2023 Carinthian state election
{{Short description|none}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 2023 Carinthian state election
| ongoing = no
| country = Carinthia
| type = parliamentary
| previous_election = 2018 Carinthian state election
| previous_year = 2018
| next_election = Next Carinthian state election
| next_year = 2028
| election_date = 5 March 2023
| seats_for_election = All 36 seats in the Landtag of Carinthia
| majority_seats = 19
| turnout = 307,434 (71.7%)
{{increase}}3.0%
| image1 = 150x150px
| leader1 = Peter Kaiser
| party1 = Social Democratic Party of Austria
| last_election1 = 18 seats, 47.9%
| seats1 = 15
| seat_change1 = {{decrease}} 3
| popular_vote1 = 117,962
| percentage1 = 38.9%
| swing1 = {{decrease}} 9.0%
| image2 = 150x150px
| leader2 = Erwin Angerer
| party2 = Freedom Party of Austria
| last_election2 = 9 seats, 23.0%
| seats2 = 9
| seat_change2 = {{steady}} 0
| popular_vote2 = 74,329
| percentage2 = 24.5%
| swing2 = {{increase}} 1.6%
| image4 =
| leader4 = Martin Gruber
| party4 = Austrian People's Party (2017)
| last_election4 = 6 seats, 15.5%
| popular_vote4 = 51,637
| seats4 = 7
| seat_change4 = {{increase}}1
| percentage4 = 17.0%
| swing4 = {{increase}} 1.6%
| image5 = 150x150px
| leader5 = Gerhard Köfer
| party5 = TK
| colour5 = E5CC00
| last_election5 = 3 seats, 5.7%
| seats5 = 5
| seat_change5 = {{increase}} 2
| popular_vote5 = 30,549
| percentage5 = 10.1%
| swing5 = {{increase}} 4.4%
| map_image = Landtagswahlkarte Kärnten 2023.svg
| map_size = 350px
| map_caption = Results by municipality.
Light shade = relative majority.
Dark shade = absolute majority.
| title = Governor
| before_election = Peter Kaiser
| before_party = Social Democratic Party of Austria
| after_election = Peter Kaiser
| after_party = Social Democratic Party of Austria
}}
The 2023 Carinthian state election was held in the Austrian state of Carinthia on 5 March 2023.{{Cite web |author=Andrea Bergmann |date=2022-01-23 |title=Landtagswahl 2023: Noch stehen nicht alle Spitzenkandidaten fest |url=https://www.kleinezeitung.at/kaernten/6089306/Landtagswahl-2023_Noch-stehen-nicht-alle-Spitzenkandidaten-fest |access-date=2023-01-30 |website=Kleine Zeitung |language=de}}
Background
In the 2018 state election, the SPÖ became the strongest party with 47.9% of the vote. The FPÖ obtained 23.0%, the ÖVP obtained 15.5%, and the Team Carinthia achieved 5.7% of the vote.
Other parties like the BZÖ, ERDE, the Greens, the KPÖ and NEOS did not reach the electoral threshold of 5%.
In June 2017, the Proporz-system was abolished in Carinthia. As a result, a coalition between the SPÖ and the ÖVP was formed after the 2018 election, in which the SPÖ fell just one seat short of an absolute majority.
Electoral system
There is a 5% hurdle for entering the Carinthian state parliament, but parties can also win a seat outright in one of the 4 electoral constituencies (Grundmandat). Anyone who has their main residence in Carinthia and Austrian citizenship on the key date of January 3, 2023 and is at least 16 years old on the day of the election is entitled to vote. Parties need 100 declarations of support in each of the four constituencies or declarations of support from three members of the state parliament in order to gain ballot access. The deadline for submitting the declarations of support ended on 27 January 2023.
Contesting parties
The table below lists parties represented in the previous Landtag.
The candidacy of the parties represented in the state parliament (SPÖ, FPÖ, ÖVP and Team Carinthia) was secured from the start, with the signatures of at least 3 members of the Landtag.
| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2" colspan="3"| Name ! rowspan="2"| Ideology ! rowspan="2"| Leader ! colspan="3"| 2018 result |
| Votes (%)
! Seats |
|---|
| style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Austria}};"|
| style="text-align:center;"| SPÖ | Social Democratic Party of Austria | style="text-align:center;"| 47.9% | {{Composition bar|18|36|{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Austria}}}} |
| style="background:{{party color|Freedom Party of Austria}};"|
| style="text-align:center;"| FPÖ | Freedom Party of Austria | Right-wing populism | style="text-align:center;"| 23.0% | {{Composition bar|9|36|{{party color|Freedom Party of Austria}}}} |
| style="background:{{party color|Austrian People's Party (2017)}};"|
| style="text-align:center;"| ÖVP | Austrian People's Party | Martin Gruber | style="text-align:center;"| 15.5% | {{Composition bar|6|36|{{party color|Austrian People's Party (2017)}}}} |
| style="background:{{party color|Team Carinthia}};"|
| style="text-align:center;"| TK | Team Carinthia | Centrist Populism | Gerhard Köfer | style="text-align:center;"| 5.7% | {{Composition bar|3|36|{{party color|Team Carinthia}}}} |
Additional parties on the ballot
Due to their exit from the state parliament in the 2018 election, the Greens had to collect declarations of support in order to gain ballot access. The same applied to NEOS, which had never been represented in the Carinthian state parliament. The new Vision Austria party also tried to get declarations of support. The party was founded by Alexander Todor-Kostic, former state spokesman and designated top candidate of the MFG. The BZÖ tried to run together with other lists as part of the Free Citizens' Party under the name Alliance for Carinthia. The small environmentalist party Responsibility Earth, which achieved respectable success in 2018, will not run in 2023. The KPÖ and the Stark list were only able to gather enough signatures in a few constituencies.
