FPÖ wins Austrian state elections, ÖVP largest despite loss

Imago Stock & People GmbH

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 03:30

The elections in the Austrian state of Lower Austria were won by the conservative governing party ÖVP, despite a loss of almost 10 percentage points. Chancellor Nehammer’s ÖVP received 39.9 percent of the vote, according to forecasts. That is the worst result in the state since 1945.

Second was the right-wing populist FPÖ, with 24.2 percent. That is 9.4 percentage points more than in the previous elections. The Social Democrats finished third with 20.6 percent of the vote, the Greens fourth with 7.6 percent.

Lower Austria is located in the northeast of the country, around the capital Vienna. It is the largest state in Austria. The elections are therefore also seen as an indicator for national politics.

Due to the result, the national government coalition of ÖVP and Greens no longer has a majority in the Bundesrat, the Austrian upper chamber. This makes it more difficult to get legislation through parliament.

Rural themes

According to polls, people have been guided by national themes such as inflation, migration and climate policy when casting their votes. Chancellor and ÖVP leader Nehammer said of the result that these are bad times for those who govern, because many people are dissatisfied. His party is also troubled by a corruption investigation.

FPÖ leader Kickl spoke of a “day of freedom” for the inhabitants of Lower Austria and expects consequences for politics in Vienna. In national polls, the right-wing populists are now the largest party, despite the Ibiza corruption affair from 2019. There are two more state elections in March and April.

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