2 parties are in a row

EU election preference votes: Who clears, who rises

Lena Schilling was the only person on the list who did not receive the most preferential votes.

(Bild: APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER)

The results of the preferential votes in Sunday's European elections were published on Wednesday evening. The Greens and the ÖVP have shuffled their ranks. FPÖ top candidate Harald Vilimsky was able to secure the most preferential votes.

As expected based on the federal state results, Thomas Waitz overtook Lena Schilling, who was first on the list for the Greens. Waitz will therefore take over the leadership of the delegation in the European Parliament - we reported. The 51-year-old was able to collect 75,018 preferential votes, almost four times as many as the 19,525 votes required for the Greens to be re-elected. However, Schilling also did well in terms of preferential votes, achieving 45,732. 

Third on the ÖVP list moves ahead
Alexander Bernhuber from the ÖVP also managed to reach the threshold of five percent of the votes cast for a party in order to advance. With 44,641 preferential votes, he managed to move up by the narrowest of margins; the hurdle for his party was 43,204. Bernhuber was thus able to overtake the second on the list and former ÖVP delegation leader Angelika Winzig.

Harald Vilimsky is the clear winner, with 83,576 voters writing his name on the ballot paper. He is followed by Waitz with 75,018 votes and the SPÖ's Andreas Schieder, who came third with 61,982. ÖVP top candidate Reinhold Lopatka managed 58,013, NEOS top candidate Helmut Brandstätter 49,444, followed by Schilling with 45,732, Bernhuber with 44,641 and Winzig with 38,426.

The results of the other top candidates: Maria Hubmer-Mogg (DNA) with 18,317 and Günther Hopfgartner (KPÖ) with 6989 preferential votes.

Small changes still possible
The final result of the preferential votes will be determined and published by the Federal Electoral Authority at its meeting on June 26, 2024, according to a statement from the Ministry of the Interior on Wednesday. It cannot be ruled out that there may still be changes compared to the figures submitted via instant notifications.