Vorarlberg state election, 2009

• ÖVP: 20
• FPO: 9
• GREEN: 4
• SPÖ: 3

The state elections in Vorarlberg on 20 September 2009 was the 14th choice of the Vorarlberg Landtag since the year 1945. In this election, which was necessary because the five -year term of the 28th Vorarlberg Parliament expired in 2009, all 36 deputies were elected. Due to a quarrel of the two former ruling parties ÖVP and FPÖ formed country Herbert Sausgruber after the election for the first time in the history of the Second Republic in Vorarlberg ÖVP a one-party government.

From the state election, the ÖVP Vorarlberg went despite losses again as the strongest party with an absolute majority of votes and mandate forth, while the Social Democratic Party suffered substantial losses and has experienced the worst election result ever. The biggest winner of the election was the Freedom Party, which managed to double their share of the vote, and was to win seats in parliament as a single party. The Greens also recorded slight gains, but remained both mandate and votes Proportionally back behind their own expectations.

In the state election 2009 261.132 voters were allowed to vote. Of the group of young voters were about 30,000 to you, about 9,000 16 - and 17 -year-old first became eligible to cast their vote at a Vorarlberg Landtag elections due to the electoral law changes.

• 2.1 innovations in the electoral law
• 2.2 constituencies and sprengel

• 3.1 represented already in the parliament parties
• 3.2 Not in the Diet Parties represented

• 4.1 voters currents
• 4.2 Effects

Initial situation

After the state elections in 2004, the dominant Vorarlberg Vorarlberg People's Party had an absolute majority of votes and mandate. 21 out of 36 deputies in the parliament belonged to the People's Party. Nevertheless, the ÖVP a new government coalition with the FPÖ entered into after the election. The Freedom Party suffered massive losses with the loss of 6 seats in 2004. The opposition Social Democrats of the SPÖ could be the second strongest faction in the parliament in the previous state election for the first time since 1989 again. As the smallest opposition party, the Greens went with a mandate gain of 2 MPs emerge from the election.

Political Situation

Even before the election announced the incumbent Governor Herbert Sausgruber, the leading candidate of the People's Party, several times in interviews to, the loss of the absolute majority of seats (ie the loss of more than 3 mandates ) as a personal consequence no longer for the post at the head of the provincial government to be available to. According to which the election of the Popular Party was totally focused on Sausgruber and advertised for a " continuation of the successful Vorarlberg way".

On 22 August 2009, the FPÖ started in Hohenems with its leading candidate Dieter Egger in the state elections. Here this -actuated the statement, the director of the Jewish Museum in Hohenems, Hanno Loewy, was an " exile Jew from America " with a " highly subsidized Museum ", the internal politics nor anginge as the director of the Bregenz Festival, David Pountney. Previously the two had questioned by Egger spoken to the campaign posters of the Freedom Party, as it was " home " advertised on this several times with the term. Governor Sausgruber Egger called on subsequently to retract his statement, since it is a limit had been exceeded and he no longer would otherwise for a renewed government involvement in question. As Egger refused to retract his statements or apologize for it, and insisted on his opinion, Sausgruber stated on 24 August that the People's Party will not continue in the event of a clear electoral mandate, the coalition with the FPÖ after the election.

Suffrage

There is a choice of the Vorarlberg Landtag in 2009 was automatically entitled to vote who

• On Election Day, 20 September 2009, had at least reached the age of 16,
• Had his main residence at the date, June 30, 2009, had in Vorarlberg and Austrian citizenship
• And was not disqualified from voting ( automatically sentenced to more than one year imprisonment ).

In addition, foreign Vorarlberg were eligible to vote at the request ( see paragraph innovations in the electoral law ).

Changes in the electoral law

The right to vote for 16 - and 17 -year-old as well as the absentee ballot came in the regional elections of 2009 due to the election law changes in 2008 for the first time used. These two changes were necessary due to a federal law, which was part of the coalition agreement, the federal government Gusenbauer and had its impact on the state law, as this may not contradict the federal law.

In addition, for the first time were also abroad Vorarlberg in the regional elections to vote. These are individuals who have their principal place of residence laid directly from Vorarlberg abroad and are still owner of the Austrian citizenship. Condition, however, was that the main residence at 30 June 2009 had to continue to be based abroad and the transfer of residence could not be older than ten years. Abroad Vorarlberg were not automatically eligible to vote, but already had before the election for the inclusion in the so-called voter register, which forms the basis for the electoral roll, ask.

Constituencies and sprengel

Was chosen in all 96 municipalities that were divided into four electoral districts. These constituencies corresponding to the administrative districts Bludenz ( electoral district Bludenz ), Bregenz ( Bregenz constituency ), Dornbirn ( Dornbirn constituency ) and Feldkirch ( Feldkirch constituency ). All antretenden for election parties as candidates in all four constituencies.

