Carinthia election: SPÖ loses heavily, ÖVP and FPÖ increase, Greens and NEOS fail

The state elections in Carinthia bring some surprises: According to the preliminary result, the SPÖ loses significantly and slips below the 40 percent mark. The ÖVP and the FPÖ recorded slight gains, and Team Carinthia doubled its share of the vote. Greens and NEOS have failed. All information in the live blog.

Klagenfurt – The SPÖ clearly defended first place in the state elections in Carinthia on Sunday, but suffered a severe loss. According to the preliminary final result published in the evening, the party received 38.92 percent of the votes – a drop of 9.02 percentage points compared to 2018. The FPÖ increased and came in second place with 24.55 percent (+1.59). The ÖVP surprisingly made a plus (+1.58) and came in 3rd place with 17.03 percent – ahead of the Carinthia team with 10.09 percent (+4.42).

Both the Greens and the NEOS failed to enter the state parliament. The Greens missed the five percent hurdle again after 2018 – with 3.85 percent. The eco-party was kicked out of the state parliament with 3.12 percent in the previous election. The NEOS, which came to 2.59 percent, were also unsuccessful. Compared to their first appearance in 2018 (2.14 percent), they were able to increase slightly, but they were still a long way off. Just behind NEOS came the MFG spin-off “Vision Austria” (VÖ), which achieved 2.37 percent of the votes.

📽️ Videos | Carinthian SPÖ with big losses in first place

With the losses, the SPÖ (according to projections by SORA/ORF and ARGE) also lost three of its mandates – and will hold 15 of the 36 state parliament seats in the future. The FPÖ will remain with its nine mandates, the ÖVP will have seven MPs (previously six). Five instead of three seats in the newly elected state parliament are occupied by the Carinthian team. This could – mathematically – continue the previous SPÖ-ÖVP coalition. But there are also majorities with the seats of SPÖ and FPÖ or SPÖ and Team Kärnten. But a coalition with the FPÖ, ÖVP and Team Kärnten (against the SPÖ) would also be possible.

Voter turnout at almost 72 percent

Voter turnout was 71.59 percent (2018: 68.63). The provisional final result announced by the state electoral authority in the evening already includes all postal votes and other absentee ballots – in Carinthia, for the first time, all absentee ballots were counted on Sunday evening.

Kaiser and Rendi-Wagner: “The result hurts”

Governor Peter Kaiser saw a clear mandate for his party, although the result was “very painful”. The SPÖ could also mathematically form coalitions of two with the FPÖ and Team Kärnten. Kaiser only announced talks with all parties “at eye level”. He will not prejudice anything.

SPÖ federal party leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner made no secret of her disappointment: “It’s a result that hurts,” she said when she arrived at the government building in Klagenfurt. On the one hand, she explains the losses by saying that all the governing state parties lost votes because of the crises. On the other hand, the leadership discussion in the federal SPÖ is also a pity. The election result of the Carinthian SPÖ was also “due to time”, Rendi-Wagner referred to the record inflation. Ruling parties are currently taking losses everywhere.

ÖVP sees itself confirmed

The People’s Party held back for the time being, but saw the previous government work as a junior partner confirmed. Lead candidate Martin Gruber wants to continue “taking responsibility” in the state government. He does not exclude anyone from talks, even if the past five years have not been the worst for Carinthia, he indicated a preference for red and black. The state party has also done something for the federal government. Black-Green has the majority in the Bundesrat again.

FPÖ “very satisfied”

Although the FPÖ only went up a little this time, top candidate Erwin Angerer was “very satisfied” with the “nice plus”. He referred to the competition from the Carinthia team, which could still be increased. Angerer did not want to commit himself to a possible coalition either. He still wants to be governor.

Cheers to Team Carinthia

Team Carinthia frontman Gerhard Köfer was in a jubilant mood. He saw the party book economy voted out as of this Sunday. He would form a coalition, even with his former party, the SPÖ. Who becomes governor is not in the foreground.

📽️ Videos | Parties celebrated – sometimes with, sometimes without a reason

Greens don’t want to see defeat

The Greens failed to enter the state parliament for the second time in a row. Nevertheless, club chairwoman Sigrid Maurer did not want to see defeat. The Greens had “reached the goal of winning”. Top candidate Olga Voglauer also pointed this out. They also “fought bravely”. It is often luck and coincidence that a harvest succeeds: “I’m sure the next one will be a good one.”

NEOS disappointed

On the part of NEOS, MEP Claudia Gamon, who traveled to Carinthia as a supporter, summed up the result for her party as “very disappointing and bitter”. Lead candidate Janos Juvan said the result was “not what we wanted”. (WHAT)

🔴 All information about the Carinthia election in the live blog

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