by whataboutbob
Sun Oct 1st, 2006 at 03:18:17 PM EST
Bumped & updated by DoDo
The normal ballots in the Austrian national elections have now
been counted. Results:
- participation: 74.22% (-10.05!)
- SPÖ (Social Democrats) 35.71% (-0.8)
- ÖVP (conservatives, incumbents) 34.22% (-8.08%)
- FPÖ (Haider-less far-right) 11.21% (+1.2)
- Grüne (Greens) 10.49% (+1.02)
- BZÖ (Haider's breakaway far-right) 4.20% (new party)
- Liste Martin (list of a clean-hands MEP) 2.83% (new)
- KPÖ (Communists) 1.01% (+0.45)
This looks like a much bigger fall of the ÖVP than expected, and a resurgence of the far-right despite divisions. But those divisions became geographical in nature, with BZÖ sweeping 25.41% in Carynthia.
Up to 400,000 postal ballots will only be counted 9 October, they might yet change the situation: BZÖ could fall under 4% and out of Parliament, and -- more likely -- the Greens could overtake FPÖ. It now looks likely that SPÖ leader Alfred Gusenbauer will become chancellor, heading an SPÖ-ÖVP grand coalition.
whataboutbob's original text below the fold
From Fran's Breakfast Thread, is this piece on Sunday's Austrian election:
Green party could be kingmaker in Austria election
VIENNA (Reuters) -- Austria's Green Party could end up being kingmaker after a closely fought national election on Sunday and supplant the far right as the junior partner in a new coalition government.
With Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel's conservatives and the Social Democrats fighting to come out on top, and two right-wing leaders embroiled in an internecine election battle, the Greens for the first time could join a national government and decide who leads Austria.
The Social Democrats at 35 percent are trailing the conservative People's Party by three percentage points in recent opinion polls. The Greens look at par with the far-right Freedom Party at around 10 percent.
If the big parties are not forced into a "grand coalition" as in Germany, the Greens could offer a less controversial partner than the Freedom Party to conservatives and Social Democrats alike. "It might be that 46 percent of the votes could be enough to form a coalition," said Peter Filzmaier, a political researcher at Krems University. "In this case, Social Democrats and Greens or conservatives and Greens are both realistic combinations."
Let's use this as an open tread to discuss the election, in general, and any results on Sunday.
And this is a call to our Austrian members...or anyone else knowledgeable & interested in the Austrian election...let us know your perspectives!
From the diaries (any updates?) ~ whataboutbob
