Carinthian state and municipal elections, 2009
Encyclopedia
Joint state and municipal elections were held in Carinthia
on 1 March 2009. Carinthia is the stronghold of the national conservative Alliance for the Future of Austria
, whose founder Jörg Haider
died in a car accident on 11 October 2008. He was also the incumbent governor; after his death, he was replaced by Gerhard Dörfler
as governor, by Uwe Scheuch as Carinthian BZÖ leader and by his close personal friend Stefan Petzner
as national BZÖ leader. The election is likely to see a strong contest between the SPÖ and the BZÖ over the post of governor, while the other Austrian parties (the ÖVP, the FPÖ and the Greens) play only a minor role in Carinthian politics.
An OGM poll solicited by the BZÖ in late 2008 saw the BZÖ leading with 42%, the SPÖ with 29%, the ÖVP at 12%, the Greens at 10% and the FPÖ at 5%; a SORA poll for the Kleine Zeitung
in December 2008 saw a much closer race, with the BZÖ at 41% (down from 44% in April), the SPÖ at 38% (up from 33% in April), the ÖVP at 11%, the Greens at 6% and the FPÖ at 2%. A poll by Integral for Kurier in early January 2009 saw the BZÖ at 42%, the SPÖ at 34%, ÖVP at 12%, the Greens at 7% and the FPÖ at 5%. A poll by the Humaninstitut for Die Presse
saw 27% for the SPÖ, 25% for the BZÖ and a quarter of voters undecided.
Former deputy mayor of Klagenfurt
Mario Canori was announced as the FPÖ's leading candidate on 22 December 2008, surprising many, as he had been a BZÖ member until that very day. The Greens stated that their goal was to increase their share of the vote and gain a third seat.
Following Dörfler's accusations against Canori, in which he claimed that Canori had received €200,000 for becoming the FPÖ leading candidate, Scheuch and Strutz distanced themselves from Dörfler, increasing speculation about a further split within the BZÖ.
The following parties filed to stand in the election:
The election saw the BZÖ win even more votes than under Haider, mostly due to nostalgic apotheosis of his personality; the SPÖ lost greatly, the ÖVP gained a bit, the Greens lost slightly and had to hope for the final result including absentee votes to see whether they had even made it into the Landtag, and the FPÖ failed to enter it. With parts of the absentee vote counted, the Greens made it into the Landtag, keeping their two seats.
Carinthia (state)
Carinthia is the southernmost Austrian state or Land. Situated within the Eastern Alps it is chiefly noted for its mountains and lakes.The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Austro-Bavarian group...
on 1 March 2009. Carinthia is the stronghold of the national conservative Alliance for the Future of Austria
Alliance for the Future of Austria
The Alliance for the Future of Austria , abbreviated to BZÖ, is a conservative liberal political party in Austria. The party has sixteen seats in the National Council....
, whose founder Jörg Haider
Jörg Haider
Jörg Haider was an Austrian politician. He was Governor of Carinthia on two occasions, the long-time leader of the Austrian Freedom Party and later Chairman of the Alliance for the Future of Austria , a breakaway party from the FPÖ.Haider was controversial within Austria and abroad for comments...
died in a car accident on 11 October 2008. He was also the incumbent governor; after his death, he was replaced by Gerhard Dörfler
Gerhard Dörfler
Gerhard Dörfler is an Austrian politician, who is currently serving as Governor of Carinthia from October 27, 2008 , following Governor Jörg Haider's sudden death in a car accident....
as governor, by Uwe Scheuch as Carinthian BZÖ leader and by his close personal friend Stefan Petzner
Stefan Petzner
Stefan Petzner is an Austrian politician. He is a member of the economical right Alliance for the Future of Austria ...
as national BZÖ leader. The election is likely to see a strong contest between the SPÖ and the BZÖ over the post of governor, while the other Austrian parties (the ÖVP, the FPÖ and the Greens) play only a minor role in Carinthian politics.
An OGM poll solicited by the BZÖ in late 2008 saw the BZÖ leading with 42%, the SPÖ with 29%, the ÖVP at 12%, the Greens at 10% and the FPÖ at 5%; a SORA poll for the Kleine Zeitung
Kleine Zeitung
Kleine Zeitung is an Austrian newspaper based in Graz, Styria. It was founded in 1904 by the Katholischen Pressverein. The first issue was published on Tuesday, November 22, 1904. It was designed from the start as a paper to be read by the masses, covering general news topics and being very cheap...
in December 2008 saw a much closer race, with the BZÖ at 41% (down from 44% in April), the SPÖ at 38% (up from 33% in April), the ÖVP at 11%, the Greens at 6% and the FPÖ at 2%. A poll by Integral for Kurier in early January 2009 saw the BZÖ at 42%, the SPÖ at 34%, ÖVP at 12%, the Greens at 7% and the FPÖ at 5%. A poll by the Humaninstitut for Die Presse
Die Presse
Die Presse is an Austrian daily newspaper based in Vienna. It was founded in 1946 by World War II resistance fighter Ernst Molden and stands in tradition of the Viennese newspapers "Die Presse" and "Neue Freie Presse" . The paper covers general news topics...
saw 27% for the SPÖ, 25% for the BZÖ and a quarter of voters undecided.
