Wikipedia

2020 Viennese state election

The 2020 Viennese state election was held on 11 October 2020 to elect the members of the Gemeinderat and Landtag of Vienna.[1] The outgoing government was a coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) and The Greens.[2]

2020 Viennese state election
← 2015 11 October 2020 Next →
All 100 seats in the Gemeinderat and Landtag of Vienna
51 seats needed for a majority
All 13 seats in the state government
Turnout739,485 (65.3%)
Decrease 9.4%
  First party Second party Third party
 
Candidate Michael Ludwig Gernot Blümel Birgit Hebein
Party SPÖ ÖVP Greens
Last election 44 seats, 39.6% 7 seats, 9.2% 10 seats, 11.8%
Seats won 46 22 16
Seat change Increase 2 Increase 15 Increase 6
Popular vote 301,967 148,238 107,397
Percentage 41.6% 20.4% 14.8%
Swing Increase 2.0% Increase 11.2% Increase 3.0%
  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Candidate Christoph Wiederkehr Dominik Nepp
Party NEOS FPÖ
Last election 5 seats, 6.2% 34 seats, 30.8%
Seats won 8 8
Seat change Increase 3 Decrease 26
Popular vote 54,173 51,603
Percentage 7.5% 7.1%
Swing Increase 1.3% Decrease 23.7%
Results by district.
Mayor and Governor before election

Michael Ludwig
SPÖ

Elected Mayor and Governor

Michael Ludwig
SPÖ

The SPÖ remained comfortably in first place with small gains. Conversely, the previously second-placed Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) suffered a catastrophic defeat, losing 80% of its votes compared to 2015 and becoming the smallest party in the legislature. The Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) moved into second place after more than doubling its vote share. The Greens recorded their best result to date, just under 15%. NEOS – The New Austria (NEOS) moved into fourth place with minor gains. Team HC Strache fell short of the 5% electoral threshold to enter the Gemeinderat and Landtag.[3]

On 27 October, Mayor and Governor Michael Ludwig announced that the SPÖ would seek a coalition with NEOS.[4] Negotiations were successful and the parties presented their coalition pact on 17 November.[5] Ludwig was re-elected as Mayor by the Gemeinderat and Landtag on 24 November, and the new government was sworn in the same day.[6]

Background

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The Viennese constitution mandates that cabinet positions in the city government (city councillors, German: Stadträte) be allocated between parties proportionally in accordance with the share of votes won by each; this is known as Proporz. The number of city councillors is voted upon by the Landtag after each election, and may legally vary between nine and fifteen. City councillors are divided into two groups – "senior" councillors, who hold a cabinet portfolio, and "non-executive" councillors who do not. Non-executive councillors may vote in cabinet meetings, but do not otherwise hold any government responsibility. In practice, parties seek to form a coalition which holds a majority in both the Landtag and city government. City councillors bound to the coalition become senior councillors, while the opposition are relegated to non-executive status.

In the 2015 state election, the SPÖ and ÖVP both suffered losses, with the former recording its worst result since 1996 and the latter its worst ever. This came to the benefit of the FPÖ, which achieved its best ever result, and NEOS, which entered the Landtag for the first time. The SPÖ won seven councillors, the FPÖ four, the Greens one, and the ÖVP one. The SPÖ renewed its coalition with the Greens.[2]

In August 2017, Mayor and Governor Michael Häupl announced his impending retirement. He had served since 1994.[7] He did not seek re-election as head of the Vienna SPÖ in January 2018, and was succeeded by long-serving city councillor Michael Ludwig.[8] Häupl resigned as Mayor and Governor on 24 May 2018, and Ludwig was subsequently elected as his replacement by the Gemeinderat and Landtag. He was sworn in on 29 May.[9]

The Ibiza affair in May 2019 led to the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache and a general decline in support for the FPÖ nationally, which was seen in the 2019 federal election and subsequent state elections in Vorarlberg, Styria, and Burgenland. Strache resigned from all political offices in November 2019, but in early 2020 announced he would join The Alliance for Austria to run in the Viennese state election. The party subsequently adopted the name Team HC Strache – Alliance for Austria.[10]

