View text source at Wikipedia

2024 Austrian legislative election

2024 Austrian legislative election
← 2019 29 September 2024 (2024-09-29) Next →
All 183 seats in the National Council
92 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Turnout77.7% (Increase 2.1 pp)
  First party Second party Third party
 
Herbert Kickl - Pressekonferenz am 1. Sep. 2020.JPG
Karl Nehammer 2023.jpg
Andreas Babler 2023 (cropped).jpg
Leader Herbert Kickl Karl Nehammer Andreas Babler
Party FPÖ ÖVP SPÖ
Last election 16.2%, 31 seats 37.5%, 71 seats 21.2%, 40 seats
Seats won 57 51 41
Seat change Increase 26 Decrease 20 Increase 1
Popular vote 1,408,514 1,282,734 1,032,234
Percentage 28.8% 26.3% 21.1%
Swing Increase 12.7 pp Decrease 11.2 pp Decrease 0.1 pp
  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Meinl-Reisinger PKEU (cropped).png
PK Frühjahrskampagne 09032023 (52736558865) (cropped).jpg
Leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger Werner Kogler
Party NEOS Greens
Last election 8.1%, 15 seats 13.9%, 26 seats
Seats won 18 16
Seat change Increase 3 Decrease 10
Popular vote 446,378 402,107
Percentage 9.1% 8.2%
Swing Increase 1.0 pp Decrease 5.7 pp
Chancellor before election

Karl Nehammer
ÖVP

Elected Chancellor

TBD

This article is part of a series on the
Politics of Austria
Law
Executive
Legislature

Wöginger • Rendi-Wagner • Kickl • Maurer • Meinl-Reisinger •

  • Upper house of parliament
  • Joint session of both houses
Judiciary
  • (judicial review)
  • (civil and criminal cases)
  • (administrative law cases)
Elections
  • Legislative:
  • Presidential:
  • European:
Political parties
Federal states

Legislative elections were held in Austria on 29 September 2024 to elect the 28th National Council, the lower house of Austria's bicameral parliament.

The election saw the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) place first, winning 28.8% of the vote and achieving its best result in the party's history. It also marked the first time that a far-right party won the most seats in a legislative election in Austria after World War II.[1][2][3] The governing Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) lost 20 seats, while its coalition partner, the Greens, lost 10 seats. The centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) won just 21.1%, marking its worst result ever in terms of percentages and the place occupied (3rd), but it gained one seat compared to the previous election. NEOS slightly improved from 2019, rising from 15 to 18 seats. No other party was able to clear the 4% threshold to win seats.

Background

[edit]

The 2019 legislative election was called after the Ibiza affair, which triggered the collapse of the coalition government between the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) and the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) led by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. The coalition was ousted in a motion of no confidence and replaced by a non-partisan interim government.[4] The election delivered a strong victory for the ÖVP, which rose to 37.5%, while the FPÖ declined to 16%, its worst result since 2008. With 21%, the opposition Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) recorded its worst performance in over a century. The Greens returned to the National Council after failing to win seats in 2017, achieving its best-ever result with 14%. NEOS improved to 8%.[5]

The ÖVP formed a coalition with The Greens, a first on the federal level in Austria. The new government took office in January 2020, with Sebastian Kurz returning as Chancellor.[6]

Norbert Hofer announced his resignation as leader of the Freedom Party in June 2021. He was replaced by parliamentary group leader Herbert Kickl, whose dismissal as interior minister caused the collapse of the ÖVP–FPÖ government in 2019.[7]

On 6 October 2021 agents of the Central Prosecutorial Agency for Corruption and Economic Affairs (WKStA) raided the Federal Chancellery and the headquarters of the ÖVP as part of a corruption probe targeting Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and his "inner circle". Prosecutors alleged that, in 2016, Kurz paid bribes to news outlets to publish coverage and opinion polling favourable to himself, the goal of the scheme being to undermine then-ÖVP leader Reinhold Mitterlehner so that Kurz could take his place.[8] The Greens threatened to support a motion of no confidence if Kurz did not step down as Chancellor. He thus announced his resignation on 9 October and was replaced by Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg. However, he was quickly elected faction leader of the ÖVP in the National Council; it was widely understood that he would remain de facto leader of the government.[9][10]

