Elections in Vorarlberg:

Vorarlberg votes: Where it will be particularly exciting

It was an extremely inhospitable election Sunday in the Ländle. Voter turnout was extremely low.

(Bild: Mathis Fotografie)

The first part of the municipal elections in Vorarlberg is over. The ÖVP suffered some heavy losses in the cities and large municipalities. On the other hand, the SPÖ made a clean sweep in the provincial capital of Bregenz, while the FPÖ performed strongly in some places. There were also many other surprises and some tight races. 

Graphic: How the Vorarlberg municipalities voted

The most important news at a glance:

• Michael Ritsch, the red mayor in the provincial capital of Bregenz, won a clear victory in the first round of voting with 51%. 
• The SPÖ achieves 43% in the Bregenz city council, knocking the ÖVP off the throne. The ÖVP records a big loss. 
• The ÖVP has to vacate its mayoral seat in Schruns . However, it was able to defend the town of Bludenz and the municipality of Altach. 
• In Lustenau and Feldkirch (ÖVP vs. FPÖ in each case) and in Dornbirn (ÖVP vs. SPÖ) there will be a run-off election in two weeks' time. 
• The town of Hohenems remains firmly in FPÖ hands. Mayor Dieter Egger was clearly confirmed, with the blue party achieving 48% of the town council. 

Ländle has become politically more colorful
For decades, the political landscape in Vorarlberg was anything but colorful, the black of the ÖVP was too dominant. This has changed, the Ländle has become more colorful. The results of the local council and mayoral elections on Sunday bear witness to this.

SPÖ triumphs in Bregenz, defeat for the People's Party
The most astonishing thing is probably the fact that the mayor of Bregenz, Michael Ritsch (SPÖ), achieved an absolute majority in the first round with 50.94% of the vote and was therefore able to defend his office. Many observers had assumed that there would be a run-off, as the People's Party had thrown political heavyweight Roland Frühstück into the fray.

The mayor of Bregenz, Michael Ritsch (SPÖ) and his wife Yvonne

(Bild: APA/ELISABETH GUT)

However, the project to "recapture the provincial capital" failed miserably, with just 29.96% of voters voting for Frühstück. The Frühstück effect, if there was one, was also a negative one in the city council elections: while Ritsch's list received 42.7 percent of the vote, the ÖVP had to make do with a disastrous 30.14 percent.

Run-off elections in Feldkirch, Dornbirn and Lustenau
It was not the only defeat that the Black Party had to digest on election Sunday. In Feldkirch, for example, incumbent Manfred Rädler (ÖVP) will have to fend off the onslaught of Andrea Kerbleder (Freedom Party) in the run-off election on March 30. Two municipalities in which the ÖVP candidate achieved an absolute majority five years ago are also not "gmahte Wiesn": in Vorarlberg's largest city, Dornbirn, Julian Fässler (ÖVP), whom the outgoing long-term mayor Andrea Kaufmann had deliberately groomed as his successor, will have to face a run-off against Markus Fäßler (SPÖ).

Feldkirch: ÖVP incumbent Manfred Rädler must also face a run-off election

(Bild: Alfare Georg Fotograf)

And in Lustenau, the duel between Patrick Wiedl (ÖVP) and Martin Fitz (FPÖ) will decide who will succeed Kurt Fischer (ÖVP).

Patrick Wiedl (ÖVP) has to go to the run-off in Lustenau

(Bild: Landtag)

Black ray of hope in Bludenz
However, there were also a few bright moments for the Black Party on this rainy election Sunday: the fact that Bludenz mayor Simon Tschann was able to defend his office in the first round even falls into the "small surprise" category - on the one hand because Tschann had been convicted of abuse of office in the first instance and on the other because he was up against a tough opponent: however, SPÖ regional leader Mario Leiter also failed in his third attempt to win the mayor's seat in the Alpine town.

Simon Tschann (ÖVP) remains mayor of Bludenz

(Bild: APA/BERND HOFMEISTER)

However, Leiter was not the only tragic figure in the municipal council and mayoral elections: Lustenau's Green Party lead candidate Simon Vetter, for example, missed out on the mayoral run-off by just 15 votes. And in Schruns, Martin Sadjek (ÖVP) was only 8 votes short of becoming mayor - Jürgen Haller from the "metnand för Schru" list will be the new head of the town.

Run-off election also in Götzis
There will also be a run-off election in Götzis (Feldkirch district) in 14 days' time. The duel is Manfred Böhmwalder against Christoph Längle. Böhmwalder is the mayor and is running for the ÖVP, while Längle is a former FPÖ politician who sat on the Federal Council from 2014 to 2019 and founded the "Bürger-Bewegung Götzis" in 2020.

Very low voter turnout
Who definitely lost on election Sunday: democracy. The voter turnout was not even 55 percent