Greens, KPÖ and NEOS

The day after: Pausing, internal matters, personnel rumors

Had to put up with significant losses on Sunday: Sandra Krautwaschl (Greens, left) and Claudia Klimt-Weithaler (KPÖ)(Bild: APA/ERWIN SCHERIAU)

The Greens halved, the KPÖ decimated, the NEOS stabilized - the results of the three smaller parties after the Styrian state elections on Sunday were mixed. However, the opposition trio have one thing in common: the day after the election, it was time to pause and analyze.

The Greens have experienced a reverse yo-yo effect. Five years ago, also under Sandra Krautwaschl, they almost doubled to twelve percent, but now the pendulum has swung in the other direction: At just over six percent, they ended up below the 2015 figure.

Two ex-bosses in the starting blocks?
Krautwaschl was not looking for excuses on election night. She had made it clear several times in the past that she could definitely imagine returning to her profession as a physiotherapist. Nothing could be heard from her on Monday: Krautwaschl spent a politics-free day, with the Green committees not meeting until Tuesday afternoon. Speculation that former state spokesperson Lambert Schönleitner or even former federal party leader Werner Kogler could return to the leadership of the state was vehemently rejected by the party.

In 2019, Kogler (left) and Schönleitner were able to celebrate a brilliant election victory with top candidate Krautwaschl.(Bild: APA/ERWIN SCHERIAU)

"No major rotation" for the KPÖ
The KPÖ also lost ground on Sunday, falling from six percent to around 4.5 percent. The provincial party leadership met on Monday evening, but no concrete resolutions or even personnel decisions were on the agenda. "As you know, we are not a party that tends to have a lot of personnel rotation," said a party insider to "Krone".

Federal politics took the wind out of the Communists' sails
Nevertheless, there is still a lot to discuss. The minimum goal was achieved by re-entering the state parliament, "but of course we would have liked things to have turned out a little better". The polls had led us to dream of more, but after the setback there was "no reason for euphoria". The first explanation: federal politics had played a central role and it had not been possible to "put our stamp on the election campaign".

NEOS take a breather and wait and see
The only election winner among the small parties was NEOS top candidate Niko Swatek. The Pinks consolidated at six percent and were the only party besides the Freedom Party to make gains. The jubilation on election night was correspondingly great.

The two winners of the election evening: FPÖ leader Mario Kunasek (left) and NEOS top candidate Swatek(Bild: APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)

The day after, it was time to relax and take a breather. The mood was "naturally good", according to the party, which was delighted to have won for the third time in a row after the EU and National Council elections. "From tomorrow, we will think about how to proceed. The ball is now in the FPÖ's court."

Final result including postal vote: A red mandate turns pink
The provisional final result, including the last postal votes counted, which was announced on Monday afternoon, gave further cause for pink joy: The NEOS were able to gain one mandate from the SPÖ compared to Sunday's forecast and will be represented three times in the state parliament in future (see chart above).