Die osterreichische Nationalratswahl vom 29. September 2013: Das Ende Grosser Koalitionen in Sicht

In: Zeitschrift für Parlamentsfragen: ZParl, Band 45, Heft 1, S. 158-174

Abstract

The rank order of established parties remained unchanged although the three largest parties moved closer together. The parties in government, Social Democrats and Christian Democrats, suffered moderate losses while the right-wing populist Freedom Party increased its vote share significantly. Both mainstream parties' campaigns had attempted to mobilize core constituency. The FPO, on the other hand, once more promoted a hard stance on immigration issues. More pronounced changes, however, occurred at the level of small and medium size parties. The BZO, founded by Jorg Haider, failed to re-enter the parliament's lower chamber. Election day saw predicted substantial gains for the Greens contained by the success of liberal newcomer NEOS. NEOS and the populist-right protest movement of billionaire Frank Stronach, both founded just a year before the elections were held, secured a sufficient number of votes to take the election threshold. Thus, for the first time in history, elections promoted no less than six parties into the Nationalrat. The election results set the course for a renewed cooperation between SPO and OVP, as forming a grand coalition was the only two-party model that ensured an absolute majority. The second Faymann cabinet was sworn in in mid December. Adapted from the source document.