Austrian legislative election, 1966
- SPÖ: 74
- FPO: 6
- ÖVP: 85
The parliamentary election on March 6, 1966, the eleventh in the history of the Republic of Austria. Votes and most seats the party was the People's Party under Chancellor Josef Klaus, which since 1945 was able to win an absolute majority of seats for the first time. The second strongest party was the SPÖ lost under Bruno Pitter man who votes and mandates. The Freedom Party, which contested with former SS First Lieutenant Frederick Peter as a top candidate, lost a vote and mandates.
Were entitled to vote 4,886,818 people. The turnout was 92.74 (1962: 92.73 percent).
Background
Due to a grant from union funds to the FPÖ in the amount of one million shillings former Interior Minister Franz Olah came in 1964 when the Social Democratic Party in strong intra-party criticism. It is believed that Olah so wanted to pave the way towards a small coalition between the SPÖ and the FPÖ. As a result of exclusion from the Social Democratic Party in 1965, he founded the Democratic Progressive Party ( DFP). The right-wing populist party won mainly at the expense of the Social Democratic Party votes, but missed even the basic mandate hurdle. Another reason was the call of the Communist Party, which ran only in Vienna north -east and elsewhere calling for the support of the Social Democratic Party. Since the Social Democrats did not refuse this support, the ÖVP up posters with the slogan threatens The Red Popular Front! According to Karl Pisa the former press officer of the minimal benefit of the few Communist Party votes from anti-communist election reflex was far exceeded.
In addition to that the People's Party presented itself as the party of competence, to the invited with their "Action 20" leading scientists such as Hans Tuppy and Stephan Koren to develop innovative concepts. This was associated with a change of style in Austrian politics: In contrast to the equally authoritarian as cozy politics " with the wine glass " such as Leopold Figl and Julius Raab they had represented, Klaus and his team presented as simply and clearly emphasized. This came with the voters at the Well, since you brought the political style of the past strongly with corruption and cronyism in connection.
This led to the People's Party was able to win the absolute majority of seats for the first time since the national election of 1945.
Final result
N.k. = Not a candidate
Follow
The ÖVP decreed after the election an absolute majority of seats and could thus govern without a coalition partner. Negotiations for a new grand coalition failed, the SPÖ had to go into opposition. Josef Klaus remained Chancellor and ÖVP formed the first party government. The federal government took Klaus II on 19 April 1966 her work. 1967 gave way as SPÖ leader Bruno Kreisky Bruno Pitter man. Only after a few years Pitter man supported this, by returning as club chairman in the parliament.