It was a “painful result”, according to the state governor, but not surprising either, since the poor values of the ÖVP had previously been forecast by almost all election polls. Mikl-Leitner does not consider personal consequences – the ÖVP is a community “in which one stands together, even when there is headwind”.
On the evening of the election, the voters did not decide what the ÖVP had achieved in the past five years – nor about their “visions for the future”. The FPÖ in particular had succeeded in “making the state elections into federal elections” and scoring points with issues such as asylum issues and inflation, which had to be clarified at federal and EU level.
Mikl-Leitner wants work agreements with the FPÖ and SPÖ
She also wants to talk to the FPÖ and its top candidate Udo Landbauer, even if he previously ruled out electing Mikl-Leitner as state governor. “I have the understanding of politics to approach others,” says Mikl-Leitner. She will try to reach a working agreement with all political parties represented in the government. It will have to be decided in the next few days whether she herself will elect farmers to be deputy governors.
Governor Mikl-Leitner on the ÖVP losses
With 39.9 percent, the ÖVP achieved the historically worst result in a state election in Lower Austria. The ÖVP top candidate and state governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner answers how the party will deal with the result and explains why she does not want to resign.
ÖVP with a problem with the boys
According to voter research, Mikl-Leitner’s assessment that the outcome of the election also depended on federal political issues is not unjustified, as political scientist Peter Filzmaier analyzed in the ZIB2 interview. The ÖVP also has a problem with younger voters. Among the pensioners, the ÖVP would have 60 percent of the votes, among those in employment only 30 percent and below – “that’s not necessarily a promising future perspective”.
Political scientist Peter Filzmaier now sees cooperation with the SPÖ as “most likely”, as he explained in the ZIB2 interview on Sunday. According to the election day survey, the voters of both parties would be most likely to support this cooperation, “albeit with enthusiasm that is about to end” – more on this at noe.ORF.at.
Political scientist Filzmaier on the importance of the Lower Austria elections
Political scientist Peter Filzmaier analyzes what the historically worst result of the ÖVP in Lower Austria means for the state and also for Austria as a whole.
For only the third time since 1945, the ÖVP is without a majority in its core country. Before January 29, 2023, this was only the case in the years 1993 and 1998 or from 1993 to 2003. 39.94 percent according to the preliminary result and compared to 2018 with minus 9.69 percentage points the greatest loss of all time (previously seven percentage points in 1988) means in future only 23 of the 56 seats in the Landhaus an der Traisen in St. Pölten.
FPÖ celebrates triumph with second place
The FPÖ, on the other hand, celebrated a triumph on Sunday in several respects: second place in Lower Austria for the first time, 24.19 percent (plus 9.43 percentage points) as by far the best result (previously 16.08 percent in 1998 and thus still in the era Jörg Haider), 14 instead of eight mandates (previous maximum nine, also in 1998) and for the first time the second president of the state parliament.
“We addressed the issues that move the voters, that was the key to success,” said the well-designated state vice Udo Landbauer (FPÖ) on the record result. Now they want to “implement what we promised before the election”. It now depends on whether the other parties have learned something from the result. In his first reaction on the evening of the election, Landbauer ruled out working with Mikl-Leitner – more on this in noe.ORF.at.
SPÖ with the worst result so far
The SPÖ could benefit neither from the topic nor from the ÖVP losses and also fell to 20.66 percent (last 23.92) and its worst result to date. A seat in the state parliament was lost. In the future, the Social Democrats will only have twelve mandataries. The government will remain at two members.
SPÖ top candidate Franz Schnabl did not want to know anything about personnel discussions, at least in a first reaction on Sunday. “Why should there be a fire on the roof?” Schnabl replied to a reporter’s question. In general, he has a laughing and a crying eye, he said to the APA. It was positive that the ÖVP absolute had fallen. Negative that the Social Democrats “have not become stronger”.
Greens in club strength, NEOS just past it
With four mandates in the future, the Greens regained the club strength that they had from 2003 to 2018. 7.58 percent (plus 1.15 percentage points) is the second best result in the state after 8.06 percent ten years ago. Green list leader Helga Krismer saw a “strong, powerful voice for the future” in the plus for her party. With club status and the right to apply in the state parliament, the state spokeswoman would like to campaign for a climate protection law and more renewable energies.
NEOS managed 6.67 percent (plus 1.52 percentage points) at the second start in Lower Austria. This means that three more seats in the state parliament were achieved. NEOS top candidate Indra Collini saw a “nice result” and “solid growth” for her party, although club strength was missed.
State councils redistributed
For the state government, the outcome of the election means that the ÖVP will only have four instead of six of the nine members. For the first time, the FPÖ has three (previously one provincial council) including a provincial deputy, while the SPÖ continues to have two provincial councils. In the future, all three governing parties should be represented in the state parliament presidency. As before, the first president goes to the ÖVP, the second from the People’s Party to the FPÖ, and the third would remain with the SPÖ.
Consequences also for the Federal Council
The election also has consequences for the composition of the Federal Council. The federal coalition of the ÖVP and the Greens will lose the majority in the Bundesrat. With 31 of the 61 mandates, the opposition now has the majority in the state chamber and can put laws passed in the National Council on the waiting bench – more on this in noe.ORF.at.
Voter turnout was 71.52 percent. It was thus 4.96 percentage points higher than five years ago. In absolute numbers, however, fewer people cast their votes this year: since second home residents were not allowed to vote in Lower Austria for the first time this year, 97,000 fewer people were eligible to vote than in 2018. The provisional final result from Sunday already contains the majority of postal voting cards. Only absentee ballots handed in in foreign constituencies – in 2018 there were only 760 – are counted by Tuesday at the latest. These should only change the result slightly – more on this in noe.ORF.at.
