition plans to review and possibly reverse these reforms, which calls into question the ÖVP's previous approach. The planned ban on headscarves in state service will also be a sign of the changed balance of power. Particularly in view of the current Drexler crisis, this could have far-reaching consequences for the future politics of the ÖVP, whose leadership structure may soon be comprehensively redesigned.