Former deputy mayor of Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt
-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...
Mario Canori was announced as the FPÖ's leading candidate on 22 December 2008, surprising many, as he had been a BZÖ member until that very day. The Greens stated that their goal was to increase their share of the vote and gain a third seat.
Following Dörfler's accusations against Canori, in which he claimed that Canori had received €200,000 for becoming the FPÖ leading candidate, Scheuch and Strutz distanced themselves from Dörfler, increasing speculation about a further split within the BZÖ.
The following parties filed to stand in the election:
- Alliance for the Future of AustriaAlliance for the Future of AustriaThe Alliance for the Future of Austria , abbreviated to BZÖ, is a conservative liberal political party in Austria. The party has sixteen seats in the National Council....
, under the name "The Freedom-minded in Carinthia – Jörg Haider's List, BZÖ", despite the fact that the party's founder died in 2008 - Social Democratic Party of AustriaSocial Democratic Party of AustriaThe Social Democratic Party of Austria is one of the oldest political parties in Austria. The SPÖ is one of the two major parties in Austria, and has ties to trade unions and the Austrian Chamber of Labour. The SPÖ is among the few mainstream European social-democratic parties that have preserved...
- Austrian People's PartyAustrian People's PartyThe Austrian People's Party is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Austria. A successor to the Christian Social Party of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it is similar to the Christian Democratic Union of Germany in terms of ideology...
- The Greens – The Green Alternative
- Freedom Party of AustriaFreedom Party of AustriaThe Freedom Party of Austria is a political party in Austria. Ideologically, the party is a direct descendant of the German national liberal camp, which dates back to the 1848 revolutions. The FPÖ itself was founded in 1956 as the successor to the short-lived Federation of Independents , which had...
- Communist Party of AustriaCommunist Party of AustriaThe Communist Party of Austria is a communist party based in Austria. Established in 1918, it was banned between 1933 and 1945 under both the Austrofascist regime, and German control of Austria during World War II...
- Only in KlagenfurtKlagenfurt-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...
:- List Strong
- Gaddafi Party (of the Egyptian-born Ahmed El Mesallamy, who wants to increase Carinthian business relations with the Arab world; Haider was known for his controversial encounters with Saddam HusseinSaddam HusseinSaddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
and Muammar al-GaddafiMuammar al-GaddafiMuammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
)
The election saw the BZÖ win even more votes than under Haider, mostly due to nostalgic apotheosis of his personality; the SPÖ lost greatly, the ÖVP gained a bit, the Greens lost slightly and had to hope for the final result including absentee votes to see whether they had even made it into the Landtag, and the FPÖ failed to enter it. With parts of the absentee vote counted, the Greens made it into the Landtag, keeping their two seats.
| Party | Votes in % | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alliance for the Future of Austria Alliance for the Future of Austria The Alliance for the Future of Austria , abbreviated to BZÖ, is a conservative liberal political party in Austria. The party has sixteen seats in the National Council.... (BZÖ) |
44.9% | 17 | |
| Social Democratic Party of Austria Social Democratic Party of Austria The Social Democratic Party of Austria is one of the oldest political parties in Austria. The SPÖ is one of the two major parties in Austria, and has ties to trade unions and the Austrian Chamber of Labour. The SPÖ is among the few mainstream European social-democratic parties that have preserved... (SPÖ) |
28.8% | 11 | |
| Austrian People's Party Austrian People's Party The Austrian People's Party is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Austria. A successor to the Christian Social Party of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it is similar to the Christian Democratic Union of Germany in terms of ideology... (ÖVP) |
16.8% | 6 | |
| The Greens – The Green Alternative (Grüne) | 5.1% | 2 | |
| Freedom Party of Austria Freedom Party of Austria The Freedom Party of Austria is a political party in Austria. Ideologically, the party is a direct descendant of the German national liberal camp, which dates back to the 1848 revolutions. The FPÖ itself was founded in 1956 as the successor to the short-lived Federation of Independents , which had... (FPÖ) |
3.8% | 0 | |