Letter to the readers

First decision: For whom will 2025 be “super”?

Mayor Rita Stenger (SPÖ) at the opening of the first polling station on early polling day in Siegendorf, Burgenland

(Bild: APA/Hans Klaus Techt)

"Super" for the blues. 2024 was declared a "super election year" due to the many elections. It was "super" for the Blue Party in particular: They took first place nationwide for the first time - in both the EU and National Council elections - and then also in Styria in the regional elections.

The election year 2025 begins today - not a "super year" in itself, as no nationwide vote is scheduled - unless the FPÖ and ÖVP ultimately fail to form a federal government coalition and new elections to the National Council are called. Some political insiders still believe that this is not very likely, but by no means impossible. If it were to actually come to that, then from today's perspective, everyone assumes that such new elections would turn out particularly well for the FPÖ - to stay with the diction.

Letter to "Krone" readers: Klaus Herrmann, Managing Editor-in-Chief

(Bild: stock.adobe.com, Krone KREATIV)

First mood test. But now the people of Burgenland are voting. If they deny SPÖ incumbent Hans Peter Doskozil another absolute majority today, then FPÖ candidate Norbert Hofer could become the next blue state governor. Political professor Peter Filzmaier writes in his analysis today in the "Krone" newspaper of a "national mood test".

The mood tests continue, of course: next Sunday, the Lower Austrian ÖVP is already trembling for its previous omnipotence in the local council elections, two months later it will be the turn of the Styrian municipalities, where the FPÖ is expecting a continuation of last year's "blue wave", as in Lower Austria. And Vienna follows a month later. There, however, it remains unlikely that the prediction of the regional FPÖ lead candidate from last year will come true - that SPÖ mayor Michael Ludwig will be driven out of the town hall "with a wet rag". In any case, everyone is now looking to the smallest federal state in terms of population. The people of Burgenland will be the first to decide for whom 2025 will be super.

Have a nice Sunday with your "Krone"!