On 2 December Kurz announced he would resign from all offices and retire from politics, citing a desire to focus on his family after becoming a father. Shortly after, Schallenberg announced he would resign as Chancellor in favour of the new ÖVP leader once one had been elected.[11] On 3 December, Interior Minister Karl Nehammer was unanimously appointed as leader of the ÖVP by the federal party committee and proposed as Chancellor.[12] He was sworn in by President Alexander Van der Bellen on 6 December.[13]

Since 2019 numerous new and old minor parties such as Team HC Strache – Alliance for Austria, MFG Austria – People Freedom Fundamental Rights, The Beer Party and the Communist Party of Austria received at times considerable support in the 2020 Viennese state election, 2021 Upper Austrian state election, 2022 Austrian presidential election, 2023 Salzburg state election and various local elections, allowing these parties to win seats.

During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ÖVP-Green government enjoyed high support. The government then became deeply unpopular after it passed a mandatory vaccination law, which led to a strong polarization of the population. As a result, and because of large-scale public protests, the mandatory vaccination law (one of few in the world) was later dropped and was never enforced.[citation needed]

After a series of corruption scandals involving the ÖVP and rising inflation – such as skyrocketing housing, electricity, fuel and grocery prices – the government parties lost considerable support in 4 subsequent state elections in Tyrol, Lower Austria, Carinthia and Salzburg. As of May 2023, inflation in Austria was still around 10% and continues to be much higher than the Eurozone average, at around 7%.[citation needed]

Under Nehammer's leadership, Austria's government implemented a package of measures worth six billion euros ($6.3 billion)[as of?] in 2022 aimed at cushioning the blow to households of the rising cost of living.[14] The measures helped limit poverty, but according to experts increased inflation further.[citation needed]

On 8 December 2022 Nehammer was the architect of blocking Romania and Bulgaria's access into the Schengen Area. Nehammer said he first wants the EU to introduce strict border controls at the EU's outer border to limit illegal immigration before the two countries should be allowed to join Schengen.[15]

On 3 June 2023, after years of internal conflicts, intrigues and crossfire, the opposition SPÖ elected a new party leader. The non-binding party membership vote ahead of the binding party congress was won by Hans Peter Doskozil, although by a simple plurality of votes, leaving the door open for a challenge by second-place finisher Andreas Babler at the party congress. On 23 May 2023, incumbent party leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner announced that she would not be a candidate at the party congress, after coming in just third in the membership vote and announced her orderly resignation. On 25 May 2023, Rendi-Wagner announced her complete withdrawal from Austrian politics by the end of June, also resigning as a member of the Austrian Parliament. On 3 June 2023, Hans Peter Doskozil was elected as the new party chairman with 53% of the delegates. However, two days later the SPÖ announced that the results had been mixed up in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and that Babler was the actual winner with 53%, thus becoming the new party chairman.[16]

The weakness of both the government parties and the SPÖ has allowed the far-right, populist opposition party FPÖ to top the polls during 2023, positioning it to win an Austrian legislative election for the first time, even though it has previously been involved in the Ibiza affair scandal which caused the 2019 governing coalition to resign.[citation needed]

A government led by the FPÖ and a Chancellor Herbert Kickl, a political hardliner, is opposed by about two in three Austrians, according to polls conducted in May 2023. Additionally, President Alexander Van der Bellen has said that he might not swear in a FPÖ-led government with a Chancellor Kickl on top, but that he remains open to swearing in a more moderate FPÖ Chancellor.[citation needed]

The rising inflation and increasingly unaffordable housing situation has seen the Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) rise considerably in opinion polls conducted before the legislative election. Previously a non-factor in Austria-wide elections, the party rose to as high as 7 percent after the Salzburg state election in April 2023, in which it received a record 12 percent of the vote, a result out of nowhere, which stunned political observers.[citation needed]

On 18 October 2023 former chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) was charged in federal court for allegedly making false statements to a parliamentary investigation committee.[citation needed]

On 4 November 2023 the KPÖ elected Tobias Schweiger as their lead candidate for the upcoming election.[citation needed]

On 11 November 2023 the new SPÖ leader Andreas Babler was confirmed at a party convention in Graz by 89 percent of voting delegates.[17]

