The SPÖ missed its goals in the state elections last autumn. With 18.58 percent, she was only able to make up 0.21 percentage points of the mega-defeat in 2015. The second place and the targeted second regional council was not achieved, and the SPÖ had to surrender its core social competence to the ÖVP. “We are not satisfied with the election result,” said party chairman Birgit Gerstorfer in a press conference after a party retreat on Wednesday.
As a consequence – as already after the 2009 and 2015 elections – a renewal process was announced, which this time began with an analysis by three German experts. Political advisor Jana Faus, journalist Horand Knaup and former SPD politician Michael Rüter, who have already analyzed the 2017 election campaign for the German Social Democrats, which was not exactly a success, have now also done the same for their Upper Austrian comrades.
Move away from the tradition of “not offending”
In order to be able to follow in the footsteps of the SPD, which has meanwhile risen to become the Chancellor’s party, when it comes to election results, the party has to become more edgy and move away from its “long tradition of not offending”. Even a holy cow is tackled: the trade unions.
Rethinking list places for trade unionists
These are undoubtedly important for social democracy, but always “committed to a specific clientele”, often not very compromise-oriented and with a “tendency to preserve vested rights”, it says in the paper. The fact that certain list places are always reserved for trade unionists must at least be subject to discussion, according to the council.
Gerstorfer probably no longer wants to compete in 2027
In addition, the party’s experts also advise looking at the campaigns of successful red mayors in the country, downsizing the committees – the state party executive consists of 80 members – and thinking about the next top candidate in good time. Gerstorfer (58) will probably no longer compete in 2027.
So far, there have been few surprises in terms of topics: The state parliament wants to concentrate primarily on the topics of childcare and child education, women’s policy, care and regional health care, especially with a focus on the period after the pandemic.