Election day on krone.at

The winners and losers of the election at a glance

Sebastian Kurz triumphantly won the new election triggered by the Ibiza affair: 6.4 million Austrians were called to vote for the new National Council on Sunday in glorious autumn weather. You can read all the developments and reactions on election day here in our overview. Of course, you can also find all the results from all municipalities and districts in Austria in our interactive results graphics in the Election Center! The provisional final result was announced shortly after 9 pm, bringing an extremely exciting election Sunday to a close.

Sebastian Kurz's ÖVP is clearly in first place with 37.1 percent according to the provisional final result including the polling card forecast. The SPÖ is well behind with 21.7 percent. The FPÖ, which has recently been in turmoil, plummeted to 16.1 percent - two years ago it was 26.0 percent. Behind them, the resurgent Greens storm into fourth place, achieving 14.0 percent. The NEOS increased to 7.8 percent, while the NOW list missed out on re-entering the National Council with 2.0 percent.

Philippa Strache misses out on a place in the National Council? Ex-FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache apparently wanted to appear in the Hofburg on Sunday evening, but canceled an interview with "Servus TV" at the last minute, as reported by the "Kurier". It was also reported that his wife Philippa would not be able to enter parliament due to the poor election results for the Freedom Party in Vienna. After her husband's fall, she was actually supposed to boost the family's dwindling income.

The former and Wohl-bald-again Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz triumphantly won the new election, but the ÖVP is running out of potential coalition partners. According to insiders, a turquoise-green pact is most likely, as "Krone" internal politics journalist Klaus Knittelfelder writes.

That's it! The National Council election is over. But how satisfied are we with the outcome of the election? Was the result foreseeable? krone.at asked:

Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen thanks all voters in a TV address and expresses his respect for all those who ran (see also video below). "In particular, I congratulate Sebastian Kurz on his election success", Van der Bellen hopes that "after a short cooling-off period, the well-being of Austria will be put before party-tactical interests".

The ÖVP scored particularly well among women and pensioners in the National Council elections. The FPÖ, on the other hand, was the strongest party among workers. This is shown by a survey conducted by pollster Peter Hajek for ATV. The Greens were particularly strong among the under-30s and high school graduates. The NEOS scored well among the self-employed.

Wolfgang Sobotka, President of the ÖVP National Council, is not yet giving any indication of a future coalition partner for the People's Party. In an interview with Gerhard Koller, he was enthusiastic about the ÖVP election result:

For the Green former and soon to be re-elected MP Sigrid Maurer, there would already have to be a "complete turnaround" in terms of content for a possible Turquoise-Green coalition. There is currently "no overlap" between the two parties in many areas, Maurer said on Sunday evening. However, she did not want to assess the chances of a turquoise-green coalition. For the Greens, the priority now was to re-establish themselves in the National Council and build up resources. In any case, the Green result was "madness", it was a "sensational election".

On the evening of the election, Gerhard Koller also spoke to the party's runner-up, Leonore Gewessler, about the Greens' election success:

Vienna's mayor Michael Ludwig has ruled out any personnel consequences at the top of the party following the SPÖ election debacle. In his opinion, there will be "no personnel discussions" at the committee meetings on Monday, he said in the evening. Top candidate Pamela Rendi-Wagner had "done an extraordinary job" in the election campaign, he said in praise of his party leader.

Former minister and second on the ÖVP federal list, Elisabeth Köstinger, spoke to Gerhard Koller on election night about the sensational election victory of the Turks:

Hofer sees FPÖ already in opposition: FPÖ leader Norbert Hofer - like Herbert Kickl, Harald Vilimsky, Dominik Nepp and other party representatives before him - assumes that his party will go into opposition after the election defeat. "That means we are preparing for opposition," says Hofer, who is "not thrilled" with the election result.

In any case, the FPÖ chairman spoke out in favor of a reorganization of the party. Hofer also made it clear that the Freedom Party's dual leadership with him and former Interior Minister Herbert Kickl would remain in office.

