Lower Austria remains "black"

People’s Party in a dilemma, the SPÖ “discusses”

ÖVP regional managing director Matthias Zauner with the Lower Austrian leading duo for the National Council elections: Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner and Interior Minister Gerhard Karner.(Bild: ÖVP NÖ)

29.98 percent! Lower Austria remained in the black: the ÖVP (narrowly) held on in the most electorate-rich federal state - and thus improved the national average for the People's Party in the election results despite losses. Nevertheless, no stone has been left unturned politically.

A balance sheet with two different points: The People's Party remained the strongest force in the vast country in the National Council election and is once again above the national average. At the same time, the neck-and-neck race with the FPÖ (29.19%) has really shaken the principle of the "Black Bastion of Lower Austria".

It is still unclear what will happen in terms of personnel, especially in the National Council: the counting of the preferential votes is awaited. After that, it will be clear who will follow the state's leading candidates Klaudia Tanner and Gerhard Karner into parliament. It was noticeable that, on average, the losses in urban areas were lower than "in the countryside".

The Greens have to say goodbye: Sunday's election result means two fewer members of the National Council. Martin Litschauer from Waidhofen an der Thaya and Ulrike Fischer from St. Andrä-Wördern will therefore be leaving. Elisabeth Götze (Eichgraben) and Süleyman Zorba (Traismauer) will be sent to Vienna from the Lower Austrian provincial list.

I am assuming a personnel discussion in the SPÖ. Better openly than behind the scenes

Hannes Weninger, SPÖ-Klubchef im NÖ Landtag

In the SPÖ, it's not about individual National Council posts, but about the chairman. Hannes Weninger, club leader in the state parliament, assumes that there will be a personnel discussion about Andreas Babler: "Better openly than behind the scenes." He soberly summarizes: "In the match for first place between the FPÖ and ÖVP, the SPÖ did not come through."

NEOS federal leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger with state spokesperson Indra Collini on Riemerplatz in St. Pölten.(Bild: NEOS NÖ)

NEOS, on the other hand, are still in celebration mode: Niki Scherak (Oberwaltersdorf), Martina Künsberg Sarre (Perchtoldsdorf) and Gertraud Auinger Oberzaucher (Baden) made it into the House via the state list.

And with Christian Hafenecker, Michael Schnedlitz and Udo Landbauer, the FPÖ has a lot on its political agenda at national and state level. What happens now? The parliamentary group celebrated the traditional Blue Monday yesterday - and will only comment today, Tuesday ...