2018 Salzburg state election

The Salzburg state election of 2018 was held in the Austrian state of Salzburg on 22 April 2018. A total of 9 parties contested the election. For this, they had to collect 100 valid signatures of eligible voters in each of the 6 districts, or the signatures of 3 members of the state parliament. All parties except the KPÖ+ and CPÖ were on the ballot statewide, the KPÖ+ only in Salzburg-Stadt and Salzburg-Umgebung and the CPÖ only in Salzburg-Umgebung. Team Stronach (8.3% in 2013) and the Pirate Party of Austria (1.3% in 2013) decided not to participate in the election.

2018 Salzburg state election
22 April 2018
All 36 seats in the Landtag of Salzburg
All 7 seats in the state government
19 seats needed for a majority
Turnout64.96% 6.00%
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Wilfried Haslauer Jr. Walter Steidl Marlene Svazek
Party ÖVP SPÖ FPÖ
Last election 29.01% - 11 seats 23.81% - 9 seats 17.03% - 6 seats
Seats won 15 8 7
Seat change 4 1 1
Popular vote 94,642 50,175 47,194
Percentage 37.78% 20.03% 18.84%
Swing 8.77% 3.78% 1.81%
  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Leader Astrid Rössler Sepp Schellhorn
Party Greens NEOS
Last election 20.18% - 7 seats did not contest
Seats won 3 3
Seat change 4 3
Popular vote 23,337 18,225
Percentage 9.32% 7.27%
Swing 10.86% 7.27%
Governor before election

Gabi Burgstaller
SPÖ

 Elected Governor

Wilfried Haslauer Jr.
ÖVP

This article is part of a series on the
Politics of Austria

At the 2013 election, the ÖVP came in first with 29.01% of the vote (-7.54%), while the SPÖ finished second with 23.81% (-15.58%). The Greens made strong gains after an investment scandal in which both the governing SPÖ and ÖVP were involved and received 20.18% of the vote (+12.82%), followed by the FPÖ which saw moderate gains and achieved 17.03% (+4.02%). Team Stronach succeeded in entering state parliament with 8.34%, but the Pirate Party and KPÖ failed to do so. Turnout in the 2013 state election was 70.96% and after the election a government between the ÖVP, Greens and Team Stronach was formed.

NEOS ran for the first time in a state election in Salzburg. In 2015, the FPS split from the FPÖ, after a dispute between Austrian FPÖ-leader Heinz-Christian Strache and Karl Schnell (who until then was the leader of the FPÖ-Salzburg). Hans Mayr, who ran on the Team Stronach list in 2013 and was the Team's only government member decided to run his own list in the election after Team Stronach ceased to exist.

Election results
Party Votes in % Change Seats Change
  Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) 37.78% 8.77% 15 4
  Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) 20.03% 3.78% 8 1
  Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) 18.84% 1.81% 7 1
  The Greens – The Green Alternative (GRÜNE) 9.32% 10.86% 3 4
  NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum (NEOS) 7.27% 7.27% 3 3
  Free Party Salzburg (FPS) 4.54% 4.54% - -
  Salzburg Citizen Association - Hans Mayr (MAYR) 1.75% 1.75% - -
  KPÖ Plus: KPÖ and Young Greens (KPÖ+) 0.40% 0.07% - -
  Christian Party of Austria (CPÖ) 0.07% 0.07% - -
  Others (former Team Stronach + Pirates) - 9.64% - 3
Popular Vote
ÖVP
 
 37.78%
SPÖ
 
 20.03%
FPÖ
 
 18.84%
GRÜNE
 
 9.31%
NEOS
 
 7.27%
Other
 
 6.77%
Winning party by town/city (by relative/absolute majority)

Party strength by town/city

Opinion polls

In opinion polls conducted before the election, the ÖVP was expected to receive between 31-41%, the SPÖ 18-26%, the FPÖ 16-26%, the Greens 7-17% and NEOS 5-9%. All other parties were given no chances to enter state parliament.

Government formation

Experts and the media called the election results a "vote of confidence" for the governing ÖVP and their Governor Wilfried Haslauer, as well as for the first Kurz government at the national level.

On 23 April, Green Party leader Astrid Rössler announced her resignation out of "personal responsibility for the election loss of the Greens".

On 24 April, the ÖVP started exploratory talks with SPÖ and FPÖ. Talks are to continue on 26 April with the Greens and NEOS.

On 2 May, Haslauer and the ÖVP announced their decision to start intensive coalition talks with the Greens and NEOS, with a planned conclusion of talks by the end of May.

On 25 May, the new ÖVP-Greens-NEOS government was presented.

The new state parliament and government was sworn in on 13 June.

References

    Salzburg state government: Election information and Results

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