On 18 January 2024 Dominik Wlazny (alias Marco Pogo) announced the candidacy of the Beer Party (BIER).[18]

Date

[edit]

The election must be held before the conclusion of the 5-year term of the current 27th National Council on 23 October 2024 (typically, regularly-scheduled elections are held several weeks earlier than that – to allow for the publication of an official certified election result). Elections are traditionally not held during the school summer holidays, from early July to mid-September.[citation needed]

Due to the government's unpopularity, it was often speculated in the media that early elections would be called for the spring of 2024, but the ÖVP-Green government repeatedly said it wanted to finish its term and that the election would be held in September 2024.[19]

In February 2024 Minister of Agriculture Norbert Totschnig (ÖVP) mentioned that the election will likely be held on Sunday, 29 September 2024, exactly 5 years after the previous election.[citation needed]

On 28 June 2024, the federal government formally announced the election date of 29 September 2024.[20] Polling stations opened at 07:00 and closed at 17:00.[21]

Electoral system

[edit]
Austrian Parliament in Vienna (2023)

The 183 members of the National Council are elected by open list proportional representation at three levels; a single national constituency, nine constituencies based on the federal states, and 39 regional constituencies. Seats are apportioned to the regional constituencies based on the results of the most recent census. For parties to receive any representation in the National Council, they must either win at least one seat in a constituency directly, or clear a 4 percent national electoral threshold.[22]

Following the elections, seats are allocated to the candidates of successful parties and lists in a three-stage process, starting with the regional constituencies. Seats are distributed according to the Hare quota in the regional constituencies, and with unallocated seats distributed at the state constituency level.[23] Any remaining seats are then allocated using the D'Hondt method at the federal level, to ensure overall proportionality between a party's national vote share and its share of parliamentary seats.[24]

In addition to voting for a political party, voters may cast three preferential votes for specific candidates of that party, but are not required to do so.[25] These additional votes do not affect the proportional allocation based on the vote for the party or list, but can change the rank order of candidates on a party's lists at the federal, state, and regional level. The threshold to increase the position of a candidate on a federal party list is 7 percent, compared to 10 percent at the state level, and 14 percent at the regional level. The names of candidates on regional party lists are printed on the ballot and can be marked with an "x" to indicate the voter's preference. Preference votes for candidates on party lists at the state and federal level, however, must be written in by the voter, either by writing the name or the rank number of the candidate in a blank spot provided for that purpose.[26]

Voting law reform

[edit]

In early 2023 the ÖVP–Green government decided to reform the voting law. Among the reforms were the introduction of an early voting period, starting 3 weeks before election day, during which voters can request absentee ballots in every municipality. Voters can either fill out the ballot in the municipality and therefore cast the ballot early, or take the absentee ballot with them and cast it later by mail, or in-person before or on election day. Previously, this was only possible in large cities. Another reform will be the counting of almost all absentee and mail-ballots on election day. Previously, most mail ballots were counted the Monday and Thursday after election day. The new changes will lead to most votes being counted on election day, while only a much smaller number of late-arriving mail ballots and mail ballots from electoral districts other than the voters' own district will be counted on Monday after election day. The 2024 European Parliament election in Austria was the first national election in which the new law took effect and it showed that only about 130,000 absentee ballots had to be counted on the Monday after election day, compared to almost 960,000 the Monday after the 2019 legislative election. Other reforms include measures to lower the number of invalid or spoilt votes among absentee/mail ballots, by re-designing mail ballot instructions and introduction of "easy language" (or plain language) on them. High fines and a prison sentence of up to two weeks will be introduced for election commission members who deliberately leak election results of their polling stations to the media or other third parties before poll closing time. The reform of the voting law, which takes effect on 1 January 2024, was also supported by the three opposition parties SPÖ, FPÖ and NEOS, after several amendments were made to satisfy these parties too. The reformed election law[27] was approved by the Nationalrat (National Council) on 31 January 2023 and by the Bundesrat (Federal Council) on 16 February 2023.[28][29]

Statistics

[edit]

