Still enough confidence?

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Symbolic picture: Christopher Drexler (right) and Anton Lang have been in a better, much better mood before.

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

Day one after the historic regional elections in Styria. After the Freedom Party took first place for the first time ever, the ÖVP and SPÖ are licking their wounds. For the party leaders, their political future is at stake.

What's next for the Styrian People's Party? The plunge to less than 27 percent meant the historically worst result ever for the once proud Black Party in a Styrian state election. The option of forming a white-green sugar coalition with the SPÖ and Neos was only a marginal topic at the party headquarters on Karmeliterplatz on Sunday evening. With only one mandate overhang, the majority in the state parliament seems too fragile. "One MP can blackmail and blow up the entire coalition," one functionary shook his head. 

There were long faces at the ÖVP party headquarters on Karmeliterplatz in Graz on Sunday. Here the provincial councillors Werner Amon and Simone Schmiedtbauer, former provincial governor Hermann Schützenhöfer and the party's managing director Detlev Eisel-Eiselsberg.

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/APA/ERWIN SCHERIAU)

Business association for black-blue
That leaves the coalition with election winner FPÖ. According to reports, the ÖVP's not insignificant business association under WKO President Josef Herk has already campaigned for this. But as a junior partner? The (still) governor and party leader Christopher Drexler more or less ruled out being available for this before the election.

The party executive meets on Monday at 1 pm. Drexler will face a vote of confidence there. On election day, the Styrian ÖVP practiced unity. Whether this will still be the case the day after remains to be seen. It will also be interesting to see how the federal party reacts to Drexler's line of argument. He saw the blame for the election defeat mainly in Vienna - in the Hofburg (Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen) and on Ballhausplatz (Federal Chancellor and ÖVP Federal Party Chairman Karl Nehammer): "I feel a bit like the pawn of the Republic," the Styrian ranted after the election about Semmering.

SPÖ leader Lang about to be replaced
His coalition partner and SPÖ leader Anton Lang also had to endure bitter hours on Sunday. The Socialists slipped further, with 21.4 percent representing the worst result ever for the Social Democrats in Styria. Lang, who is never at a loss for words and is extremely talkative, was noticeably shaken on election night. He was aware of the mechanisms in his party. "We'll see what the next few days bring," he said at the "Krone" elephant round.

The mood in the SPÖ was rather manageable.

(Bild: Jürgen Fuchs)

At 3 p.m., the SPÖ's provincial party executive meets. Lang will also face a vote of confidence. If the result is negative, the question is who should succeed him. The logical candidate would be club chairman Hannes Schwarz - but many comrades do not necessarily trust him to take on the one-man role. Does this mean that Max Lercher's time has come? The man from Murtal could build a bridge to the Blue Party - just like his intimate Hans Peter Doskozil in Burgenland. In any case, things remain exciting in the Grüne Mark.