2021 Upper Austrian state election
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All 56 seats in the Landtag of Upper Austria 29 seats needed for a majority All 9 seats in the state government | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2021 Upper Austrian state election will be held on 26 September 2021 to elect the members of the Landtag of Upper Austria.[1]
Background[]
The Upper Austrian constitution mandates that cabinet positions in the state government (state councillors, German: Landesräte) be allocated between parties proportionally in accordance with the share of votes won by each; this is known as Proporz. As such, the government is a perpetual coalition of all parties that qualify for at least one state councillor. Despite this, parties still establish formal coalitions to organise cabinet positions and ensure a Landtag majority for legislative purposes.
In the 2015 state election, the ÖVP and SPÖ suffered major losses to the FPÖ, which doubled its vote share to 30% and became the second largest party. The ÖVP, lacking a majority in the state council, subsequently signed a working agreement with the FPÖ.
Governor Josef Pühringer resigned in 2017 after 22 years in office. He was succeeded on 6 April by Deputy Governor and fellow ÖVP member Thomas Stelzer, who was elected by the Landtag with 51 of 55 votes.[2]
Electoral system[]
The 56 seats of the Landtag of Upper Austria are elected via open list proportional representation in a two-step process. The seats are distributed between five multi-member constituencies. For parties to receive any representation in the Landtag, they must either win at least one seat in a constituency directly, or clear a 4 percent state-wide electoral threshold. Seats are distributed in constituencies according to the Hare quota, with any remaining seats allocated using the D'Hondt method at the state level, to ensure overall proportionality between a party's vote share and its share of seats.[3]
Contesting parties[]
The table below lists parties represented in the previous Landtag.
Name | Ideology | Leader | 2015 result | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes (%) | Seats | Councillors | |||||
ÖVP | Austrian People's Party Österreichische Volkspartei |
Christian democracy | Thomas Stelzer | 36.4% | 21 / 56
|
4 / 9
| |
FPÖ | Freedom Party of Austria Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs |
Right-wing populism Euroscepticism |
Manfred Haimbuchner | 30.4% | 18 / 56
|
3 / 9
| |
SPÖ | Social Democratic Party of Austria Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs |
Social democracy | Birgit Gerstorfer | 18.4% | 11 / 56
|
1 / 9
| |
GRÜNE | The Greens – The Green Alternative Die Grünen – Die Grüne Alternative |
Green politics | Stefan Kaineder | 10.3% | 6 / 56
|
1 / 9
|
In addition to the parties already represented in the Landtag, seven parties collected enough signatures to be placed on the ballot.[4][5]
- NEOS – The New Upper Austria (NEOS)
- MFG – Austria: People – Freedom – Fundamental Rights (MFG)
- Communist Party of Austria and Independent Left (KPÖ)
- Best Upper Austria – Honest, Transparent and Open Electoral Platform (BESTE)
- UBB Independent Citizens' Movement (UBB) – on the ballot only in Linz and Surrounds, Hausruckviertel, and Mühlviertel
- Christian Party of Austria (CPÖ) – on the ballot only in Hausruckviertel, Traunviertel, and Mühlviertel
- Referendum – on the ballot only in Linz and Surrounds and Hausruckviertel
Lead candidates[]
Party | Candidate | Offices held | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
ÖVP | Thomas Stelzer[1] | Governor of Upper Austria (since 2017)[6] Chairman of ÖVP Upper Austria (since 2017)[2] | ||
FPÖ | Manfred Haimbuchner[1] | Deputy Governor of Upper Austria (since 2015)[7] | ||
SPÖ | Birgit Gerstorfer[8] | Chairwoman of SPÖ Upper Austria (since 2016)[8] State Councillor of Upper Austria (since 2016)[9] | ||