According to final numbers from the Federal Ministry of the Interior, a total of 6,346,059 people are eligible to vote in the election. In the 2019 election, 6,396,812 people were eligible to vote. This means that the number of eligible voters has fallen by 50,753 people. The reasons for this are that the number of Austrian citizens has been falling for years due to a birth deficit and negative migration balance to abroad, which is not compensated for by the number of naturalizations. The final number of eligible voters was published on 27 September 2024 after a period for objections and the correction of the electoral rolls.[30]

Absentee/mail ballots will be sent to voters who requested them, starting at 2 September 2024. Early voting in every municipality will also be possible from that day, by immediately casting absentee ballots there (after requesting them at the municipal election department).[citation needed]

A total of 1,436,240 absentee ballots have been issued by the electoral authorities all over Austria ahead of the election, with 27 September 2024, the last possible day to request one. The number is a new record and much higher than the 1,070,933 ahead of the 2019 election. In total, about 23% of all eligible voters requested an absentee ballot, compared to 17% in 2019. It is expected that every fourth vote cast in total in this election will be an absentee ballot.[31]

Contesting parties

[edit]

Any party that intends to be on the ballot for the election must submit a statement of candidacy, its candidate list, a filing fee of €435 and either the signatures of three members of the Austrian National Council, or sufficient petition signatures of eligible Austrian voters by 1 August 2024 at 17:00 at the federal election commission in the Austrian Interior Ministry. To be on the ballot in all nine states, 2,600 signatures are required, with individual states requiring between 100 and 500 signatures. Parties contesting the election in only some states only need to reach the signature threshold for those states.

The table below lists parties represented in the 27th National Council:

Abbr. Name Ideology Leader 2019 result Status
Votes (%) Seats
ÖVP Austrian People's Party
Österreichische Volkspartei 		Christian democracy Karl Nehammer 37.5%
71 / 183
 Coalition
SPÖ Social Democratic Party of Austria
Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs 		Social democracy Andreas Babler 21.2%
40 / 183
 Opposition
FPÖ Freedom Party of Austria
Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs 		Right-wing populism Herbert Kickl 16.2%
31 / 183
 Opposition
Grüne The Greens
Die Grünen 		Green politics Werner Kogler 13.9%
26 / 183
 Coalition
NEOS NEOS Liberalism Beate Meinl-Reisinger 8.1%
15 / 183
 Opposition

The following other parties have announced their candidacy, are currently not represented in the National Council, but have collected the required amount of signatures to be on the ballot nationwide:[32]

The following other parties have announced their candidacy, are currently not represented in the National Council, but have collected the required amount of signatures to be on the ballot in at least one state:

MFG Austria were on the ballot for states including about 90% of eligible voters, only being absent in Burgenland and Carinthia. The Gaza List were on the ballot for states including about 87% of eligible voters, only being absent in Carinthia and Salzburg. The Yellows are only on the ballot in Burgenland, which includes about 4% of eligible voters in Austria.

The following other parties have ruled out a candidacy:

Campaign

[edit]

All major parties started their election campaigns in mid-to-late August 2024. First waves of election billboards and campaign posters were placed at heavily frequented places and roads, lead candidates appeared in TV interviews and discussions and ads on social media, radio and TV were launched. Each party can spend a maximum of 8.6 million euros for the election, in accordance with campaign finance laws.[citation needed]

Especially after the 2024 Vienna terrorism plot in early August 2024, in which the Islamic State unsuccessfully tried to target concerts of the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, the campaigning shifted heavily towards security and policing issues, how to tackle political and extremist Islam in Austria and on immigration and the integration of (primarily Muslim) immigrants in Austria.[33] The focus on these topics were reinforced by the 2024 Solingen stabbing in late August 2024 in neighboring Germany, with the FPÖ calling for "zero asylum" in Austria, increased deportations of criminal foreigners to their home countries and a new law to ban political/extremist Islam in Austria, similar to Austria's anti-Nazi law[34] in its campaign program titled "Fortress Austria".[35] The FPÖ also called for enshrining legal recognitions of binary genders in the constitution,[36] restoring some political powers from the European Union to Austria,[35] ending sanctions against Russia and Austria's exit from the European Sky Shield Initiative. The FPÖ also heavily emphasised Remigration, particularly to Islamic countries, during its campaign.[37]

The SPÖ and the ÖVP both attacked Herbert Kickl, with its leaders describing him as "a threat to democracy" and a "security risk". Both parties pledged not to join a government led by the FPÖ, although Karl Nehammer has not ruled out forming a coalition with the FPÖ that would exclude Kickl from the cabinet.[38]