Electoral system

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The 100 seats of the Gemeinderat and Landtag of Vienna are elected via open list proportional representation in a two-step process. The seats are distributed between eighteen 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 5 percent state-wide electoral threshold. Seats are distributed in constituencies according to the modified Hare quota, with any remaining seats allocated at the state level to create a greater degree of proportionality between a party's vote share and its share of seats.[11]

After the 2015 election, a minor reform to the electoral system was passed, changing the formula for distribution of seats in constituencies. The new formula increases the number of votes required to win a seat in a constituency, resulting in fewer seats being distributed to parties through constituencies and more distributed on the state level. This reform was seen as beneficial to minor parties, which are unlikely to win more than a few seats in constituencies, and must rely on state-level distribution for most of their representation.[12]

Election statistics

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A total of 1,133,010 people were eligible to vote in the state election, among them 597,027 women and 535,983 men. Only Austrian citizens aged 16 or older on election day were eligible. Thus, 30% of the Viennese population had no right to vote or stand as a candidate.[13] For the district council elections held on the same day, a total of 1,362,789 voters were eligible; this number is higher than for the state election as EU citizens aged over 16 are eligible to vote in the district coulcil elections. Among this number were 712,131 women and 650,658 men.[14]

A total of 1,494 polling stations were set up on election day. As many as 500,000 absentee/postal ballots were expected to be issued for the election. Requesting a postal ballot in person was permitted from 14 September, with the option to cast the vote early in-person right after requesting it at Vienna's various election offices.[14] On 9 October, the City of Vienna announced that a final total of 382,214 absentee/postal ballots were issued for the election, of which 360,563 were issued to Austrian citizens for the Gemeinderat and Landtag election and an additional 21,651 to EU citizens who are eligible to vote only in the district elections. This set a new record for Vienna, topping the 266,150 voting cards issued in Vienna for the 2019 Austrian legislative election.[15]

Contesting parties

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The table below lists parties represented in the previous Landtag.[1]

Name Ideology Lead
candidate 		2015 result
Votes (%) Seats Councillors
SPÖ Social Democratic Party of Austria
Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs 		Social democracy Michael Ludwig 39.6%
44 / 100
7 / 13
FPÖ Freedom Party of Austria
Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs 		Right-wing populism
Euroscepticism 		Dominik Nepp 30.8%
34 / 100
4 / 13
GRÜNE The Greens – The Green Alternative
Die Grünen – Die Grüne Alternative 		Green politics Birgit Hebein 11.8%
10 / 100
1 / 13
ÖVP Austrian People's Party
Österreichische Volkspartei 		Christian democracy Gernot Blümel 9.2%
7 / 100
1 / 13
NEOS NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum
NEOS – Das Neue Österreich und Liberales Forum 		Liberalism
Pro-Europeanism 		Christoph Wiederkehr 6.2%
5 / 100
0 / 13

In addition to the parties already represented in the Landtag, seven parties collected enough signatures to be placed on the ballot.[1]

Lead candidates

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Party Candidate Offices held
SPÖ   Michael Ludwig Mayor and Governor of Vienna (since 2018)[9]
Chairman of SPÖ Vienna (since 2018)[16]
City Councillor for Housing, Construction, and Urban Renewal (2007–2018)
FPÖ   Dominik Nepp[17] Chairman of FPÖ Vienna (since 2019)[18]
Non-executive City Councillor (since 2017)[19]
GRÜNE   Birgit Hebein[20] Deputy Mayor of Vienna (since 2019)
Chairwoman of The Greens Vienna (since 2019)
City Councillor for Urban Development, Transport, Climate, and Energy (since 2019)[21]
ÖVP   Gernot Blümel[22] Chairman of ÖVP Vienna (since 2015)[23]
Federal Minister of Finance (since 2020)[24]
Non-executive City Councillor (2015–2018)[19]
NEOS   Christoph Wiederkehr[25] Spokesman of NEOS Vienna (since 2018)[26]
NEOS group leader in the Gemeinderat and Landtag of Vienna (since 2018)[27]
Member of the Gemeinderat and Landtag of Vienna (since 2015)
HC   Heinz-Christian Strache[28] Chairman of Team HC Strache – Alliance for Austria (since 2020)[29]
Vice-Chancellor of Austria (2017–2019)[30]
Chairman of the FPÖ (2005–2019)[29]
LINKS Anna Svec[31] Counsellor at law[31]
SÖZ   Martha Bißmann[32] Member of the National Council (2017–2019)
Presidential campaign manager for Irmgard Griss (2016)[32]
BIER   Marco Pogo[33] Chairman of the Austrian Beer Party (since 2015)
Frontman of Turbobier[33]

Opinion polling

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Graphical summary

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Local regression of polls conducted.

