Commentary on the Lower Austrian election

Red helps blue to become the first local leader

The first FPÖ "full-time mayor" takes office. "Krone" Lower Austria editor-in-chief Lukas Lusetzky analyzes how "blue" Lower Austria is now. Black and red also fit perfectly into the colorful political round dance ...

This time it's not a half-time solution like five years ago in Bad Großpertholz: the Freedom Party is actually making political history. For the first time - with the help of the SPÖ - a blue mayor is elected: Werner Herbert will steer the fortunes of Enzersdorf an der Fischa in future. The Freedom Party can take credit for this success. Gerasdorf and Pernitz are still possible, but there won't be many more mayors.

How blue is Lower Austria at municipal level? Before the municipal elections, blue hopes were much higher. However, with the gain of around 840 municipal council seats in 444 municipalities, the number of seats tripled - you can already feel like a winning party.

But this feeling also runs deep in the People's Party: more mayors than after the record 2020 election are now "black". And with this success, ÖVP regional party leader Johanna Mikl-Leitner has nipped the recent open "peasant revolt" in the party in the bud. She is going into the future stronger - and has not only consolidated her (power) position in the federal party, but even expanded it. Insiders report that Mikl-Leitner's opponents have been completely disempowered and some have even been sent into party exile.

The SPÖ under Sven Hergovich can also claim one or two successes. Even if Hergovich moves to Vienna as a minister in the federal government, this will be written in the political history books: The SPÖ's support made the first full-time blue mayor in Lower Austria possible.