"Icy headwinds!"

SPÖ leaders take aim at federal government after losses

Matthias Stadler suffered a historic defeat but remains mayor for the time being. Party leader Babler is being accused internally of sharing the blame for the SPÖ's poor results in what was once a stronghold of the party.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/APA/Max Slovencik, Eva Manhart, Attila Molnar)

Since Sunday evening, it has been certain: since the election in St. Pölten, the days of absolute majorities are finally over in all provincial capitals. Internally, the bitter losses within the SPÖ are already being self-critically analyzed. One thing seems clear: the poor situation of the federal party also played a significant role.

It was a pitch-black Sunday for the SPÖ in St. Pölten, once a stronghold of the party. The former railway stronghold has fallen: Mayor Matthias Stadler and his party suffered a bitter defeat in St. Pölten, losing more than 13 percent of the vote.

For the first time since 1960, the SPÖ now has to look for a coalition partner. On election night, the phones were ringing off the hook in the red ranks—after all, internally, they had only expected a narrow loss of the absolute majority, if anything. A calculation that, on balance, did not work out at all. "So what were the causes of these heavy losses?" people in Lower Austria are asking themselves.

Matthias Stadler suffered a historic defeat but remains mayor for the time being. Party leader Babler is being accused internally of sharing the blame for the SPÖ's poor results in what was once a stronghold of the party.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/APA/Max Slovencik, Eva Manhart, Attila Molnar)

Focus on regional issues
"The mood in the state capital has deteriorated massively in recent years," is the unanimous conclusion here. The causes for this are said to be primarily due to excessive growth of the city in general and multiple investments by the red city leadership in recent years, which the population has been unable to comprehend in times of recession.

States take aim at federal party
However, as was often heard during the election campaign around the red city hall, if there was one issue that red campaigners were particularly frequently asked about during their campaigning, it was the poor performance of the federal party. As is well known, the SPÖ achieved the worst result in its history in the National Council elections – after which it fell even further in the polls.

"Matthias Stadler is one of the most respected politicians in our country across all party lines. It is very good news for the people of St. Pölten that he will remain mayor. But if even a highly successful mayor like him can no longer escape the current icy headwinds from federal politics, then that must give pause for thought," says Lower Austrian SPÖ provincial manager Wolfgang Zwander. Carinthian SPÖ leader and soon-to-be governor Daniel Fellner sees the poor result as having "an impact far beyond the municipal boundaries."

In any case, the SPÖ was also upset that Babler made an appearance at the Hahnenkamm race and at a "birthday party" for the radio station "FM4" on Saturday, but then did not come to the capital of his home state on Sunday.

Filzmaier sees Stadler as responsible
Political scientist Peter Filzmaier sees three reasons for the SPÖ's disastrous performance. "There were controversial regional issues such as large construction projects. St. Pölten is growing very rapidly, which is too fast for many long-time residents." Mayor Matthias Stadler cannot shift the blame solely onto federal politics. "He ran a preferential vote campaign, the campaign was tailored to him. He was the center of attention. Apparently, he was unable to mobilize support."

"Clear election signal"
At the same time, however, the mood for incumbent parties is not the best due to a federal trend. "The losses of 14 percentage points are extremely high." The SPÖ probably expected a decline and the loss of its absolute majority, but not such a disastrous result. Filzmaier does not see any immediate consequences for the federal party and party leader Andreas Babler. The Social Democrats in St. Pölten "certainly don't want to rock the boat any further." Given that there are 44,000 eligible voters, the result should not be overinterpreted, "but it is a clear warning signal."

"It won't help Babler!"
Political consultant Thomas Hofer shares a similar assessment. He believes the disaster is due to a combination of regional and federal political factors. "The scale of the losses is astonishing. Losses were expected, but not to this extent." Hofer also detects a general mood against the SPÖ. He does not see any immediate consequences, "but it has been quite a heavy blow. It won't help Babler."