Political parallels – is black and blue now coming to Lower Austria?

What happened in the elections in Lower Austria – ÖVP landslide, SPÖ fall, FPÖ “explosion” – was almost a mirror image of Upper Austria in 2015: it was minus 10.4 percentage points Josef Puhringer OÖVP, minus 9.7 now Johanna Mikl Leitner; the SPOÖ agreed with 6.5 percentage points Reinhold Entholzer down to 18.4 percent Franz Schnabel with its red by 3.3 percentage points minus just over 20 percent. And Manfred Haimbuchner was doubled to 30.4 percent with its OÖ-Blauen in 2015, while Udo Landbauer managed “only” plus 9.4 to 24.2 percent.

In 2017, Pühringer, who lost the election, was finally voted out Thomas Stelzer replaced, an exchange that could also flourish for Mikl-Leitner after two, two and a half years, namely by her deputy Stephen Pernkopf. If it doesn’t happen right away, because Alt-LH Erwin Proll seems to blame his successor. In 2021, little will change for Black and Red in Upper Austria (+1.2 percent for Stelzer, plus 0.2 percent for Entholzer’s successor) Birgit Gerstorfer, in between in between Johann Calliauer), while Haimbuchner was trimmed by a third, but still finished second with a 19.8 percent lead over the SPÖ (18.6 percent). Like now in Lower Austria, where farmer overtook Schnabl.

Advice for Lower Austria?
Speaking of which, in 2021 the OÖVP remained in the coalition with the FPOÖ, which Pühringer had started in 2015 when the hard turn from green to blue was then. Does the Upper Austrian now also recommend black and blue to the neighboring state? LH Stelzer answers this in the proven way: “The cooperation works very well in Upper Austria. But that always depends on the people involved. No outside advice is necessary.” FPOÖ boss Haimbuchner also gives no advice, because the situation is clear anyway: Farmers and Mikl-Leitner do not get along, especially after violent campaign skirmishes. Familiar Haimbuchners therefore take black and red much more for granted in Sankt Pölten – also as a preparatory matter for the next federal government.

Absolutely in government is sometimes gone, sometimes not
In any case, Mikl-Leitner needs a coalition partner – despite the proportional government as in Upper Austria – because she has also lost the absolute majority in the state government and therefore a pact with Greens and Neos in the state parliament would not be enough. But why does the ÖVP in Lower Austria still lose the absolute in the state government with 39.9 percent, which the ÖVP in Upper Austria was able to courageously secure in 2021 with only 37.6 percent? Especially since in Lower Austria the provincial leader must be involved in the distribution of government seats for his party, therefore nine seats must be distributed fairly. In Upper Austria, the inclusion is an optional provision, so usually only eight government seats are distributed, the LH is extra, it is also above things and party politics (caution, irony).

AMS in some places as a personnel reserve for the SPÖ
There are also parallels between the countries above and below the Enns when it comes to the selection of the SPÖ leadership: in Upper Austria, in June 2016, Gerstorfer, head of the labor market service, was brought into the party leadership and into the state government, in June 2016 Lower Austria now follows the head of the AMS there Sven Hergovich (34) the hapless “red Hanni” Franz Schnabl (65). That is also a generation change, comparable to 2022 in Upper Austria, where Gerstorfer (59) has replaced the young club boss Michael Lindner (still 39) had to give way: mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the bigger red hope for young people?