"Krone" commentary

No to FPÖ is not enough of an announcement

(Bild: stock.adobe.com, Krone KREATIV)

It was not only the federal ÖVP that suffered heavy losses in the national elections. In Tyrol, too, the black party only just managed to defend first place against the FPÖ. Claus Meinert, editor-in-chief of the "Tiroler Krone" newspaper, analyzes the vote catching in the "Holy Land".

Since 2008, things have been looking up for the People's Party - at least in Tyrol. In national elections. That suits the country, where there are many mountains and peaks to be seen and climbed if the mood takes you. In 2008, 31% voted in the national elections. Five years later, it was 32.3%, before approval climbed to 38.4% in 2017 and then in 2019, with 45.8%, the absolute summit victory was achieved.

Fall into the (black) rope
However, September 29 will go down in the ÖVP's history books as anything but "pleasing", certainly not as a summit victory - at most as a fall into the (black) rope. But even that can be painful and have bad consequences. Now we will hear in Tyrol, like the Amen in prayer, that this was after all a federal election. If the blacks take comfort in that, then all the best. But they shouldn't. What is striking is that they are losing from election to election. In some cases seriously.

It is also striking that you can't seem to win a flower pot by saying "Not with the FPÖ". Constantly excluding and ostracizing someone (i.e. the FPÖ), but always including EVERYONE else in the evening prayer, may ensure a good night's sleep, but does not seem to go down well with voters. Here, too, a change will be needed. Many black voters openly say that they no longer know what the ÖVP actually stands for.