SPÖ success in Linz

“Prammer is Babler’s next opponent to win”

Professor Peter Filzmaier analyzed the first round of the Linz mayoral election for the "Krone".(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Wenzel)

The first round of the Linz mayoral election is over. As expected, there was no clear winner, which is why there will be a run-off between the red and blue candidates in 14 days' time. Politics professor Peter Filzmaier observed the election for the "Krone" newspaper and analyzes why SPÖ chairman Andreas Babler should not get too excited. 

Immediately after the result was announced, SPÖ candidate Dietmar Prammer was able to say what had been on his mind throughout the election campaign: he criticized the lack of support from his comrades in the state and federal party. Nevertheless, he goes into the second round in a stronger position, but the comrades should not be too confident of victory, says politics professor Peter Filzmaier, who observed the election in Linz for the "Krone" newspaper.

"Prammer is the big favorite, but no more"
"Prammer has a bigger lead than expected. He has almost matched Luger's result in the first round of the 2021 election and is now the clear favorite. But not any more," Filzmaier qualifies: "The low voter turnout leaves a small chance for others. The biggest danger for Prammer is that many of his supporters believe he has already won the election anyway and won't go to the polling station in the run-off in two weeks' time."

The FPÖ did so well in the last elections because it swept aside the ÖVP in rural areas. But Linz is not a rural area and there is no ÖVP here that is big enough to be swept aside.

Professor Peter Filzmaier

Bild: Imre Antal

FPÖ could not clear the ÖVP in Linz
Filzmaier believes that the Freedom Party would have expected more in this election and that the FPÖ's great success at other levels did not give candidate Michael Raml a tailwind. But: "Raml has almost doubled compared to the 2021 result. The FPÖ did so well in the last elections because it swept aside the ÖVP in rural areas. However, Linz is not a rural area and there is no ÖVP here that is big enough to be swept aside," analyzes the politics professor.

"SPÖ was able to mobilize best"
Does this election show that Linz is the way it has always been? "Yes, because the SPÖ also successfully mobilized for Prammer, the party has by far the best organization. It succeeded in mobilizing its own target groups."

The federal chairman of the SPÖ, Andreas Babler, can be pleased with the result, according to Filzmaier: "If it hadn't turned out like this, it would have become the final hullabaloo in the already troubled SPÖ. But Babler must be aware that after this good election result for the SPÖ, Prammer has once again strengthened one of his opponents."