Vienna Parties Discuss Election Outcomes

The Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) in Vienna is set to begin negotiations this week aimed at forming a new regional government. Following the meetings of the party's committees, Mayor Michael Ludwig announced that discussions will be held with NEOS, the Greens, and the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) over the coming days. However, the SPÖ has ruled out any coalition with the Freedom Party (FPÖ).

The negotiation team will include Ludwig, State Party Secretary Barbara Novak, and Josef Taucher, the club leader of the Vienna SPÖ. This trio previously engaged in negotiations five years ago, which ultimately resulted in a coalition with NEOS. Ludwig emphasized the goal of establishing a new government before summer. He did not address the media directly following the announcement. Meanwhile, City Councilor Jürgen Czernohorszky expressed his belief that the formation of a new government could take several weeks. The delay in committing to a continuation of the coalition with NEOS is strategic, as the SPÖ aims to assess content agreements with all three potential coalition partners.

Considerable anticipation surrounds the ÖVP's committee meetings. Following a disappointing election outcome, it has been confirmed that party leader Karl Mahrer will step down, but his successor has not yet been determined. The frontrunners for the position include Markus Figl, the district leader of the 1st district, and Daniel Resch, the district head of the 19th district. Although both managed to secure first place for the ÖVP in their respective districts, the party fell short of the SPÖ in the municipal elections.

The Greens are convening for their discussions earlier in the day, while NEOS is scheduled to meet the following Tuesday. According to a spokesperson for NEOS, their deliberations will extend throughout the day, with an announcement expected later in the afternoon. The FPÖ's state party board will also convene on Tuesday morning, although discussions within the party may be limited. Despite achieving a near tripling of their vote share compared to 2020 under the leadership of their top candidate Dominik Nepp, coalition talks with the SPÖ appear highly unlikely.

In addition, the remaining election ballots will be counted on Monday. Most ballots were incorporated into the results on Sunday, marking a first for an election in Vienna, where ballots received by Friday were included on the election day itself. The remaining counts will primarily involve late-arriving ballots and those from non-Austrian EU citizens who were allowed to vote in the district elections. Results regarding preferential votes are also expected to be disclosed on Monday.