National Council election 2024

Strong blue, somewhat faded turquoise, red & green

Hofer and Petschnig shook hands to celebrate the FPÖ's new record result.(Bild: Reinhard Judt)

Only the FPÖ had reason to celebrate on election Sunday, while the Neos were in a good mood. The mood among all other parties was subdued. The reactions in detail.

The FPÖ erupted into jubilation in their club rooms in the Landhaus in Eisenstadt when the first projection flickered across the screens shortly after 5pm on Sunday. "We can be very, very satisfied with the result we have achieved," was the spontaneous reaction of Freedom Party leader Alexander Petschnig. His joy was written all over his face, as was that of the third President of the National Council and leading candidate Norbert Hofer and all his companions.

Historic success
For them, the election is a historic success. "We were even able to beat our record of 26.9 percent in 1999," noted Petschnig, who was already on his way to the blue victory party in Vienna at around 8 pm. He sees the election results as a clear indication of the people's expectations for a new policy.

One mandate away from the SPÖ
With third place in Burgenland, the SPÖ is of course talking about "not a day to celebrate". One of two mandates is gone. "Vienna deserves more Burgenland", was the slogan during the election campaign, then on Sunday evening it was said that the Burgenland Social Democrats had been dragged down by the negative trend despite their great efforts. "Austrians have made it very clear to politicians what is important to them - inflation, asylum and migration as well as fair wages. Other parties have obviously been able to address these issues more credibly," said SPÖ regional managing director and second on the national list Jasmin Puchwein.

ÖVP: "Those in power have a harder time"
At the ÖVP provincial party headquarters in Eisenstadt, the mood was also subdued: "This is not the result we had hoped for", said provincial chairman Christian Sagartz. They had fought to the end, but it still wasn't enough. "Today has shown once again that those in power have a harder time in times of crisis than the opposition," explained Sagartz. At the same time, populists of all people have the advantage of being able to criticize without having to offer real solutions.

Greens disappointed
"This is not a result I'm happy about", said Anja Haider-Wallner, state spokesperson for the Greens, after the first projection. It is a mandate to show the connections between everyday problems more clearly - for example, what climate protection means when the floods come.

Neos delighted
The Neos were delighted with the result: "It shows that people want reforms. We are also the driving force in Burgenland. We are the only party that stands for positive change," said state spokesperson Christoph Schneider.