SPÖ below 20 percent

Styria trend: FPÖ on course for 1st place

Jubilation among the Styrian FPÖ: Stefan Hermann, Mario Kunasek and Hannes Amesbauer (from left).

(Bild: Pail Sepp/Sepp Pail)

In Styria - with the exception of Graz - all the results of the national elections are in. The FPÖ is leading with more than 35%, the ÖVP only has just under 29%. The situation for the SPÖ is dramatic, plummeting to just under 18%. The Neos overtake the Greens, the KPÖ will not make it into parliament.

There is a brilliant election victory for the FPÖ in Styria: according to the 285 municipalities counted so far (only Graz is still missing), the Freedom Party received almost 36% of the votes in the Green Mark, with the ÖVP clearly distanced at just under 29%. The SPÖ, on the other hand, is facing a historic collapse, currently holding at just 17.7%! 

The Greens have also lost significant ground (from eight to five percent) and have been overtaken by the Neos (seven percent). The Beer Party is holding at just two percent, as is the KPÖ. It is not possible for the Communists to enter parliament - the basic mandate they had dreamed of is not on the horizon in Graz either. 

You can find all (available) municipal results here:

Stony faces among ÖVP and Greens
The mood in the Styrian party headquarters corresponds to the results. There is jubilation among the FPÖ, and many satisfied faces can also be seen among the Neos. In contrast, petrified expressions could be seen at the ÖVP party headquarters on Karmeliterplatz, and the mood among the Greens is also very subdued.

At 5 p.m., the party headquarters of the Styrian SPÖ was in a grave mood. Styrian top candidate Jörg Leichtfried and state councillors Doris Kampus and Ursula Lackner bravely faced up to the bitter reality. Behind closed doors, some Reds admit that they had expected the disastrous result and that it was not too much of a surprise.

Provincial elections to follow at the end of November
Only eight weeks after the National Council elections, a new provincial parliament will be elected in Styria. Today's result could be a yardstick for this ballot, as polls also see the FPÖ in first place at state level. The strong blue result in the National Council election means a tailwind for the blue party.

ÖVP provincial governor Christopher Drexler will have to fight like Chancellor Karl Nehammer - the strong result for the Freedom Party today will certainly give Drexler food for thought. SPÖ leader Anton Lang cannot be happy about the result, even though he was not in Andreas Babler's team. The upcoming government negotiations in Vienna will also have an impact on the Styrian election campaign.