The FPÖ's use of the term Volkskanzler (People's Chancellor) to describe Kickl in its campaign material has caused criticism among some Austrians for its usage by Adolf Hitler in the 1930s and as a reminder of the FPÖ's origins as a party founded by former Nazis in the 1950s.[39]

The ÖVP campaigned on a platform of stability.[40] It also pledged to implement tighter immigration laws and tax cuts.[21]

Opinion polls

[edit]
Main article: Opinion polling for the 2024 Austrian legislative election

Official results

[edit]
PartyVotes%+/–Seats+/–
Freedom Party of Austria1,408,51428.85+12.6857+26
Austrian People's Party1,282,73426.27–11.1951–20
Social Democratic Party of Austria1,032,23421.14–0.0441+1
NEOS446,3789.14+1.0418+3
The Greens402,1078.24–5.6616–10
Communist Party – KPÖ Plus116,8912.39+1.7000
The Beer Party98,3952.02+1.9200
Madeleine Petrovic List28,4880.58New0New
None of the Above27,8300.57+0.1100
MFG Austria19,7850.41New0New
Gaza List19,3760.40New0New
The Yellows1560.00New0New
Total4,882,888100.00–1830
Valid votes4,882,88899.05
Invalid/blank votes46,8570.95
Total votes4,929,745100.00
Registered voters/turnout6,346,05977.68
Source: Interior Ministry, ORF

Results by state

[edit]
States shaded by the parties' result
State FPÖ ÖVP SPÖ NEOS Grüne Others Turnout
% S % S % S % S % S % S
 Burgenland 28.8 2 28.6 1 27.0 1 6.5 - 4.7 - 4.4 - 82.5
 Carinthia 38.4 4 20.8 2 23.1 2 7.8 - 4.7 - 5.2 - 76.9
 Lower Austria 29.2 10 29.9 11 20.2 7 8.5 3 6.7 2 5.5 - 82.0
 Upper Austria 30.5 9 26.3 8 20.3 6 8.3 2 8.4 2 6.2 - 80.1
 Salzburg 27.7 3 31.6 3 16.8 1 9.0 - 8.5 - 6.4 - 78.4
 Styria 32.2 8 27.0 7 18.6 5 8.2 2 7.6 2 6.4 - 78.5
 Tyrol 28.7 4 31.0 4 15.4 2 10.6 1 8.1 1 6.2 - 74.3
 Vorarlberg 27.1 2 29.1 2 13.1 1 12.6 1 11.4 - 6.7 - 71.8
 Vienna 20.7 6 17.4 5 29.9 9 11.4 3 12.3 4 8.3 - 71.9
Nationwide — 9 — 8 — 7 — 6 — 5 — - —
 Austria 28.8 57 26.3 51 21.1 41 9.1 18 8.2 16 6.4 - 77.7
Source: Interior Ministry

According to experts from Foresight (ex-SORA), about 90 percent of the 1.436 million requested absentee ballots will be returned for counting. Of those roughly 1.3 million ballots, the vast majority (roughly 1.1 million, or 85%) would be counted on 29 September, while an estimated remaining 15% or 160,000 late-arriving absentee ballots would be counted – by law – on 30 September and an additional 40,000 (from another district than the voters' own) would be counted – by law – on 3 October.[41] Reports of polling stations throughout election day suggested that overall turnout was "very high" and could reach "80 percent or more".[42]

Aftermath

[edit]

Celebrations broke out among FPÖ supporters after initial projections showed them winning a plurality of votes. FPÖ general secretary Michael Schnedlitz said "the men and women of Austria have made history today", while Herbert Kickl called on other parties to reconsider forming a coalition with his party. In response, Karl Nehammer reiterated that the ÖVP would not enter into a coalition with the FPÖ unless Kickl was excluded from a ministerial position.[43][44] Nehammer also said he was "bitter" over the ÖVP failing to win but acknowledged his role in improving the party's showing following low opinion ratings.[35]