Party polling

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Polling firm Fieldwork date Sample
size 		SPÖ FPÖ Grüne ÖVP NEOS HC Others Lead
2020 state election 11 Oct 2020 – 41.6 7.1 14.8 20.4 7.5 3.3 5.3 21.2
Research Affairs 3–5 Oct 2020 800 42 11 13 19 7 5 3 23
OGM 29 Sep–1 Oct 2020 803 42 10 17 19 6 4 2 23
Research Affairs 28–30 Sep 2020 404 42 10 13 20 7 6 2[a] 22
Market 25–29 Sep 2020 787 42 9 16 21 6 4 2 21
Unique Research 16–25 Sep 2020 1,610 42 9 15 19 7 4 4 23
Research Affairs 21–24 Sep 2020 400 40 10 13 21 8 6 2[b] 19
Demox Research (ÖVP) 6–18 Sep 2020 800 43.5 11.5 14 15.5 7 5.5 3 28
Research Affairs 14–16 Sep 2020 400 40 11 13 20 7 6 3[c] 20
Research Affairs 8–10 Sep 2020 400 41 11 14 20 7 5 2 21
OGM 7–9 Sep 2020 804 41 10 16 21 6 4 2 20
Unique Research 28 Aug–4 Sep 2020 1,603 41 9 15 20 7 5 3 21
Research Affairs 31 Aug–2 Sep 2020 400 40 12 13 21 7 5 2 19
Research Affairs 25–27 Aug 2020 400 39 11 14 23 7 4 2 16
OGM 18–20 Aug 2020 805 39 11 16 21 7 4 2 18
Research Affairs 17–20 Aug 2020 401 39 11 14 22 8 3 3 17
Research Affairs 3–6 Aug 2020 400 39 10 14 22 8 4 3 17
OGM 13–16 Jul 2020 801 38 10 17 23 7 4 1 15
Research Affairs 6–9 Jul 2020 412 38 9 15 23 8 5 2 15
OGM 5 Jul 2020 ? 38 10 17 24 6 4 1 14
Market 15–18 Jun 2020 804 38 9 16 25 7 4 1 13
Hajek 5–10 Jun 2020 800 38 8 17 23 6 6 2 15
Research Affairs 5–10 Jun 2020 500 36 8 15 24 8 6 3 12
Unique Research 5 Jun 2020 809 38 8 15 25 7 5 2 13
Research Affairs 25–27 May 2020 400 33 9 16 25 8 6 3 8
Research Affairs 20–23 Apr 2020 400 37 9 17 23 7 5 2 14
OGM 19 Apr 2020 791 37 8 17 24 7 5 2 13
Unique Research 6 Mar 2020 ? 36 10 19 22 6 5 2 14
Research Affairs 24–28 Feb 2020 400 34 11 17 20 9 7 2 14
OGM February 2020 ? 36 10 18 21 8 5 – 15
Karmasin Research 29 Jan 2020 1,000 35 13 16 19 8 7 2 16
Research Affairs 3–9 Jan 2020 400 32 12 17 21 10 5 3 11
OGM 20 Dec 2019 902 33 17 17 20 10 – 3 13
33 14 17 20 10 4[d] 2 13
Unique Research 2 Nov 2019 ? 36 16 18 20 8 – 2 16
Research Affairs 11–17 Jul 2019 403 34 24 12 16 8 – 6[e] 10
Unique Research 30 May 2019 800 37 21 14 17 8 – 3 16
DEMOX January–March 2019 492 39 24 9 16 8 – 4[f] 15
Research Affairs 17–23 Jan 2019 409 36 26 8 16 10 – 4[g] 10
Unique Research 16 Nov 2018 ? 37 25 10 17 8 – 3 12
Research Affairs 30 Aug–5 Sep 2018 415 35 28 6 18 8 – 5[h] 7
Research Affairs 24–30 May 2018 417 34 29 7 19 7 – 4[i] 5
OGM 27 May 2018 ? 34 27 6 22 6 – 5[j] 7
Research Affairs 17–19 Jan 2018 410 32 30 8 18 8 – 4[k] 2
Unique Research 16 Jan 2018 ? 34 20 8 22 9 – 8[l] 14
IFES 12–19 Dec 2017 800 39 22 6 19 8 – 6 17
OGM 27–30 Nov 2017 500 32 29 6 20 8 – 5 3
Research Affairs 28 Apr 2017 ? 24 40 15 10 8 – – 16
Unique Research 20 Jan 2017 ? 31 37 11 10 8 – – 6
Research Affairs 15 Jan 2017 ? 25 38 17 9 8 – – 13
Hajek 16 Oct 2016 ? 27 40 15 7 8 – 3 13
2015 state election 11 Oct 2015 – 39.6 30.8 11.8 9.2 6.2 – 2.4 8.8