Pilz becomes a journalist: Long-term politician Peter Pilz will no longer be able to enter the House with his List Now. "Of course I am disappointed", said Pilz on Sunday evening in view of the disappointing results for his party. He did not want to answer whether the result also meant the end of Liste Jetzt in general. The Styrian announced that he would now switch sides and become a journalist.

NEOS still open to three-party coalition: The NEOS have not yet given up on a three-party coalition with the ÖVP and the Greens, despite their sole majority. On "Puls 4" this evening, deputy leader Nikolaus Scherak said that the big issues would be easier to solve with a larger majority. This would be difficult with such a narrow majority as the Turquoise-Greens have.

Vienna Green Party leader in favor of exploratory talks with ÖVP: When it comes to the question of a possible Turquoise-Green coalition, Vienna Green Party leader Birgit Hebein now sees the ball in ÖVP leader Sebastian Kurz's court: "Now it is up to Mr. Kurz to decide." She agrees with Green Party top candidate Werner Kogler regarding a possible government cooperation with the ÖVP: "Serious exploratory talks should be held.

Bierlein congratulates Kurz: Federal Chancellor Brigitte Bierlein congratulated the winner of the election, ÖVP leader Sebastian Kurz, on Sunday evening. Bierlein also promised to continue in office to the best of her knowledge and belief until a new federal government is sworn in and to make "all necessary preparations for a professional handover of office".

SPÖ leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner wants to carry on despite the heavy election defeat. "Today is a stopover, the journey continues", she said in an initial reaction in the SPÖ festival tent in Löwelstraße. "It is the path of humanity that we will continue on together." The SPÖ had set the right topics in the election campaign, Rendi-Wagner said: "The direction is right, we are moving forward."

FPÖ should go into opposition: In the FPÖ, more and more voices are calling for the party to go into opposition in future in view of the weak result of the National Council elections. In addition to Herbert Kickl and Harald Vilimsky, Vienna's regional party chairman Dominik Nepp is also among them: "I don't see these 16 percent as a mandate to govern." "I see the FPÖ in opposition," Nepp emphasized clearly. And, like General Secretary Vilimsky, he called for a "new start" for the party - specifically in organizational and structural terms.

Gerhard Koller in conversation with FPÖ veteranAndreas Mölzer:

In television interviews, ÖVP chairman Sebastian Kurz announced that he would now hold talks with all parties represented in parliament. He wants to work together with all parties as respectfully as possible. He had previously explained to his supporters that his government had been voted out of office in the National Council four months ago, "today the people have voted us back in". Kurz spoke of a historic day for the ÖVP, which had never before won an election by such a large margin.

Hero's welcome for Werner Kogler: Werner Kogler was greeted with frenetic cheers at the Green Party's election headquarters in Vienna's "Metropol" (see also video below). Kogler spoke of a "Sunday for Future". He was not conciliatory towards the ÖVP, the second winner of the election, on the contrary: he sneered at the "sect members of the chancellor's representative". In any case, the voters' mandate - "regardless of the position" - was accepted, said Kogler. The motto is "always keep your feet on the ground".

Acting FPÖ parliamentary group leader Herbert Kickl does not see a government mandate for his party. In a coalition with the ÖVP, it must be possible to hold something against it, he said, although this would be difficult with almost 16 percent. The vote was "naturally disappointing, but we are not really surprised". According to Kickl, the election winner and likely future Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) will now have to see whether he actually keeps his promises.

ÖVP top candidate and former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz was "overwhelmed" by the result of the National Council elections on Sunday. "I am lost for words and I am rarely speechless", Kurz explained to his supporters. He had "definitely" not expected an outcome of this magnitude, he said at the ÖVP election headquarters in Kursalon Hübner. He was "infinitely grateful" and accepted the "trust with humility".

The leader of the Tyrolean Social Democrats, Georg Dornauer, has called for a "course correction", "something has to change in the SPÖ". Despite good work in the National Council, it had not been possible to achieve a better result. The SPÖ also failed to win over young voters and lure voters away from the FPÖ "after this scandalous period". "The SPÖ has lost the election", said Dornauer, who wants the SPÖ to co-govern in future despite the loss of votes.

