This is how the Salzburg municipalities voted

2023-04-23 20:29:00

There have always been black, red and blue strongholds in Salzburg, and the Greens have also repeatedly performed well above average in certain cities and communities. But the fact that the KPÖ Plus has now come dangerously close to the mayoral party ÖVP in the city of Salzburg – especially since the municipal council there will be re-elected in a year – can be considered one of the surprises of the election evening.

Where the communists were strong

The communists have their result in the state capital almost twentyfold and clearly achieved their best result there with 21.5 percent. They finished well ahead of the FPÖ in second place. Only the ÖVP had more votes with 24.8 percent. The communists were also very strong in numerous communities close to the city in Flachgau and Tennengau – in Koppl, Elsbethen and Elixhausen they came over 14 percent each, in Salzburg’s second largest city Hallein to 14.3 percent. The communists achieved their worst result on Sunday in the small Lungau municipality of Tweng – where two votes cast accounted for a share of 1.7 percent.

Hüttschlag trusts the ÖVP

The ÖVP came in as in the 2018 election Hüttschlag in the rear end of the Grossarltal with 54.4 percent on their best result. But while five years ago the People’s Party still had a 50 percent share or more in 26 of the 119 municipalities in the country, today it was only in Saalbach Hinterglemm (51.4 percent) the case. This is the community where, for many years, the former FPÖ leader Karl Schnell, who lived there, was able to get good results for the Freedom Party or his FPS list. There were slight gains for the People’s Party in only three other communities besides Saalbach – the strongest, by the way, in Goldegg, where in 2018 a lot of votes went to the ex-Team-Stronach Landesrat Hans Mayr, who lives there. In the red stronghold of Bürmoos, the ÖVP only got 13.6 percent.

Werfenweng as a blue stronghold

For FPÖ top candidate Marlene Svazek, today’s election was in her place of residence Großgmain a home game, but she didn’t get the best FPÖ community result here. 36.5 percent of the voters in their home community put their trust in Svazek (plus 5.2 percentage points compared to 2018). That meant first place in the town itself ahead of the ÖVP (29.0), but in the community ranking the FPÖ did even better in eleven communities. The Blues received the most support with 43.5 percent Werfenweng. They also reached over 40 percent in the Lungau communities Cedar house, Thomatal, Muhr and St. Margarethen. The FPÖ did not win in only one municipality (Weisspriach). The Freedom Party achieved their poor result with 18.6 percent in Mattsee.

Mühlbach am Hochkönig chose red

The SPÖ succeeded in traditionally red strongholds such as the former workers’, industrial or railroad communities Schwarzach im Pongau (46.7 percent), Mühlbach am Hochkönig (35.2 percent), Kaprun (32.4 percent), Bürmoos (32.3) and Lend (31.0 percent). SPÖ frontman David Egger could also have his party in his place of residence Neumarkt am Wallersee lead to first place, the 27.8 percent also mean the highest gain in a municipality for the Social Democrats nationwide, but the lead of just 15 votes over the FPÖ (27.3) was extremely narrow. The mayor’s party ÖVP fell back from first to third place. The SPÖ was able to make gains in 43 municipalities.

The green Seekirchen am Wallersee

The Greens came in Seekirchen am Wallersee (14.3 percent), in Oberalm (12.5 percent) and in several communities in the suburbs of the state capital Elsbethen, Anif, Anthering or Bergheim for their best results. In the small Lungau community of Muhr, on the other hand, only two people voted green – which means the red lantern in the community ranking with 0.6 percent. The Greens lost the most with a minus of 3.6 percentage points in the state capital, where they were the party with the most votes in the 2013 state election.

The Neos have broken the five percent hurdle in 21 communities, achieving their best result of 7.3 percent in Koppl. In Bad Hofgastein, the place of residence of Neos top candidate Andrea Klambauer, the pink ones got 5.9 percent of the votes. The “We are Salzburg” (WIRS) list only achieved results in the place of residence of the deputy party leader, in Dorfbeuern, with 4.5 percent of the votes, a better result, in another 14 municipalities it was still more than 2.0 percent. The WIRS remained today in only one congregation – in Hintersee – without a vote. The MFG came in Hollersbach im Pingzau at 2.2 percent to its best result, but remained below the 1 percent threshold in more than 90 of the country’s 119 municipalities and had no vote at all in two municipalities.

FPÖ strongest force in 31 of 119 municipalities

Governor Wilfried Haslauer, KPÖ spokesman Kay-Michael Dankl and Green Party leader Martina Berthold voted in the state capital. Influence of place of residence on the result is not assumed.

In 82 of the 119 municipalities in the country, the ÖVP was the strongest force on Sunday, the FPÖ in 31 and the SPÖ in six. Five years ago, the ÖVP did not get the most votes in just five of the 119 municipalities in the state. Voter turnout rose from 65 to 70.9 percent. It was highest in St. Koloman with 89.4 percent, at the bottom – that is the state capital – it was only 63.5 percent.