Better Mayor polling

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Better Mayor polling
Polling firm Fieldwork date Sample
size 		                        None/
Unsure 		Lead
Häupl
SPÖ 		Ludwig
SPÖ 		Strache
FPÖ 		Gudenus
FPÖ 		Nepp
FPÖ 		Vassilakou
Grüne 		Hebein
Grüne 		Blümel
ÖVP 		Meinl-
Reisinger
NEOS 		Wiederkehr
NEOS 		Strache
HC 		Pilz
JETZT
Research Affairs 28–30 Sep 2020 404 50 7 10 19 5 6 3 31
Research Affairs 17 Sep 2020 ? 47 8 9 19 6 6 5 28
OGM 7–9 Sep 2020 804 54 9 12 15 4 6 – 39
Research Affairs 8–10 Sep 2020 400 48 8 10 19 6 5 4 29
Research Affairs 31 Aug–2 Sep 2020 400 47 8 9 21 6 5 4 26
Research Affairs 25–27 Aug 2020 400 47 8 8 22 6 5 4 25
Research Affairs 17–20 Aug 2020 401 47 8 8 21 7 4 5 26
Research Affairs 3–6 Aug 2020 400 46 7 9 20 7 6 5 26
OGM 13–16 Jul 2020 801 48 9 11 22 4 5 – 26
Research Affairs 6–9 Jul 2020 412 44 6 10 21 6 6 7 23
OGM 5 Jul 2020 ? 50 8 11 22 3 5 – 28
Market 15–18 Jun 2020 804 42 5 11 16 1 2 23 26
Hajek 5–10 Jun 2020 800 54 6 11 19 1 8 – 35
Research Affairs 5–10 Jun 2020 500 43 6 11 23 5 8 4 20
Unique Research 5 Jun 2020 809 38 4 7 14 2 5 30 24
Research Affairs 25–27 May 2020 400 41 7 11 24 5 8 4 17
Research Affairs 20–23 Apr 2020 400 43 6 12 23 5 7 4 20
Research Affairs 24–28 Feb 2020 400 42 8 12 21 5 8 4 21
Karmasin Research 29 Jan 2020 1,000 40.2 8.1 11.0 18.4 2.2 10.3 9.8 21.8
Research Affairs 3–9 Jan 2020 400 40 8 13 22 – 6 11 18
Research Affairs 29 Nov–5 Dec 2019 400 40 9 17 21 5 8 19
Research Affairs 11–17 Jul 2019 403 42 13 – 12 22 – 21 20
Research Affairs 17–23 Jan 2019 409 39 22 7 14 15 3 – 17
Research Affairs 24–30 May 2018 417 39 24 5 – 16 11 5 – 15
OGM 27 May 2018 ? 33 – 12 2 11 5 7 30 21
OGM 27–30 Nov 2017 500 29 – 22 – 1 10 3 – 35 7

Results

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2020 Viennese state election
 