The Styrian SPÖ leader and deputy governor Michael Schickhofer spoke of "not a good day for social democracy, there's nothing to be said about it. The Austrians have seen in Sebastian Kurz a higher level of competence to tackle the major future tasks of our time."

With this election, the ÖVP has pulled further away from the SPÖ than ever before: for the first time, the gap between the two traditional parties is in double figures, and more than clear: according to the projections, the ÖVP is 15 percentage points ahead of the SPÖ. The largest gap to date was 5.79 percentage points in 2002, when the ÖVP came first again for the first time since 1966.

Within the FPÖ, there are increasing calls for the party to go into opposition. "The mission is clear and that is opposition," said National Council member Dagmar Belakowitsch. 

Elisabeth Köstinger and Gernot Blümel, former ministers and second and third on the ÖVP federal list respectively, did not want to speculate about coalition options on Sunday. "Now it's up to the Federal President (Alexander Van der Bellen, editor's note)," said Blümel. Köstinger had a similar view: "The next few days will show".

Vorarlberg's Governor Markus Wallner (ÖVP) sees the coalition issue for the federal ÖVP as "completely open" after Sunday's National Council elections. As far as the FPÖ and SPÖ are concerned, it is possible that "no stone will be left unturned" and we will have to wait for "a complete picture", said the governor. In the end, there would be several options on the table that would have to be explored.

FPÖ Secretary General Christian Hafenecker assumes that the FPÖ will go into opposition. "We have definitely not received a government mandate today," he said on Sunday. Now it is a matter of working through the result in the committees. One week before the election, the FPÖ had been confronted with an affair that had not been proven, he said, blaming the end-of-donation debate for the poor result.

NEOS top candidate Beate Meinl-Reisinger was delighted with her election success in front of her supporters in Vienna's Volksgarten. "One thing is clear: this is the best result for a liberal party in Austria's history.""There must be no continuation of turquoise-blue", said Meinl-Reisinger to thunderous applause from her supporters. 

According to Meinl-Reisinger, the fact that the Pinks have made gains despite the strong results of the Greens and the ÖVP shows that we have proven the pollsters wrong. "We mean something to Austria and that will remain the case in the future."

Gerhard Koller in conversation with NEOS Secretary General Nick Donig and political expert Christoph Haselmayer:

Disappointment prevailed at Liste Jetzt after the first results were announced. Party leader Maria Stern "regretted" that her party did not make it into the National Council. Nevertheless, the party wants to continue, according to Federal Managing Director Herta Emmer, and a decision will be made in what form at committee meetings on Monday.

Kurz has easily achieved his election goal of not forming a coalition against the ÖVP. The youngest former chancellor (33) can continue his abruptly interrupted career - and choose whether to join forces with the FPÖ, the Greens or the SPÖ. According to current projections, it may not even be necessary to add the NEOS to the Turquoise-Greens.

This year, however, Kurz will not even come close to the record of the previous ÖVP chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel, who in 2002 had given the People's Party first place for the first time since 1966 with a plus of 15.4 percent to 42.30 percent. But unlike Schüssel, Kurz has managed to hold on to the first place he gained in 2017. In 2006, the ÖVP fell behind the SPÖ again - while Kurz was now able to widen the gap between the ÖVP and the SPÖ (which lost votes).

"New start" demands from the FPÖ: The leader of the Tyrolean FPÖ, Markus Abwerzger, has clearly spoken out in favor of going into opposition after the first projection of the National Council elections. The result shows a "clear will of the voters", said Abwerzger. Party leader Norbert Hofer is firmly in the saddle, but a debate must be held about the former chairman, Heinz-Christian Strache, he said. Udo Landbauer, the regional chairman of the Lower Austrian Freedom Party, also spoke out in favor of a "new start" for the FPÖ early on Sunday evening. The voters had "shown the party the yellow card".