Usually corresponds to a choice of a parish community. Within a community but several electoral districts can be set up with appropriate Sprengel election authorities on decision of the municipal election authority. A total of 41 parish electoral authorities have been set up around in the largest community in the country, the city of Dornbirn. Smaller communities, such as Dünserberg or Röns, however, came out with only one electoral districts.

To select related parties

In order to compete as a separate list or party in the election for the Vorarlberg Landtag in 2009, it was necessary to have support the district nominations of at least 100 eligible voters in the constituency. Could this support be demonstrated no later than August 21, 2009, the request for participation in the regional elections of the electoral authority was rejected.

At its meeting of 19 August 2009, the country's electoral authority closed the introduced nominations from 8 and certain parties as permitted for the election of the Vorarlberg Landtag 2009. Moreover, the list positions were determined and fixed the official party designations. The data given below are therefore so ordered as they absorb rails also on the ballot.

Already represented in the parliament parties

The ÖVP came at the 2009 election, a further meeting with the former Land Herbert Sausgruber as the leading candidate to. For the People's Party in this election it went to the defense of absolute votes and majority mandate.

The Social Democrats nominated Michael Ritsch, the new leader of the country party to the top candidates for the state election. In the 2004 election Elke Sader still went as red list leader in the campaign.

From the ranks of the country's FPÖ party chairman Dieter Egger had been set up as the leading candidate. He was III Regional Minister in the previous state government Sausgruber.

From the Vorarlberg Greens was established as the leading candidate for the state election, as in previous years, John Rauch. Smoke could lead the Greens in the previous state election in 2004 one of the best results in the history of the green country organizations.

Not in the Diet Parties represented

Under the name of Lapwing Helmut Harder plaster and Nicole Metzler competed with its own, independent civil list to choose from.

The Vorarlberg AAF fought with top candidate Wolfgang Maurer for a place in the state legislature. The AAF occurred in Vorarlberg for the first time at the state election. The stated goal was to exceed the 5 percent threshold needed to move into the state legislature can.

On 24 May 2009 the election platform " The Gsiberger " announced its participation in the regional elections. When selecting platform is a merger of several smaller parties, consisting of being beaten at the last state election VAU, the Alliance The Buntkarierten, what became known as migrants list NBZ, the resulting from the Association for Probation restart platform Self Empowerment and the CPA.

For direct democracy, Helmut -Robert Bitschnau, Michael Benvenuti and Werner Frank wanted to use we - gemeinsam.at with their list. The civil rights movement wished that the population could a say in important issues, including the Swiss model.

Election result

The turnout with 178 711 votes cast (of which 1,297 invalid) at 261 132 voters at 68.44 %, which represents an increase of 7.8% compared to the previous state election in 2004.

1 party names as abbreviations according to the official nomination; The list Lapwing had no official abbreviation

Voters currents

On behalf of the ORF Social Research Institute SORA led by the state election by a voter flow analysis. This showed that the ÖVP owed ​​their election victory in particular their loyal voters. 89 percent of the ÖVP voters in 2004 gave the People's Party in 2009 her voice again. More than 7,000 voters migrated but by the People's Party for Freedom Party, only 3,000 voters could be lured away from the in return. The Freedom Party itself benefited particularly well from a re- mobilization of non-voters. While in 2004 only 28 percent of the FPÖ voters had again given the party their vote, the party was in 2009 more than 20,000 voters recover from this pool of non-voters. The Greens were able to win 8,000 votes from the former non-voters, but also lost 5,000 of its voters to the People's Party. The Social Democrats lost especially many votes to the ÖVP, which they had to cede 6,000 voters. In addition, at the state election in 2009 about 24 % of the SPÖ voters stayed away from the 2004 election.

Effects

To want to work together due to the other members in the election campaign promise Sausgrubers, after the election, not again with the FPÖ in government, this set after unsuccessfully verlaufenen talks with representatives of the Greens and the SPÖ an ÖVP - alone government. When the state government Sausgruber IV it was so to the first single-party government in Vorarlberg since the regaining of Vorarlberg sovereignty after the Second World War. The ÖVP presented in the new state government, all seven members. Newly added to the government team has been doing the previous Dornbirner Councilwoman Andrea Kaufmann.

In parliament itself, the election results led to a political change in the state parliament presidium. While the former Vice President Bernadette Mennel the first woman took of the ÖVP, the Office of the President, Parliament and Gabriele Nussbaumer remained Parliament Vice President, Ernst Hagen moved from the FPÖ also on as Vice President.

The result of the state election had an impact on the composition of the Austrian Federal Council is represented in the Vorarlberg with three mandatories. Because of the election results and their loss of votes Vorarlberg SPÖ lost its representatives in the Bundesrat. While the ÖVP still put two of the three Vorarlberg Federal Council members, wandered the mandate of the Social Democratic Party of Freedom Party. The new Vorarlberg Federal Councillors Magnus Brunner (ÖVP ), Edgar Mayer ( ÖVP) and Cornelia Michalke (FPÖ ) were elected at the inaugural meeting of the Vorarlberg Parliament on 14 October 2009.