PartyVotes%+/–Seats+/–
Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ)301,96741.62+2.0346+2
Austrian People's Party (ÖVP)148,23820.43+11.1922+15
The Greens – The Green Alternative (GRÜNE)107,39714.80+2.9616+6
NEOS – The New Austria (NEOS)54,1737.47+1.318+3
Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ)51,6037.11–23.688–26
Team HC Strache – Alliance for Austria (HC)23,6883.27New0New
LEFT (LINKS)14,9192.06+0.990±0
Beer Party of Austria (BIER)13,0951.80New0New
Social Austria of the Future (SÖZ)8,7421.20New0New
We for Floridsdorf (WIFF)1,2010.17+0.010±0
Pro23 – List Ernst Paleta (PRO)3760.05New0New
Volt Austria (Volt)1020.01New0New
Total725,501100.00–1000
Valid votes725,50198.11+0.62
Invalid/blank votes13,9841.89–0.62
Total votes739,485100.00–
Registered voters/turnout1,133,01065.27–9.48
Source: Viennese Government
Popular vote
SPÖ
 
 41.62%
ÖVP
 
 20.43%
GRÜNE
 
 14.80%
NEOS
 
 7.47%
FPÖ
 
 7.11%
HC
 
 3.27%
Other
 
 5.30%
Gemeinderat and Landtag seats
SPÖ
 
 46.00%
ÖVP
 
 22.00%
GRÜNE
 
 16.00%
NEOS
 
 8.00%
FPÖ
 
 8.00%

Results by constituency

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Results by District
Constituency SPÖ ÖVP Grüne NEOS FPÖ HC Others Total
seats 		Turnout
% S % S % S % S % S % S %
Centre 36.9 2 19.5 1 22.4 1 9.4 4.3 2.0 5.4 4 69.1
Inner West 34.4 1 18.3 1 26.0 1 10.7 3.6 1.4 5.6 3 74.3
Leopoldstadt 42.5 2 14.6 21.6 1 7.6 5.1 2.8 5.8 3 66.8
Landstraße 39.6 2 19.1 1 19.2 1 9.4 5.0 2.5 5.2 4 68.1
Favoriten 48.4 5 18.7 1 8.2 4.5 9.5 4.6 6.2 6 59.3
Simmering 46.6 3 17.2 1 6.7 4.3 14.9 4.6 5.7 4 60.3
Meidling 44.8 2 18.7 1 13.7 6.4 7.0 3.6 5.7 3 60.7
Hietzing 31.4 1 32.4 1 14.3 11.6 5.0 2.3 3.1 2 72.5
Penzing 39.2 2 23.1 1 15.6 8.2 6.5 2.8 4.5 3 67.4
Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus 42.3 1 14.1 21.2 5.9 5.7 2.9 8.0 1 61.4
Ottakring 41.7 2 17.9 17.9 6.5 6.0 3.1 6.8 2 64.9
Hernals 36.4 1 21.0 20.0 9.0 5.4 2.4 5.9 1 68.3
Währing 30.6 1 24.8 23.0 11.7 3.6 1.8 4.5 1 74.0
Döbling 35.1 1 29.6 1 13.3 10.7 5.5 2.5 3.4 2 69.4
Brigittenau 48.2 2 15.7 14.4 5.1 7.0 3.3 6.4 2 60.1
Floridsdorf 46.2 4 20.4 2 8.0 5.2 9.7 1 4.9 5.6 7 61.2
Donaustadt 46.2 5 21.1 2 9.1 1 6.3 9.0 1 4.2 4.2 9 64.2
Liesing 41.7 2 24.2 1 10.4 7.8 8.0 3.4 4.5 3 66.9
Remaining seats 7 8 11 8 6 – 40
Total 41.6 46 20.4 22 14.8 16 7.5 8 7.1 8 3.3 0 5.3 100 65.3
Source: Viennese Government

Analysis

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The FPÖ only won one-fifth as many votes as it had in 2015; analysis by SORA indicated that 100,000 people who gave their vote to the FPÖ in 2015 did not vote in 2020. The party lost 43,000 votes to the ÖVP, 32,000 to the SPÖ, and 17,000 to Team HC. Overall, the FPÖ gained less than 1,000 votes from other parties compared to 2015.[34]

