Election in Lower Austria: ÖVP loses absolute majority

Status: 01/30/2023 07:47 a.m

The governing party ÖVP lost a lot of votes in the state elections in Lower Austria, but remains the strongest force. The right-wing FPÖ won almost a quarter of the votes. The election was considered a mood test for the federal election.

In the elections in Lower Austria, Austria’s largest federal state, the conservative Chancellor’s Party ÖVP was able to assert itself as the strongest force.

According to the APA news agency, which refers to the provisional official final result, the ÖVP slipped by almost ten percentage points to 39.9 percent and thus lost the absolute majority. For the party, it is the worst result since 1945. However, ÖVP boss and state governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner ruled out resigning on election night. Among other things, corruption investigations in connection with the “Ibiza affair” burden her party.

The right-wing FPÖ received 24.2 percent of the vote. This is her best result in Lower Austria to date. “Corruption was voted out,” said FPÖ federal party manager Christian Hafenecker on the evening of the election. With a view to the state elections in Carinthia in March and in Salzburg in April, he added: “This is the beginning.”

Social Democrats set a negative record

According to the preliminary final result, the SPÖ lost a good three percentage points and ended up with 20.7 percent. Like the ÖVP, the Social Democrats also had to accept the worst election result in their history.

The Greens were able to win almost 7.6 percent of the voters. 6.7 percent voted for the liberal Neos. The two parties increased slightly compared to 2018. Voter turnout rose to 71.42 percent from 66.6 percent in the previous election.

According to surveys, the 1.3 million eligible voters made their decision based on national and global issues such as inflation, the environment and climate, and migration. “The FPÖ managed to turn this state election into a federal election,” said Mikl-Leitner.

The election was the first of three state elections in Austria this year and was considered a national political mood test. The next national parliamentary election is scheduled for 2024.

Lower Austria election: ÖVP crashed – FPÖ jump to second place

Wolfgang Vichtl, ARD Vienna, January 29, 2023 10:40 p.m

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