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Five things you need to know about the Lower Austria elections

One of Austria's most populous provinces is set to choose a new government this Sunday. But why does that matter?

Published: 27 January 2023 16:29 CET
Updated: 29 January 2023 08:46 CET
Five things you need to know about the Lower Austria elections
Lower Austria has many touristic spots, mountains, vineyards, ruins, and major cities. Pictured is the Göttweig Abbey, near Krems. (Photo by Leonhard Niederwimmer on Unsplash)

Austria is heading into one of its most significant elections as Lower Austria (Niederösterreich) heads to the polls on Sunday, January 29th, to elect a new regional parliament. 

Current governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) is seeking reelection, but her party, the centre-right ÖVP, has dropped on voting intention polls.

According to an OGM/Kurier poll from January 21st, the regional ÖVP party, known as VPNÖ, leads the race with 37 percent of voting intentions – far from the majority it would need to govern without a coalition.

Then, the far-right party FPÖ follows with 26 percent of the votes. Next is the centre-left SPÖ with 23 percent, the liberal NEOS with 7 percent and the Greens with 6 percent.

The country has its eyes on this election. But why is it so important and what do you need to know about it?

Lower Austria is a prominent Austrian province

Firstly, Lower Austria is a very significant Austrian province. It’s the second-most populous state in Austria after the capital – it is also the largest state by area. Furthermore, the region surrounds Vienna and many workers in the capital live in nearby cities, as Lower Austria has dozens of commuter towns. 

The state capital is Sankt Pölten, and other major cities include Wiener Neustadt, Amstetten, Klosterneuburg, Krems an der Donau and Stockerau.

READ ALSO: Can the Austrian president refuse to appoint a far-right chancellor?

Historical loss for the ÖVP predicted

To say that the state is a stronghold of the centre-right political party ÖVP, the Austrian People’s Party, is an understatement. The ÖVP has been ahead of the provincial government (and of much of its municipalities) ever since the war. Moreover, it currently holds a majority in the regional parliament, meaning that it rules without the need for a coalition partner.

But things are about to change. Voting intention polls show that the ÖVP will most likely lose its majority in Lower Austria, a testament to the plummeting popularity of the centre-right party.

From the around 50 percent of votes which gave it 29 seats in parliament, the party is now polling at 37 percent.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How do Austrians elect their chancellor?

Not only does that mean Austria will likely see a historical coalition talk taking place in the state, but Lower Austria is also responsible for a large part of the votes that the ÖVP gets in federal elections.

Losing those voters locally might mean a big upset ahead in the National Council, and the parties all know it, with all of the major ones fighting to get voters.

… and a historical win for the FPÖ

At the same time as the ÖVP drops in voter preference, the far-right party FPÖ, known as the Freedom Party, is rising. In the last local elections in 2018, they received 14.8 percent of the votes but now are polling in second place, with 26 percent.

The leader of the FPÖ and former Austrian Interior Minister Herbert Kickl waves the Austrian flag. (Photo by JOE KLAMAR / AFP)

This mirrors a federal rise by the FPÖ, which now polls in first when citizens are asked who they’d vote for in the parliamentary elections. The rise of the far-right is down to many reasons, from its stance on polarising topics such as the Covid-19 pandemic to criticism over the government’s actions regarding the inflation crisis and migration.

READ ALSO: Why is support for Austria’s far-right FPÖ rising?

In Lower Austria, surveys show that citizens are concerned about inflation, climate crisis, and asylum and immigration, many topics where the raging FPÖ speech thrives. 

The election could be seen as an early national vote

Lower Austria is relevant geographically, economically and culturally. With its enormous population, results in the state are often seen as a preview or at least a taste of what’s to come in federal elections. 

And Austria is set to have its next parliamentary elections in the Autumn of 2024, so all eyes are now on Lower Austria.

READ ALSO: Reader question: Will my children get an Austrian passport if born in Austria?

Just as voting intention polls show ÖVP dropping and the FPÖ rising in the federal scenario, the same is seen in the province. Austrian politicians and analysts are watching closely to see how exactly the polls translate to actual votes, how this will influence coalition talks and what a new government will look like there.