Polling indicated that federal politics was a major factor among the majority of voters of almost all parties, including 74% of ÖVP voters, and 56–57% of Green, NEOS, and FPÖ voters. By contrast, only 36% of SPÖ voters stated that federal politics was a major factor in their choice.[35]

Analysis by SORA indicated strong voting trends in different age groups, with the SPÖ and ÖVP strongest among older voters, and the Greens and NEOS stronger among younger voters. In contrast to the overall trend, the ÖVP improved its performance only negligibly among voters under 29, winning just 7%. The FPÖ crashed from 25% to 5%, with the difference made up by gains for the Greens (27%) and minor parties (12%). The Greens also placed second among 30-44 year olds at 19% to the ÖVP's 17%, while NEOS and the FPÖ recorded their best results among this demographic at 11% and 9%, respectively.[36]

According to analysis published by the OGM Institute, 20% of voters of Turkish immigrant background voted for Social Austria of the Future (SÖZ), making it the second-most popular party among this demographic. SÖZ, a minor party representing immigrant interests, won just 1.2% of the vote overall. The SPÖ also performed better among Turkish immigrants than the overall electorate, with all other parties performing worse, particularly the ÖVP (10%) and Greens (9%). Voters of Serbian immigrant background voted moderately more strongly for the SPÖ, FPÖ, and Team HC than the general electorate.[37]

Aftermath

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Greens leader Birgit Hebein stated the result was a "very clear mandate" for a renewal of the incumbent SPÖ–Green government. NEOS lead candidate Christoph Wiederkehr expressed his party's desire to join the state government, naming increased funding for education, economic relief, transparency, and a focus on the city's peripheral regions as conditions for a coalition.[38]

FPÖ lead candidate Dominik Nepp described the loss as "painful", but attributed it to residue from the Ibiza affair. He stated he would have to analyse the full result before considering whether he would resign as regional party leader.[38] Nepp and federal leader Norbert Hofer later confirmed they would each retain their positions despite the disastrous defeat.[39] Heinz-Christian Strache blamed the FPÖ for his new party's failure to enter the Gemeinderat and Landtag, accusing them of "heartlessly causing the split".[38]

Political scientist Thomas Hofer stated that an SPÖ–ÖVP government was unlikely due to potential conflict with the federal government, which makes it unfavourable for the ÖVP. He also believed the SPÖ were unlikely to cede the finance ministry to Gernot Blümel, which would be a major stumbling block. Fellow political scientist Kathrin Stainer-Hämmerle described a potential SPÖ–NEOS government as a "counter-model" to the federal ÖVP–Green government, offering the public an alternative. Concurring with commentary from the Kurier, she also believed that the result weakened the position of federal SPÖ leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner while confirming the strength of the party's popular state governors Ludwig, Hans Peter Doskozil, and Peter Kaiser. She questioned the FPÖ's choice to downplay the consequences of the result, speculating that the party may be privately considering a change in leadership on both the state and federal level.[40]

Government formation

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Mayor Michael Ludwig declined to commit to negotiations with any particular party, stating he was open to negotiations with all except the FPÖ. Mathematically, the SPÖ could form a majority with any one of the other parties. Ludwig stated that social cohesion and good cooperation are the "basic premise" for any coalition, and that he wanted talks to begin quickly.[38]

Alexander Nikolai and Ernst Nevrivy, chairmen of the local SPÖ in Leopoldstadt and Donaustadt, voiced their support for a SPÖ–NEOS government. They criticised the conduct of the Greens during the previous term, claiming they had diverged from the coalition agreement, and expressed their belief that the SPÖ could cooperate well with NEOS.[41] By contrast, former mayor Michael Häupl spoke out in favour of a renewed coalition with the Greens, stating that NEOS diverged too much from the SPÖ on economic policy to work together effectively. He also stated that the ÖVP, since their "turquoise" turn, had moved too far from the SPÖ to be viable partners in government.[42]

