The ÖVP is on the ground in Innsbruck, but it is difficult to see attempts to revolt. In a comparison of all state capitals, the Tyrolean VP is at the bottom.
Three and a half weeks have passed since the party “The New Innsbruck” (the coalition of the ÖVP, For Innsbruck and the Senior Citizens’ Association) suffered probably the worst defeat in the municipal and mayoral elections that had never been feared until now. scope. A “voter scam” that is quite rare. This becomes even clearer when you look back at the 2018 municipal elections.
At the time, ‘For Innsbruck’ received 16.15%, the ÖVP 12.25% and the Seniors Association 2.7% – a total of 31.1%. However, one plus one does not always equal two, especially if the variable ‘voters’ is added and underestimated. And so the result for this ‘new party’ was not ’30’, but one of the darkest election days in history: 10.15% – barely in double figures.
Debacle and enormous costs
Since then, this party has been in hiding, possibly still in a state of shock, which would be more than understandable. Added to the results debacle are the costs of the election campaign, which were clearly and probably much higher than those of the other parties (reportedly 1.3 million euros). But these have to be resolved somehow. For a few elected officials, this is akin to squaring the circle.
Now ‘The New Innsbruck’ has often been in the negative headlines. As a result, an important position, namely that of the state ÖVP, may have been somewhat “clouded”. Having anything less than 10% in the state capital is not only fatal, but also a Tyrolean specialty.
Low point for the state capitals
This is evident from a current comparison of the most recent ÖVP results in municipal elections in all other state capitals. At the top is Eisenstadt, where the ÖVP achieved no less than 53% in the 2022 elections. This is followed by older elections and less attractive results for the ÖVP, but all better than those in Innsbruck. The ranking is as follows (election year in brackets): Bregenz 39% (2020), Graz 25.9% (2021), St. Pölten 22.8 (2021), Klagenfurt 22.5 (2021), Vienna 20 .4% (2021) and Linz 18.1% (2021). Naturally, the elections also took place in Salzburg this year. And blacks reached 20.8% – twice as many as in Innsbruck.
In the state elections in September 2022, the People’s Party in Innsbruck received 20.6% of the votes (10,339 in total), becoming number one, followed by the SPÖ (18.9%), the Greens (18%) and the FPÖ (17th place). .5%). This time, despite the merger, there were only 6,073 Kreuzerl for “The New Innsbruck”.
The crucial question is: what do the ÖVP makers plan to do after this disaster in the Tyrolean capital? In fact, no stone should be left unturned. But it feels like, at least from the outside, hardly anything happens and everything continues as before.
Focus on the National Council elections?
In practice this means: those who have always taken good care of the party and are still looking good will not be left out in the future – see the current list composition in the five Tyrolean regional constituencies (7A to 7E) for the National Council election. Once again, there was more attention for groups, but also for men and women, and less for signals of innovation, courage and restructuring. You can only judge this chosen path as correct if you follow it with your eyes closed.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
