In Carinthia, the second state election this spring is on Sunday after Lower Austria. Exactly 428,929 voters in the southernmost federal state are called upon to redistribute the political balance of power.
The SPÖ is particularly in the limelight, which ended up just below the absolute majority in 2018 with 47.9 percent (see chart). For Peter Kaiser, who has been at the helm in a coalition with the ÖVP (top candidate: Martin Gruber) for the last ten years as governor, it is about his third term.
- OÖN TV: Before the Carinthia election: “SPÖ personnel debate is no coincidence”
The opinion pollsters, who predict moderate losses for the SPÖ, should not be able to take that away from Kaiser. For the federal SP, a confirmation from Kaiser after the stagnation in Tyrol in autumn 2022 and the severe losses in Lower Austria would be a ray of hope. It remains to be seen whether this would also mean quieter times for the internally counted chairwoman Pamela Rendi-Wagner. Kaiser himself, who was sometimes traded as an alternative for the red federal leadership, has announced that he intends to stay in Carinthia for one last full term. For the FPÖ around Erwin Angerer, who received support from Federal Chairman Herbert Kickl in Villach on Friday, it is about cementing second place. Thanks to the topics of inflation and asylum, which are very popular nationwide and also in Carinthia, Blau can expect an increase in votes.
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According to the surveys, the Carinthia team around the mayor of Spittal/Drau, Gerhard Köfer, could perhaps benefit even more from this mixed situation. According to this, Köfer’s list could more than double after a setback in 2018.
Which could lead to the most exciting duel of this state election, that for third place with the ÖVP von Gruber. For Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s party, the southernmost federal state is traditionally difficult terrain. She must therefore rely above all on the fact that Kaiser will once again bring her into a state coalition. In Tyrol and Lower Austria, the ÖVP was able to maintain its supremacy despite historic losses.
- HONEY 1: The state parliament in Carinthia will be re-elected on Sunday. Most of the ten campaigning parties held their final rallies on Friday.
Greens and Neos are unlikely to be alternative government partners. Both expect a close match for entry into the state parliament:
For the Greens around Olga Voglauer and the Neos around Janos Juvan, Carinthia is about existential goals. Both want to take the five percent hurdle to enter the state parliament. According to the polls, it will be a tight race. For Grün, Carinthia is the only country where you don’t sit in the state parliament.
Author
Lucian Mayringer
Editor of Domestic Policy
Lucian Mayringer