Exploratory talks with NEOS, the Greens, and the ÖVP were held from 19 to 21 October. Ludwig stated his desire to have a coalition agreement in place by mid-November. He elaborated on his party's policy positions going into negotiations, rejecting the possibility of privatizing healthcare or withdrawing housing subsidies.[43] NEOS leader Wiederkehr and Greens leader Hebein both described their respective talks as productive, and were optimistic about prospects of entering government with the SPÖ.[44] ÖVP leader Blümel stated discussions were "constructive" but that there were "differences" between the two parties, especially in policy areas such as minimum wage, pensions, and the ÖVP's demand that knowledge of the German language be required for access to public housing. After this, commentators speculated that chances of an SPÖ–ÖVP coalition were very low, while the Greens and NEOS were both considered equally viable options.[45]

On 27 October, Ludwig announced that the SPÖ would seek coalition negotiations with NEOS. He stated that priority areas would be responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, expanding the healthcare sector, strengthening business, improving education, and combating climate change.[4] Explaining his decision, he said that while the Greens and SPÖ's policy was similar, they placed emphasis on different areas. He expressed that while he was satisfied with the accomplishments of the SPÖ–Green government, "the time seems ripe to try something new."[46] He stated that the vote in the SPÖ presidium was unanimous, while only two members of the party executive voted against.[47] NEOS leader Wiederkehr welcomed the announcement, stating his focus on improving education, job creation, and addressing the pandemic. He expressed his hope for a "reform coalition" between the two parties.[4]

Greens leader Hebein voiced her disappointment and her concerns that a government with NEOS could take conservative positions on the health system and climate change. The Viennese ÖVP stated that the decision was predictable, as a coalition with NEOS was "the most convenient route with the weakest partner". They claimed that the SPÖ had been inflexible and unwilling to compromise during exploratory talks. FPÖ leader Nepp accused the other parties of playing a game of "who can offer less", and claimed his party would be the only serious opposition force in the next legislative period.[48] The Viennese branch of the Socialist Youth spoke out against going into government with NEOS, with chairwoman Fiona Herzog describing the decision as "madness". She criticised NEOS's record on trade unions and endorsed coalition with the Greens, stating they have "always proved to be a good coalition partner." She stated that she was one of the two members of the party executive to vote against the coalition, with the other vote against coming from a representative of SPÖ's student branch.[49]

The bulk of negotiations concluded by 12 November, with the parties agreeing on various policy areas.[50] The coalition agreement was finalised and presented on 17 November.[5]

Ludwig was re-elected as Mayor by the Gemeinderat and Landtag on 24 November, receiving 60 votes. This figure accounted for the 54 seats of the new governing coalition plus six votes from the opposition. Ludwig and his new government was sworn in shortly thereafter. NEOS leader Wiederkehr, the sole city councillor for his party, became Vice Mayor and councillor for education.[6]

City councillors

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The composition of the city councillors after the election are as follows:[46]

Party Councillors Status
SPÖ
6 / 13
 Government
ÖVP
3 / 13
 Non-executive
GRÜNE
2 / 13
 Non-executive
NEOS
1 / 13
 Government
FPÖ
1 / 13
 Non-executive

