State elections in the Ländle

Will the jack even stab the king in the end?

Christof Bitschi (at the lectern) wants to shake the chair of Governor Markus Wallner (right).

(Bild: APA/DIETMAR STIPLOVSEK)

There is a lot at stake for Governor Markus Wallner and his ÖVP in the Vorarlberg state elections. How close will the FPÖ and its leader Christof Bitschi get to the Blacks?

Until now, Vorarlberg has been ÖVP country. Deep black, right down to the furthest corner. Never before has the ÖVP slipped below the 40 percent mark in a state election, never before has its claim to power been even remotely questioned. These times seem to be over, at least since the National Council elections, in which the FPÖ "sniffed" within two percent of the People's Party. A sentence that Governor Markus Wallner has repeated like a mantra in recent days is representative of this: "Everything is at stake." Followed by an addendum that is almost autosuggestive: "Second place is unimaginable for us."

Markus Wallner is hoping for a "clear mandate from voters".

(Bild: VLK/Bernd Hofmeister)

Governor promotes the "Vorarlberg way"
Wallner, who has been in office since 2011 and is therefore Austria's longest-serving provincial governor, put his foot down in the election campaign finale and campaigned for a "clear mandate from voters" - for his party, but even more so for himself. His central message is that it is important to remain true to the "Vorarlberg way". After all, Vorarlberg still stands out from the federal government and other regions in Europe in terms of style, choice of words and handling of financial resources.

Everything is at stake. Second place is unimaginable for us.

Landeshauptmann Markus Wallner (ÖVP)

In a country that ironically divides its territory into "Vorarlberg" and "the rest of Austria", it is to a certain extent part of folklore to berate "those in Vienna" and praise itself as a "model province". The problem is that this narrative no longer holds water. Because the past years of crisis have left their furrows - and some of them are deeper than in other federal states. Vorarlberg has slipped into mediocrity in almost all economic parameters. Although this is primarily due to the fact that the export-oriented industry is feeling the full force of the geopolitical upheavals rather than the state government, such nuances are quickly lost in times of election campaigns.

Even more threatening for the ÖVP is the fact that inflation has worsened the lives of many Vorarlberg residents, in particular the enormously high housing costs, which many families can hardly afford. In recent decades, the ÖVP has focused its housing policy almost exclusively on promoting property ownership, true to the former narrative "Schaffa, schaffa, Hüsle baua", while the proportion of non-profit housing is lower than in any other federal state - and this is now becoming a boomerang.

Liberals focus on black core issues
One person who is brilliant at attacking the open flanks of the ÖVP is FPÖ provincial chairman Christof Bitschi. During the election campaign, he skillfully focused on the topic of location policy. After the trials and tribulations of the black-green coalition, "Vorarlberg must be brought back on track" - a sentence that must sound like a mockery to the ÖVP, the party of economics. In addition, families should be placed at the center of politics - this focus should also sound very familiar to the blacks.

Our goal is very clear: to vote the black-green party out of office. After that, we need to get Vorarlberg back on track - with us Freedom Party members in a leading position.

Christof Bitschi

What is perhaps even more decisive, however, is what Bitschi has spared himself in terms of speeches: In contrast to FPÖ federal party chairman Herbert Kickl, whose biggest "fan boy" he is reportedly not anyway, there were no verbal gaffes to be heard from the 33-year-old. This restraint has already brought him one success: unlike in the federal government, the Vorarlberg VP has opened the door wide for a coalition with the FPÖ; for many conservatives, black-blue is even the preferred option.

The "little ones" are in danger of falling by the wayside
One of the reasons for this is that affection for the coalition partner of the past two legislative periods, the Greens, has cooled noticeably of late. However, the fact that the election campaign has escalated into a duel between the ÖVP and FPÖ in recent weeks could prove to be a far greater problem for the ecological party, which is actively campaigning for a return to the black-green coalition. There is a great danger of being caught in the crossfire. This applies to an even greater extent to the SPÖ and NEOS, who are also aiming for government participation in the form of a coalition with the ÖVP. The only question is whether this will even work out mathematically.