A protest was held outside the Austrian Parliament Building in Vienna by around 300 people protesting against Kickl on 29 September, calling him a "Nazi".[35] The leaders of far-right parties across Europe, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán,[45] Marine Le Pen of the National Rally in France,[46] Matteo Salvini of the League in Italy,[47] Santiago Abascal of Vox in Spain,[48] Geert Wilders of the Party for Freedom in the Netherlands, and Alice Weidel of the Alternative for Germany, sent congratulations to Kickl and the FPÖ.[35]

In the first poll after the election, Market-Lazarsfeld for Ö24 found that the FPÖ was supported by 30%, the ÖVP by 25%, the SPÖ by 20%, NEOS by 11%, the Green Party by 8%, and others by 6% of voters. A plurality of voters preferred a coalition by FPÖ-ÖVP (29%), followed by ÖVP-SPÖ-NEOS (23%), ÖVP-SPÖ-Greens (12%), ÖVP-SPÖ (9%), FPÖ-SPÖ (9%), other coalitions (3%), and 15% undecided.[49] Another new poll after the election by Unique Research for Heute found that 58% of Austrians want the Austrian president to officially task the FPÖ with forming the next government, while 36% were opposed. Among FPÖ voters, 98% were in favour, among ÖVP voters the support was at 54%, and 44% were opposed. Among all other party voters, opposition outweighed support.[50]

Government formation

[edit]

President Alexander Van der Bellen pledged to ensure the formation of a government that respects the "foundations of our liberal democracy".[51] Although it is a convention that the president first asks the leader of the largest party to try to form a government, the constitution does not require them to do so.[52] Van der Bellen previously stated that he might not give FPÖ this mandate in the event of their victory.[53] On 2 October, the outgoing ÖVP-Green government tendered its resignation, although it was asked to stay on in a caretaker role by Van der Bellen. The president then started official talks with all party leaders on 4 October, with FPÖ leader Kickl being the first to talk with the president. Van der Bellen and Kickl made no statements after their meeting but Kickl said he would do so on 5 October.[54] Nehammer and other ÖVP governors expressed support for the FPÖ receiving the first mandate to form a government, citing a wish to preserve the convention.[55]

The president spoke with Nehammer (ÖVP) and Babler (SPÖ) on 7 October, and with Meinl-Reisinger (NEOS) and Kogler (Greens) on 8 October. A meeting also took place between Nehammer and Babler on 8 October.[56] After these initial talks with each party leader, Van der Bellen said he asked the party leaders to "sort things out on their own" until 18 October rather than tasking the FPÖ with the mandate to form the next government. Van der Bellen said that the situation is unique in the sense that no other party wants to cooperate with the FPÖ and it would be ludicrous to order the FPÖ to form the government in this situation. Instead, Van der Bellen ordered the parties to keep talking with each other until a credible path to a government appears, after which he would task the leading party of this constellation to form the next government. Meanwhile, the FPÖ rose to a new high of 33% in a new Market-Lazarsfeld poll for Ö24, with the ÖVP at 26% and the SPÖ falling below 20% (19%) for the first time, NEOS at 10%, and the Green Party at 7%, KPÖ at 2%, and others at 3%.[57]

After the FPÖ-ÖVP-SPÖ talks concluded on 16 October, Nehammer reiterated his opposition to a government with Kickl, who insisted to lead the next government himself as Chancellor. Nehammer said "Kickl is unable to govern", adding that he was a "security threat for the country" and that "Nehammer and the ÖVP are not willing to be the stirrup holders of Kickl and the FPÖ". On the other hand, Kickl called Nehammer "an offended and aggrieved sore loser, whose main goal is to continue clinging to power, but without the interests of the country and voters in mind".[58]

On 22 October, Van der Bellen officially asked Nehammer to form the next government and negotiate with the SPÖ.[59] Van der Bellen said that it was clear that Kickl "would not be able to find a coalition partner who would make him Chancellor", while Nehammer said that he would need to find a third coalition partner to ensure a stable parliamentary majority. In response, Kickl criticised Van der Bellen for breaking with the "tried and tested normal processes" of asking the leading party in the election to form a government and pledged that "Today is not the end of the story".[60]

On 25 October, Nehammer and the ÖVP officially launched first exploration talks with Babler and the SPÖ. Nehammer also talked with NEOS and Green delegations in the evening, because the ÖVP-SPÖ coalition would only have a majority of one seat in the National Council, leading Nehammer to find a third coalition partner. After the talks, Nehammer said the "road to a new government will be long and stony" because of the "massive policy differences between the parties involved."[61]