As in 2017, Sebastian Kurz was once again the most important voting motive for ÖVP voters. Pamela Rendi-Wagner - in contrast to her predecessor Christian Kern - played only a very minor role in the voting decision of SPÖ voters. This is the result of an election day survey conducted by pollster Peter Hajek for ATV. According to the survey, the Ibiza affair had hardly any influence on the election result.

Katia Wagner presents the first results:

The NEOS will probably not play a role in the coalition negotiations. NEOS mandatary Sepp Schellhorn assumes this. According to the first projection, a turquoise-green majority has emerged and "we will no longer play a role". Schellhorn assumes that the NEOS will continue its work as the "best opposition party". NEOS newcomer and former Kurier editor Helmut Brandstätter also expects ÖVP leader Sebastian Kurz to govern with the Greens. "He doesn't want to go with the SPÖ" and the "disintegrating FPÖ" is too great a risk for Kurz, Brandstätter estimates.

FPÖ Secretary General Harald Vilimsky sees the future of the FPÖ in opposition in view of the weak election result. "In my view, this is not a clear mandate to continue the coalition," said Vilimsky on ORF. The voters had not strengthened the FPÖ enough for that. The long-standing FP politician Andreas Mölzer also recommended that the party go into opposition. The applause at FPÖ headquarters has rarely been more restrained when a projection is announced: Those functionaries who had at least appeared on the small stage in the FPÖ's media center, which was just as small as it was large, made demoralized faces throughout.

SPÖ Federal Managing Director Thomas Drozda congratulated the ÖVP and the Greens on their election success on Sunday. There will be no personnel consequences for the SPÖ, the red party manager believes. "We expected a better result", Drozda admitted. But we still have to wait for the count in the big cities. He recognizes two major trends, namely that people want the Greens back in parliament and that the FPÖ and ÖVP are already so similar that many have apparently switched from the Blue Party to the People's Party, according to Drozda.

Drozda did not say whether the SPÖ wanted to enter into government negotiations. "Tonight is election night and this is not an evening of coalition or exploratory talks." However, Drozda assumes that ÖVP leader Sebastian Kurz will be given the task of forming a government.

NEOS Secretary General Nick Donig sees "a pleasing result" for his party in the National Council elections. The goal had been to get towards 8 percent, and the NEOS had taken this path, said Donig. He spoke of the "best result of a liberal party in Austria". Compared to the election two years ago, the NEOS had gained almost 50 percent of the vote. This growth is "very pleasing" for Donig.

The ÖVP is celebrating the looming election success. "Today is a historic day for the People's Party," said General Secretary Karl Nehammer in front of cheering supporters at the party headquarters. He did not want to commit himself to coalition options. In particular, he emphasized the historic lead over the second-placed SPÖ. "Today is the day of Sebastian Kurz and the People's Party, then it's the Federal President's turn and then talks will take place. Then we will see who is best to form a government with," said Nehammer, drowned out by loud chants of "Chancellor Kurz".

In Austria's smallest municipality, Gramais in the Tyrolean Außerfern, 95.83% (2017: 70.83%) of the 32 eligible voters voted for the ÖVP. This represents an increase of 25 percentage points. The FPÖ (2017: 12.50%) and SPÖ (2017: 4.17%) were unable to secure a single vote in Gramais. Voter turnout was 75 percent (2017: 72.73 percent). One voter in Gramais voted for the Greens, which corresponds to 4.17% (2017: 8.33%). All other competing parties came away empty-handed in the small municipality. Gramais lies 1382 meters above sea level and the municipality covers an area of over 32 square kilometers.

Unsurprisingly, the mood among the People's Party was excellent. Even before the official results were known, supporters at the party headquarters were already shouting "Chancellor Kurz". Despite everything, the SPÖ tried to create a party atmosphere. Green Party campaign manager Thimo Fiesel was jubilant about the biggest comeback in the Second Republic. "We will now celebrate extensively, everything else will only become clear in the coming weeks."