GRÜNE | Stefan Kaineder[10] | Spokesman of The Greens Upper Austria (since 2019)[10] State Councillor of Upper Austria (since 2020)[11] |
Opinion polling[]
Polling firm | Fieldwork date | Sample size |
ÖVP | FPÖ | SPÖ | Grüne | NEOS | Lead |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Research Affairs | 13–16 Sep 2021 | 400 | 41 | 23 | 17 | 11 | 5 | 18 |
GMK | September 2021 | 400 | 40 | 23.5 | 17 | 13 | 3 | 16.5 |
Market | 9–14 Sep 2021 | 800 | 38 | 22 | 18 | 12 | 5 | 16 |
IFES | 6–10 Sep 2021 | 838 | 39 | 19 | 20 | 13 | 5 | 19 |
Unique Research | 6–9 Sep 2021 | 800 | 36 | 22 | 20 | 13 | 4 | 14 |
M & R Marktforschung | 6–8 Sep 2021 | 500 | 38 | 23 | 18 | 12 | 5 | 15 |
Research Affairs | 31 Aug-2 Sep 2021 | 400 | 40 | 25 | 17 | 11 | 5 | 15 |
Spectra | 23–31 Aug 2021 | 800 | 40 | 24 | 15 | 16 | 3 | 16 |
ARGE Wahlen | 23–26 Aug 2021 | 500 | 39 | 24 | 18 | 12 | 5 | 15 |
Market | 25 Aug 2021 | ? | 40 | 22 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 18 |
Unique Research | 10–17 Aug 2021 | 800 | 38 | 22 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 16 |
Spectra | 21 Jun–5 Jul 2021 | 800 | 41 | 24 | 17 | 14 | 3 | 17 |
GMK | 21–23 Jun 2021 | 400 | 42 | 22.5 | 17 | 11 | 5 | 19.5 |
IFES | 25 May–11 Jun 2021 | 827 | 41 | 17 | 21 | 11 | 7 | 20 |
Research Affairs | 18–20 May 2021 | 300 | 38 | 25 | 20 | 12 | 4 | 13 |
Unique Research | 3–6 May 2021 | 800 | 39 | 21 | 21 | 12 | 6 | 18 |
GMK | April 2021 | 400 | 39.5 | 21.5 | 18 | 13 | 4 | 18 |
Spectra | 4–12 Mar 2021 | 800 | 43 | 22 | 17 | 14 | 3 | 21 |
M & R Marktforschung | 27 Oct–6 Nov 2020 | 500 | 41.5 | 22.5 | 18.5 | 13.5 | 3.5 | 19.0 |
Spectra | 18 Jul 2020 | ? | 42 | 24 | 15 | 15 | 3 | 18 |
IMAS | 25 Jul 2019 | 805 | 41 | 25 | 13 | 16 | – | 16 |
Spectra | 18 Jun–2 Jul 2019 | 700 | 42 | 24 | 15 | 14 | – | 18 |
IFES | 29 April 2019 | 1,000 | 37.5 | 23.5 | 21.0 | 8.5 | – | 14.0 |
Spectra | 21 Dec 2018 | ? | 40 | 28 | 17 | 10 | 4 | 12 |
Spectra | 23 Aug–3 Sep 2018 | 687 | 41 | 29 | 17 | 8 | 4 | 12 |
Spectra | 17 Apr 2018 | ? | 42 | 31 | 17 | 6 | 3 | 11 |
ifab/Gallup | 16 Feb 2018 | ? | 41.5 | 26.5 | 20.5 | 8.5 | 2.5 | 15.0 |
Spectra | 23 Oct–3 Nov 2017 | 638 | 42 | 34 | 15 | 5 | – | 8 |
Spectra | 5–17 Jul 2017 | 551 | 42 | 34 | 14 | 8 | – | 8 |
M & R Marktforschung | 13 Jul 2017 | 500 | 40.5 | 28.5 | 17.5 | 9.5 | 2.5 | 12.0 |
Spectra | 24 Feb 2017 | ? | 40 | 35 | 15 | 9 | 1 | 5 |
IMAS | 8 May 2016 | ? | 33 | 34 | 18 | 11 | 4 | 1 |
Spectra | 8 May 2016 | ? | 35 | 34 | 15 | 12 | 2 | 1 |
IMAS | 27 Dec 2015 | 1,000 | 34 | 32 | 17 | 13 | 4 | 2 |
2015 state election | 27 Sep 2015 | – | 36.4 | 30.4 | 18.4 | 10.3 | 3.5 | 6.0 |
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Two dates for the state election in 2021". Heute.at. 17 August 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Upper Austria: Stelzer becomes governor with 92.7 percent". Der Standard. 6 April 2017.
- ^ "RIS - Upper Austria Landtag election act". Upper Austrian Government.
- ^ "11 parties enter the Upper Austrian state election". Government of Upper Austria (in German). 10 August 2021.
- ^ "Eleven lists compete in the Upper Austria election". Wiener Zeitung (in German). 11 August 2021.
- ^ "State of Upper Austria - Governor Thomas Stelzer". Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- ^ "State of Upper Austria - Deputy Governor Manfred Haimbuchner". Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "SPÖ state party conference: protecting jobs". ORF. 28 November 2020.
- ^ "State of Upper Austria - State Councillor Birgit Gerstorfer". Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "93.8 percent for Kaineder as the Green top candidate". ORF. 27 July 2020.
- ^ "State of Upper Austria - State Councillor Stefan Kaineder". Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- 2021 elections in Austria
- State elections in Austria
- 2021 events in Europe
- Upper Austria