On 12 November, the ÖVP and the SPÖ announced they would start coalition talks with NEOS, after it became clear that their one-seat-majority would not be suitable for parliamentary work.[62] The talks started on 18 November.[63]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Karnitschnig, Matthew (29 September 2024). "Austria goes back to the future as voters embrace far-right party founded by Nazis". Europe. Politico.
  2. ^ "Austria's Freedom Party secures first national election win for far-right since World War II". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 30 September 2024.
  3. ^ Harris, Rob (30 September 2024). "Austrian far-right party wins first national election since World War II". World elections. The Sydney Morning Herald.
  4. ^ "Austrian parliament topples Chancellor Sebastian Kurz". Deutsche Welle. 27 May 2019.
  5. ^ "Austria's far right loses ground as Sebastian Kurz wins landslide". Deutsche Welle. 30 September 2019.
  6. ^ "Austria: Greens enter government for first time, join Kurz's conservatives". Deutsche Welle. 1 January 2020.
  7. ^ "Austria: Herbert Kickl elected to lead far-right Freedom Party". Deutsche Welle. 20 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Austrian prosecutors target Kurz in bribery investigation". Reuters. 7 October 2021.
  9. ^ "Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announces resignation". Deutsche Welle. 9 October 2021.
  10. ^ "Alexander Schallenberg sworn in as chancellor of Austria". Deutsche Welle. 11 October 2021.
  11. ^ "Austrian chancellor resigns after Sebastian Kurz withdraws from politics". Deutsche Welle. 2 December 2021.
  12. ^ "Austria: Karl Nehammer set to become new chancellor". Deutsche Welle. 3 December 2021.
  13. ^ "Austria: Karl Nehammer sworn in as new chancellor". Deutsche Welle. 6 December 2021.
  14. ^ Francois Murphy (14 June 2022), Austria announces 6 billion euro package to address cost-of-living crisis Reuters.
  15. ^ "Austria vetoes Bulgaria and Romania joining Europe's Schengen area". The Local. 8 December 2022.
  16. ^ "Austria's SPÖ party announces Babler as leader after vote mix-up". The Local. 5 June 2023.
  17. ^ "SPÖ-Parteitag: 88,76 Prozent für Babler als Parteichef". orf.at. 11 November 2023.
  18. ^ Florian Amelin (18 January 2024). "ANTRETEN BEI NATIONALRATSWAHL: "Günstige Gemengelage" für Bierpartei". news.ORF.at (in German). Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  19. ^ "Warum Neuwahlen immer unwahrscheinlicher werden". Kurier.at. 30 October 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  20. ^ "Verordnung der Bundesregierung über die Ausschreibung der Wahl zum Nationalrat, die Festsetzung des Wahltages und des Stichtages (BGBl. II 169/2024)". ris.bka.gv.at. 28 June 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  21. ^ a b "Austrians vote in tight legislative election as far right eyes unprecedented win". France 24. 29 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  22. ^ "Wahlen zum Nationalrat". Österreichisches Parlament. 12 September 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  23. ^ "Wahlen". Bundesministerium für Inneres. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  24. ^ "Das Verhältniswahlrecht und das Ermittlungsverfahren bei der Nationalratswahl". Österreichisches Parlament. 21 October 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  25. ^ "Vorzugsstimmenvergabe bei einer Nationalratswahl". State of Austria (official website). Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  26. ^ "Vorzugsstimmenvergabe bei einer Nationalratswahl". HELP.gv.at. 1 January 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  27. ^ "Wahlrechtsänderungsgesetz 2023 (3002/A)". Österreichisches Parlament (Austrian Parliament). 22 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  28. ^ "PARLAMENTSKORRESPONDENZ NR. 91 VOM 31.01.2023: Nationalrat gibt grünes Licht für Wahlrechtsreform - Gesetzespaket erhielt nach weiterer Adaptierung einhellige Zustimmung". Österreichisches Parlament (Austrian Parliament). 31 January 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  29. ^ "Wahlrecht wird reformiert – was sich alles ändert". Österreichischer Gemeindebund (Austrian Association of Municipalities). 21 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  30. ^ Comparison of the final number of eligible voters in the National Council election on 29 September 2024 with the final number of eligible voters in the National Council election on 29 September 2019, Federal Ministry of the Interior, on 27 September 2024