FPÖ Secretary General Harald Vilimsky wants a fresh start for his party in view of the first projections. "On the one hand, it disappoints me", commented Vilimsky on the losses for the Freedom Party. However, it also shows that the "red-white-red electoral castle is impregnable".

The first projection is in: the ÖVP of former chancellor Sebastian Kurz comes in at 37.1 percent in the first ARGE projection and is clearly in first place. The SPÖ is well behind in second place, with the party of lead candidate Pamela Rendi-Wagner coming in at 22.5 percent. The FPÖ, which has recently been in turmoil, plummeted to 16.7 percent - two years ago it was 26.0 percent. Behind them, the resurgent Greens storm into fourth place, achieving 13.1 percent. The NEOS gained 7.8 percent, while the NOW list's chances of re-entering the National Council look bleak with 1.8 percent.

Gerhard Koller from the Hofburg on the first projections:

The last polling stations in the country closed at 5pm. The tension before the first results is rising and rising. This time, not even two-fifths of the five-year legislative period was used, and the election was brought forward considerably following the Ibiza scandal involving ex-FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache. The previous election took place on October 15, 2017.

Former ÖVP party leader and National Council President Andreas Khol has described a black-green coalition after the election as a credible possibility. However, Khol also did not want to rule out a turquoise-red or turquoise-blue coalition on Sunday afternoon. The former party leader also expected an ÖVP result of around "40 percent". As soon as the Viennese votes had been counted, he considered such a result possible, said Khol.

Shortly before the first results were announced, Gerhard Koller spoke to political expert Christoph Haselmayer in the Hofburg.

The NEOS are optimistic ahead of the first projections that they will be among the winners on election night. "I am convinced that we will have a better result", said NEOS candidate Nikolaus Scherak in the columned hall of Vienna's Volksgarten, where the Pinks are holding their election party. NEOS top candidate Beate Meinl-Reisinger as the next chancellor would "just not have turned out", Scherak remained realistic. The NEOS received 5.3 percent of the vote in the last National Council election in 2017 and 8.4 percent in the EU election in June 2019.

The ÖVP's election headquarters in Kursalon Hübner began to fill up from 4 p.m. on Sunday. Sympathizers arrived one by one, visibly in a good mood. During a live ORF broadcast shortly before 4.30 p.m., shouts of "Chancellor Kurz" rang out. The color of the election was not only turquoise in the Kursalon, but also in terms of fashion. The celebrants were treated to frankfurters. The program began punctually, with Peter L. Eppinger taking over the moderation.

On Sunday afternoon, shortly before the first projection for the National Council elections, the SPÖ was keen to spread a good mood. Top candidate Pamela Rendi-Wagner disappeared into her office and there were few other political celebrities. Only Jörg Leichtfried, deputy leader of the SPÖ, made a statement - albeit very cautiously. "Let's wait for the projections, there's not much we can say at the moment," he said. However, the mood over the last few days has been good, he noted on his way to the election headquarters in the Hofburg.

Tense anticipation prevailed at the Green Party's election headquarters in the "Metropol" in Vienna-Hernals on Sunday afternoon before the first projections were announced. From 4 p.m. onwards, the rows began to fill up. No one seemed to think that they might fail to reach the four percent hurdle again. "I have a good feeling that we'll get in again," said Vienna's top candidate Lukas Hammer. "I'll be surprised by the rest."

Only media representatives have gathered at the Freedom Party's media center on election afternoon. Blue celebrities were completely absent at least half an hour before the projection. Shortly after the first projection, at least General Secretary Harald Vilimsky is to deliver an initial reaction to the journalists.

The tension is rising: Gerhard Koller is in the Hofburg for krone.tv and reports on the election and the outcome. The press center in the National Library was already a hive of activity on Sunday afternoon. No politicians were to be seen for the time being; they are only expected to arrive in the evening for the live feeds from the various television stations. Interior Minister Wolfgang Peschorn will announce the preliminary results in the National Library in the evening.

