SPÖ Loses Majority in Burgenland as FPÖ Rises to Second Place

SPÖ Loses Majority in Burgenland as FPÖ Rises to Second Place

Burgenland governor and regional SPÖ leader Hans Peter Doskozil. Image: APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT

 

The Social Democrats (SPÖ) remain the leading party in Burgenland’s state parliament but have lost their outright majority following Sunday’s regional election. This marks the end of single-party majority rule in any federal state in Austria.

Preliminary results, including postal votes, show the SPÖ secured 46.4% of the vote, down 3.6 percentage points from the previous election in 2020. Burgenland’s SPÖ leader and governor, Hans Peter Doskozil, described the result as “a weight off my shoulders” and is expected to remain in his role.

With the SPÖ’s loss of its majority in Burgenland, no state in Austria is now governed by a single party. The People’s Party (ÖVP) had already lost its absolute majority in Lower Austria in January 2023.

Results

The right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ) finished in second place after gaining support from across the political spectrum, securing 23.1% of the vote. FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl, who hopes to become Austria’s first far-right Chancellor, described the outcome as “a remarkable success.”

Meanwhile, the ÖVP saw its share of the vote fall by 8.6 points to 22%. Christian Sagartz, the party’s Burgenland leader, admitted it was “a bad day for us as the People’s Party,” while federal general secretary Alexander Pröll labelled the losses “painful.”

The Greens narrowly held onto their place in the state parliament, winning 5.7% of the vote, a drop of 1.1 percentage points.

The liberal NEOS failed to pass the 4% threshold, securing just 2.1% of the vote and falling short of representation.

Coalition Options

The SPÖ now holds 17 of the 36 seats in Burgenland’s state parliament, two fewer than before, leaving it without a majority. A coalition with the Greens, who hold two seats, would result in a slim majority. The Greens have already signalled their willingness to work with the SPÖ, with lead candidate Anja Haider-Wallner saying: “We are ready to take responsibility.”

Other possibilities include coalitions with either the FPÖ, which holds nine seats, or the ÖVP, which has eight.

Theoretically, the FPÖ, ÖVP and Greens could join forces to form a coalition against the SPÖ, but such an alliance is widely seen as improbable.

Don’t have an account yet? 

Latest News

Reach out for a handcrafted promotion of your business or product.