Notes

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  1. ^ BIER 1%, Other 1%.
  2. ^ BIER 1%, Other 1%.
  3. ^ BIER 1%, Other 2%.
  4. ^ Theoretical polling.
  5. ^ JETZT 3%.
  6. ^ JETZT 2%.
  7. ^ JETZT 2%.
  8. ^ JETZT 2%.
  9. ^ JETZT 2%.
  10. ^ JETZT 4%.
  11. ^ JETZT 3%.
  12. ^ JETZT 6%.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Vienna Election 2020: Nominations have been submitted". Government of Vienna. 14 August 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Red-green coalition sealed". ORF. 14 November 2015.
  3. ^ "Gemeinderat election 2020, results of the Vienna Electoral Authority". Viennese Government. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "Coalition: SPÖ negotiates with NEOS". ORF. 27 October 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Coalition pact with almost no stumbling blocks". ORF. 17 November 2020.
  6. ^ a b "New city government is sworn in". ORF. 24 November 2020. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  7. ^ "Häupl hands over the SPÖ chairmanship in Vienna at the end of January". Der Standard. 27 August 2017.
  8. ^ "Michael Häupl resigns on May 24th". ORF. 15 February 2018.
  9. ^ a b "Ludwig elected mayor". ORF. 24 May 2018.
  10. ^ "Now fixed: Strache is running for the Vienna election". Kurier. 20 February 2020.
  11. ^ "RIS - Viennese Gemeinderat election act 1996". Viennese Government.
  12. ^ "Vienna election: New electoral law to be used for the first time this year". ORF. 23 September 2020.
  13. ^ "30% Wahlausschluss: Soll es das Wahlrecht für alle geben?".
  14. ^ a b "Vienna election 2020: 1,494 voting places for 1,362,789 voters". Viennese Government.
  15. ^ "Vienna election 2020: 382,214 voting cards issued". Viennese Government.
  16. ^ "Dr. Michael Ludwig". SPÖ Vienna. Archived from the original on 2019-05-28. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  17. ^ "Vienna election: FPÖ competes with Dominik Nepp". ORF. 13 November 2019.
  18. ^ "FPÖ Vienna boss Nepp: "Party well equipped"". ORF. 20 May 2019.
  19. ^ a b "Preview of tomorrow's local council". Ots.at. 24 January 2018.
  20. ^ "Greens: Hebein new at the top". ORF. 26 November 2019.
  21. ^ "Hebein elected city councillor". ORF. 26 June 2019.
  22. ^ "Blümel competes "one hundred percent" for the ÖVP in the Vienna election". Die Presse. 13 December 2018.
  23. ^ "Gernot Blümel takes over the Vienna People's Party". Kurier. 12 October 2015.
  24. ^ "First turquoise-green federal government promised, Bierlein hands over to Kurz". Nachrichten.at. 7 January 2020.
  25. ^ "NEOS Vienna General Assembly: Wiederkehr announces candidacy for the top candidate". Ots.at. 7 December 2019.
  26. ^ "Wiederkehr is the new NEOS country spokesman". ORF. 8 December 2018.
  27. ^ "Return of the new NEOS Vienna club boss". ORF. 5 July 2018.
  28. ^ "Appearance in the PraterStrache occurs at the Vienna election". Kleine Zeitung. 26 February 2020.
  29. ^ a b "Ex-FPÖ boss runs for elections with a new party". Die Zeit. 15 May 2020.
  30. ^ "Austria far right: Freedom Party wins key posts in new government". BBC. 16 December 2017.
  31. ^ a b "Left challenge to red-green in Vienna". Die Presse. 7 August 2020.
  32. ^ a b "Lead candidate Martha Bißmann".
  33. ^ a b "Beer, punk and mayor: Marco Pogo's beer party competes all over Vienna". Der Standard. 30 August 2020.
  34. ^ "FPÖ voters stayed at home". ORF. 11 October 2020.
  35. ^ "Almost everyone can cheer about the Vienna election". ORF. 11 October 2020.
  36. ^ "Young people work a little differently". ORF. 12 October 2020.
  37. ^ "Immigrants vote more often for the SPÖ". ORF. 18 October 2020.
  38. ^ a b c d "Ludwig leaves all coalition options open". ORF. 11 October 2020.
  39. ^ "No "head roll" at the FPÖ after the Vienna election". ORF. 21 October 2020.
  40. ^ "Choice of partner with consequences for the federal government". ORF. 12 October 2020.
  41. ^ "Future SPÖ district chief for red-pink". ORF. 12 October 2020.
  42. ^ "Häupl: "The old doesn't always have to be bad"". ORF. 14 October 2020.
  43. ^ "SPÖ starts explorations: kick-off with NEOS". ORF. 16 October 2020.
  44. ^ "Red-green "foreseeable" for Hebein". ORF. 20 October 2020.
  45. ^ "Blümel sees "differences" with the SPÖ". ORF. 21 October 2020.
  46. ^ a b "Viennese SPÖ wants to enter into a coalition with NEOS". Salzburger Nachrichten. 27 October 2020.
  47. ^ "Red-pink: Ludwig is negotiating with Neos about a coalition for Vienna". Die Presse. 27 October 2020.
  48. ^ "Coalition: Hebein keeps doors open". ORF. 27 October 2020.
  49. ^ "Coalition: start for policy area groups". ORF. 28 October 2020.
  50. ^ "Coalition: Negotiations in subgroups finished". ORF. 12 November 2020.
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