Foreigners are still excluded from the democratic process

Something else you should know about the Lower Austrian elections: foreigners are excluded from the democratic process.

The only people who are eligible to vote, according to the government, are those who:

  • are at least 16 years old on election day, January 29th 2023, and
  • on the cut-off date, November 18th, 2022: have Austrian citizenship, have their main place of residence in Lower Austria or are Austrians living abroad who had their last main place of residence in Lower Austria before their stay abroad, and are not excluded from the right to vote due to a court conviction

Foreign residents of Lower Austria, even those with a main residence there for decades and who pay their taxes there, cannot vote in the state elections. 

READ ALSO: Reader question: Can I vote in Austria’s presidential elections?

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POLITICS

EXPLAINED: Why Austria does not recognise the state of Palestine

Norway, Spain, and Ireland have announced they will recognise Palestine as a state - so where does Austria stand and why?

Published: 23 May 2024 11:34 CEST
EXPLAINED: Why Austria does not recognise the state of Palestine

The war in the Middle East has brought back some significant debate in Austria and Europe in general. When is criticism of Israel a demonstration of antisemitism? Is a two-state solution, with the recognition of Palestine as a country, the answer to end the region’s bloodshed? And where does Austria stand on the matter?

As it is, “Palestine is not recognised by Austria as a state in the sense of international law”, according to the country’s Foreign Ministry. 

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly spoken out against a separate Palestinian state, which the USA and the Europeans support in principle.

So far, there is only a Palestinian Authority (PA) with very limited state rights, which is based in the West Bank.

READ ALSO: Why conservatives in Lower Austria want to tighten citizenship rules

Which EU countries already recognise the Palestinian state?

Norway, Ireland, and Spain announced they would recognise Palestine as a state by the end of May. The three countries have already attracted a furious response from Israel, which called back its ambassadors in response.

Still, other EU countries might follow suit in hopes that the recognition would help peace negotiations in the region. Slovenia and Malta have also hinted at the imminent recognition of Palestine as a state. 

Sweden took this step ten years ago. The other nine EU states that already recognise Palestine as a state, including Hungary, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, did so when they were not yet EU members.

Around 140 out of 193 UN members recognise Palestine as a state.

Palestine, therefore, has the status of an observing non-member state in the UN. This means it can participate in meetings of the General Assembly but does not have the right to vote. Palestine has been a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) based in The Hague for almost ten years since 2015.

Palestine cannot be recognised as a full member of the UN until a majority of the UN Security Council votes in favour.

However, the Palestinian territories are not recognised as a state by the USA, France and the United Kingdom – all three of whom are permanent members of the Security Council. They only want to agree to recognition once the conflict with Israel has been peacefully resolved.

READ ALSO: Concern grows in Austria over rise in anti-Semitic acts

What about Austria?

Austria insists on a “political process,” Kurier reported. Austria has long been a supporter of a negotiated two-state solution based on international law.

“We are deeply convinced that this is the only option that allows Israelis and Palestinians to live peacefully side by side,” Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg told the newspaper.

“Of course, this also requires the creation of an independent, democratic and viable Palestinian state.”

The Foreign Minister proposes further negotiations for the two-state solution. “Symbolic recognition at this point will not help the Palestinians. Rather, a sustainable solution is needed so that both sides can live in peace and security,” the minister said.

Strong ties to Israel

Austria has also, of course, been a strong ally of Israel for decades. It has repeatedly shown its support for the country and the Jewish population, a historical tie going back to the legacy of the Holocaust. 

Recently, Austria was among the few countries that voted no to a ceasefire as a United Nations resolution. 

Explaining Austria’s rare decision to take a firm stance, Chancellor Karl Nehammer of the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) said: “A resolution in which the terrorist organisation Hamas is not named, in which the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th are not condemned and in which Israel’s right to self-defence, which is enshrined in international law, is not stated – Austria cannot agree to such a resolution.”

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