Queues and other curiosities at the polling station: When voting takes place, it is time for the election observers. They are sent by the parties and ensure that everything goes according to plan at the polling stations. It goes without saying that this can lead to some bizarre incidents. On Twitter, the scrutineers exchanged views under the keyword #beifunk - and show us the strange side of the election.

Actually unimaginable today: for a long time, it was forbidden to serve alcohol on election day and sometimes even the day before - consumption, on the other hand, was always permitted. During the monarchy, such a ban was not an issue until after the founding of the First Republic. Such a regulation also existed in the Second Republic; the serving of "alcoholic beverages" was prohibited from 8 p.m. on the day before the election and until 8 p.m. on election day. The penalty was up to 1000 schillings. The ban was in force until 1979.

While things could get really tight for ex-FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache in relation to the expenses scandal - according to a media report, he is "not allowed to leave the country" - Strache's wife Philippa - who recently spoke out about the donations scandal on Facebook - is hoping for a blue seat in the National Council. The politically experienced and politically troubled husband is also actively supporting her on election day, for example with social media postings to his numerous followers.

The Green Party's lead candidate, Werner Kogler, has had an intensive election campaign and is hoping to get the Green Party back into the National Council. After casting his vote in Vienna-Wieden on Sunday, Kogler was in a joking mood and found his "doppelganger" while voting, as he revealed in a post on Instagram.

Federal Chancellor Brigitte Bierlein went to the polls at an elementary school in Vienna-Neubau on Sunday afternoon. "This is an important day for Austria", she said succinctly after the ballot.

On Tuesday, the government under Bierlein's leadership will go to the Federal President and, in keeping with tradition, offer the head of state his resignation. Van der Bellen will then entrust the government with the continuation of business until the coalition negotiations have been concluded.

Vorarlberg is already finished: In Vorarlberg, the ballot for the election of the National Council is already over. As is usual in the westernmost federal state, the last polling stations closed at 1 pm. In glorious autumn weather, as in Vienna, many people seem to have gone to the polls in Vorarlberg, but the parties have not yet dared to estimate the turnout.

Election day in glorious sunshine: around 6.4 million Austrians were called to vote for the National Council on Sunday - in glorious autumn weather and glorious sunshine. Around midday, Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen and his wife Doris Schmidauer and First Dog "Juli" went to the ballot box.

Top candidates relaxed on election Sunday: The top candidates took a relaxed approach to election Sunday, with most of them spending it with their families after casting their votes. In the early evening, it's off to the election headquarters or to the media center in the Hofburg for an interview marathon. Depending on the election results, the evening is spent celebrating or mourning in the Kursalon Hübner (ÖVP), in the Prater Alm (FPÖ), in the tent in front of the party headquarters (SPÖ), in the Volksgarten (NEOS), in the "Metropol" (Greens) or in the "Aux Gazelles" (JETZT). You can find all the information and current videos on the top candidates' ballots here and watch the video below:

krone.tv with a special live broadcast: Today, krone.at is paying particular attention to TV coverage: Our reporters are covering election day from several different locations, and krone.tv is reporting live in a special broadcast (video above) - which can also be accessed directly on the homepage. Presenter Gerhard Koller and OGM expert Christoph Haselmayer will be reporting live from our field office in the Vienna Hofburg, while Damita Pressl and Katia Wagner will be reporting from our studios, where we are expecting a whole host of guests. With interesting live graphics, we will keep you up to date well into the night!

Sebastian Kurz on Saturday evening in the last krone.tv interview before the election:

Last-minute analysis: what happens after the election: rarely has it been so exciting in Austria before an election: the big question is how much the "Ibiza scandal" and also the alleged "expenses affair" surrounding ex-FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache will affect the election result. When the votes are counted in the evening and the final result emerges, the parties are also likely to be in turmoil. Who will form a coalition with whom? Which party leaders are about to be replaced? The founder and managing director of the renowned market and opinion research institute OGM, Wolfgang Bachmayer, has ventured a look into the future for krone.at - click here for "Last-Minute-Analysis".