  31. ^ Comparison of the final number of absentee ballots in the National Council election on 29 September 2024 with the final number of absentee ballots in the National Council election on 29 September 2019, Federal Ministry of the Interior, on 27 September 2024
  32. ^ "Wahlwerbende Parteien, die Landeswahlvorschläge eingebracht haben". www.bmi.gv.at (in German). Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  33. ^ Matzl, Christoph (25 August 2024). "Stricter rules on immigration called for". Kronen Zeitung. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  34. ^ "FPÖ vows to curb migration and abolish 'green taxes'". Brussels Signal. 23 August 2024. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  35. ^ a b c d e "Austria's Freedom Party secures first far-right national election win since World War II". Associated Press. 30 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  36. ^ "Is Austria's far right poised for historic win in Sunday elections?". Al Jazeera. 29 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  37. ^ "Leidende FPÖ zet bij Oostenrijkse verkiezingen in op remigratie". MSN. 21 August 2024.
  38. ^ "Austrians vote as a far-right party hopes for its first national election win". Associated Press. 29 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  39. ^ "Austria's far right eyes unprecedented election win". BBC. 28 September 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  40. ^ "Austria votes in general election as far right eyes victory". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  41. ^ "17.09.2024 Nationalratswahl". 17 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  42. ^ "Erste Hochrechnung: FPÖ Wahlsieger mit 29,1 Prozent + ÖVP 26,2 Prozent + SPÖ 20,4 Prozent" (in German). Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  43. ^ "Far right in Austria set for election victory - projections". BBC. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  44. ^ "Austria's far-right Freedom Party projected to win election". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  45. ^ Csongor Körömi (30 September 2024). "Orbán, Le Pen and Wilders are buzzing over Austria's far right winning election". www.politico.eu. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  46. ^ "Far right in Austria 'opens new era' with election victory". BBC. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  47. ^ Salvini esulta per la vittoria di Fpo in Austria. Ma Tajani: "Respingere i rigurgiti neonazisti". Il Foglio
  48. ^ "Abascal celebra la victoria de FPÖ en Austria". Electomanía (in Spanish). 30 September 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  49. ^ "Umfrage: Bei Neuwahl könnt FPÖ 30-%-Marke knacken". oe24.at. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  50. ^ "Wahl-Knaller: Mehrheit will, dass Kickl Regierung sucht". heute.at. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  51. ^ "Austria far-right supporters toast historic victory". France 24. 30 September 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  52. ^ Murphy, Francois (30 September 2024). "Austria's president takes charge as far right isolated after election victory". Reuters.
  53. ^ "Gespräche bei Van der Bellen: Kickl macht den Anfang". news.ORF.at (in German). 3 October 2024.
  54. ^ "Regierung mit Fortführung betraut". ORF.at. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  55. ^ Murphy, Francois (1 October 2024). "Austria's conservatives want far right to be asked to form coalition". Reuters.
  56. ^ "Medien: ÖVP und SPÖ reden miteinander am Dienstag". news.ORF.at (in German). 5 October 2024.
  57. ^ "NACH DER WAHL: Regierungsbildung als Präzedenzfall". news.ORF.at (in German). 10 October 2024.
  58. ^ "KICKL: Nehammer „beleidigter Wahlverlierer"". news.ORF.at (in German). 16 October 2024.
  59. ^ "Austria's chancellor asked to form new government after parties refuse to work with far-right leader". Associated Press. 22 October 2024.
  60. ^ "Austria far right shunned for coalition despite winning election". BBC. 22 October 2024.
  61. ^ "DREIERKOALITION: NEOS mit besseren Chancen als Grüne". news.ORF.at (in German). 25 October 2024.
  62. ^ "SONDIERUNGEN: ÖVP und SPÖ laden NEOS ein". news.ORF.at (in German). 12 November 2024.
  63. ^ "Startschuss für Verhandlungen über eine Koalition ÖVP - SPÖ - NEOS". trend.at (in German). 18 November 2024. Retrieved 18 November 2024.