After the elections in Tyrol – now resolved: ÖVP enters coalition talks with SPÖ

Before the start of the first round of negotiations, Mattle and SPÖ leader Georg Dornauer want to announce the exact timetable for the negotiations in a press conference. Earlier talks with the Social Democrats identified a “way with a strong emphasis on agreements to get started quickly,” Mattle emphasized. No “insurmountable hurdles” emerged – unlike talks about possible tripartite coalitions. Mattle called the expansion of the Kaunertal plant, which he absolutely wants, but which was “not a viable option” for parties other than the SPÖ.

The government should finally be there by the end of October
The chairman of the ÖVP wants the government “ideally” installed on October 25. The constituent session of the state parliament is scheduled for October 30.

“Three variants” probably off the table
Most recently, there were two more “triple variants” in the room – namely a coalition of ÖVP, Greens and NEOS and an ÖVP/List Fritz/NEOS constellation. Both should now — if the black-and-red coalition negotiations fail surprisingly fail — finally be off the table. Besides the SPÖ, the People’s Party could have formed a two-party coalition with the second strongest party in the September 25 elections, the FPÖ. However, Mattle had already ruled out a coalition with the PVV during the election campaign and repeated the refusal after the election.

coalition with 21 seats
Black and red was always considered the most likely variant. This also has to do with the fact that important ÖVP grandmasters of federations and chambers spoke out and rejected negotiations for a three-party coalition. There were also major reservations about the Greens, with whom the ÖVP has ruled in Tyrol since 2013, especially in the ÖVP-Wirtschaftsbund and the Bauernbund. Moreover, the majority in the state parliament voted for black and red, as such a coalition had 21 out of 36 mandates. By contrast, the three-party coalition under discussion would have meant only a narrow majority of 19 mandates. However, Mattle always emphasized that the ÖVP board had the power to investigate both a two-party coalition and a three-party variant. Time and again he spoke of a three-way constellation as an interesting option.

Nothing new in Tyrol
A black-and-red state government would be anything but a novelty in Tyrol. Such a constellation already ruled the federal state – after the end of the proportional representation system – from the late 1990s to 2013 under varying ÖVP provincial governors and also varying SPÖ leadership. It was only after the state elections in 2013 that Governor Günther Platter (ÖVP) opted for a new start, knocked the Social Democrats out of government and formed an alliance with the Greens.

ÖVP lost nearly ten percentage points in the election
The ÖVP lost 9.55 percentage points in the state elections and finished with 34.71 percent – a low in the history of the Tyrolean state party, which has been in charge of the state since 1945. The SPÖ gained only 0.23 percentage point, came – given its starting position – against a disappointing 17.23 percent and lost second place to the FPÖ. During the election campaign, SPÖ leader Georg Dornauer left no doubt that his primary goal is to get the Social Democrats back in government after nearly a decade and form a coalition with the ÖVP.