State election: KPÖ and FPÖ celebrate in Salzburg

The Communists jump to more than eleven percent. The FPÖ also makes great gains, but does not become the strongest force. What are the consequences of the result of the state elections in Salzburg?

From the state 11.7 percent for the KPÖ in the entire Salzburger Land. In the festival city itself, even more than 20 percent. The KPÖ thus moves into the Salzburg state parliament – and with only three seats fewer than the venerable SPÖ. Is there a new alternative left making itself strong in Austria – a better SPÖ? While the true SPÖ is grinding itself down in the leadership dispute? “We absolutely do not see ourselves as better SPÖ,” says Natalie Hangöbl, who ran for second place on the KPÖ list. “We started to do opposition politics in the state parliament. And we can do that now. Our role is opposition.”

This makes the KPÖ the only party in the Salzburg state parliament that doesn’t really want to govern, but rather wants to be a nuisance itself – so that, for example, living in expensive Salzburg, where Airbnb apartments are proliferating, becomes affordable again for normal earners.

FPÖ misses the jump to first place

They made it easy for themselves, the right-wing populist FPÖ complained demonstratively. She is now stronger than ever in Salzburg. Almost 26 percent, but not the strongest party. Actually, the FPÖ top candidate Marlene Svazek wanted to become state governor, i.e. prime minister. It’s not enough for that now. The passionate hunter remains ambitious. “I can already deduce from this election result that the logical consequence is that serious talks are held with the Freedom Party and that no coalition of losers is formed,” she says.

A coalition of losers – Svazek means everyone else, except for the KPÖ, i.e. ÖVP, SPÖ, Greens. They have all lost votes, sometimes significantly. The liberal neos are no longer there. But what does Svazek do now when nobody in Salzburg wants to go into coalition talks with her, even though the 30-year-old is considered the friendly, fresh face of the FPÖ? Very different from the shrill party leader Herbert Kickl, who himself wants to become Chancellor next year. “Marlene Svazek, the socialite,” writes the newspaper “Der Standard”. Party leader Kickl must have read that too.

Maybe that’s why FPÖ General Secretary Michael Schnedlitz keeps Marlene Svazek at a distance when it comes to the federal political significance of this small Salzburg election. “I also spoke to Marlene beforehand that Marlene Svazek plays a big role in Salzburg. Marlene Svazek is the right person for Salzburg, that she does it too,” explained Schnedlitz.

ÖVP pain threshold: number one or not

The national political significance of the Salzburg election – actually everyone wanted to talk about it, but then they didn’t. Not even with the ÖVP, because the pain threshold of the ÖVP governor Wilfried Haslauer, who has been governing in Salzburg for a long time, was not exceeded. It’s a pain threshold where suddenly the bare number doesn’t matter anymore. “The pain threshold is: number one or not?”

The ÖVP has remained number one. At 30.4 percent, it’s a crash compared to before – another crash for the conservative People’s Party. If the FPÖ had become number one, for the first time in elections and not just in the Sunday question, the Alpine republic would already be different today.

But ÖVP General Secretary Christian Stocker can postpone attempts to answer for the time being. “Contrary to all prophecies of doom and rumours, the National Council election will take place in autumn 2024,” he said. “Then there will be a result and then it will be evaluated with whom discussions are held and what will happen then.”

But that only applies if the Salzburg ÖVP man Haslauer keeps his word: not with the FPÖ. And if he doesn’t decide otherwise, like the ÖVP governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner in Lower Austria. She could have done it differently, but now governs with the right-wing populists from the FPÖ. Haslauer could also with an 18 percent SPÖ and with the 8 percent Greens.