SPÖ below 20 percent

Styria trend: FPÖ on course for 1st place

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

(Bild: Pail Sepp/Sepp Pail)

Styria is colored blue: The FPÖ took no less than 32.5 percent of the vote in the national elections, while the ÖVP only managed 27 percent. The SPÖ's situation is dramatic, plummeting to 18.5 percent. The Neos overtake the Greens in Styria, the KPÖ fails to make it into parliament.

Shortly after 8.30 p.m. the results for Graz were also available, now there is a provisional final result for Styria: There is a brilliant election victory for the FPÖ. They received no less than 32.5 percent of the votes in the Grüne Mark! The ÖVP is clearly distanced with just 27 percent. The SPÖ, on the other hand, experienced a historic collapse, with just 18.5 percent! 

The Greens also lost a lot and landed at seven percent, overtaken by the Neos (eight percent). The Beer Party remained below two percent, while the Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) still managed three percent. The communists did not make it into parliament as they had hoped.

You can find all the municipal results here:

Stony faces among ÖVP and Greens
The mood in the Styrian party headquarters reflected the results. There was jubilation among the FPÖ, and many satisfied faces could 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 was also rather muted.

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. The result of the National Council election could be a yardstick for this ballot, as polls also see the FPÖ in first place at state level. The strong blue result on Sunday means a tailwind for the blue party.

ÖVP state 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: He promptly called for a duel with the FPÖ at state level. This means that he no longer sees SPÖ leader Anton Lang as an opponent: he has to digest a bitter defeat, even if he was not in Andreas Babler's team. The upcoming government negotiations in Vienna will also have an impact on the Styrian election campaign.