The state elections authority thus announced on 27 January 2023 that nominations for the state elections on 5 March 2023 had been submitted by ten campaigning groups within the deadline.
The following 4 parties will also be on the ballot statewide (with their lead candidates):
- The Greens of Carinthia (abbreviation: GRÜNE) with lead candidate Olga Voglauer (Member of the National Council, state spokeswoman for the Greens).
- NEOS - for Freedom, Progress and Justice (abbreviation: NEOS) with lead candidate Janos Juvan (entrepreneur, municipal council member in Klagenfurt, NEOS state spokesman).
- Vision Austria - Carinthia state party (abbreviation: VÖ) with lead candidate Alexander Todor-Kostic. (Lawyer, Vision Austria federal party spokesman).
- Alliance for Carinthia, Together for Fresach, A Good Option, Free State of Carinthia, List Jörg (abbreviation: BFK) with lead candidate Karlheinz Klement (BZÖ General Secretary).
File:2022 Olga Voglauer (52359475219) (cropped) (cropped).jpg|{{Center|Olga Voglauer
(GRÜNE)}}
File:Alexander Todor-Kostic (cropped).jpg|{{Center|Alexander Todor-Kostic
(VÖ)}}
Only in constituencies 1 and 2 (Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt-Land, St. Veit an der Glan, Wolfsberg, Völkermarkt):
- List Stark (abbreviation: STARK) with lead candidate Johann Ehmann.
Only in constituency 3 (Villach, Villach-Land):
- Communist Party of Austria – Carinthia/Koroška (abbreviation: KPÖ) with lead candidate Karin Peuker.
After reviewing the election proposals, they were finally approved by the state electoral authority on Thursday, February 2, 2023.
Opinion polling
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;font-size:90%;line-height:14px;"
! rowspan="2" style="width:190px;" |Polling firm ! rowspan="2" style="width:130px;" |Fieldwork date ! rowspan="2" style="width:35px;" |Sample ! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;" |SPÖ ! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;" |FPÖ ! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;" |ÖVP ! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;" |TK ! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;" |Grüne ! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;" |NEOS ! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;" |MFG ! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" style="width:40px;" |Others ! rowspan="2" style="width:30px;" |Lead |
| style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Austria}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Freedom Party of Austria}};" | ! style="background:{{party color|Austrian People's Party (2017)}};" | ! style="background:{{party color|Team Carinthia}};" | ! style="background:{{party color|The Greens – The Green Alternative}};" | ! style="background:{{party color|NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum}};" | ! style="background:{{party color|MFG Austria – People Freedom Fundamental Rights}};"| |
|---|
| style="background:#E9E9E9;"
| 2023 state election | data-sort-value="2023-03-05"| 5 March 2023 | – | style="background:#F4C6C9;"| 38.9 | 24.6 | 17.0 | 10.1 | 3.9 | 2.6 | – | 3.0 | style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Austria}};color:#FFFFFF;"| 14.3 |
| Market-Lazarsfeld/ÖSTERREICH{{Cite web|url=https://www.oe24.at/oesterreich/politik/kaernten/umfrage-kaisers-spoe-bleibt-klare-nr-1/546609321|title=Umfrage: Kaisers SPÖ bleibt klare Nr. 1|work=oe24.at|date=2023-02-23|language=de-DE}}
|data-sort-value="2023-02-22" |20–22 Feb 2023 |860 |style="background:#F4C6C9;" |42 |26 |10 |12 |4 |4 |– |2 |style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Austria}};color:#FFFFFF;" |16 |
| Peter Hajek/Kleine Zeitung{{Cite web|url=https://dossiers.kleinezeitung.at/kaernten-landtagswahl-2023/index.html|title=Aktuelle Umfrage zur Kärntner Landtagswahl: Februar 2023|work=kleinezeitung.at|date=2023-02-19|language=de-DE}}
|data-sort-value="2023-02-17" |13–17 Feb 2023 |800 |style="background:#F4C6C9;" |43 |23 |11 |13 |4 |4 |– |2{{efn|name=VÖ|Vision Austria: 2 %}} |style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Austria}};color:#FFFFFF;" |20 |
| IFDD/Krone{{Cite web|url=https://www.krone.at/2929721|title=Umfrage: Für (fast) alle ist noch alles drinnen|work=krone.at|date=2023-02-15|language=de-DE}}
|data-sort-value="2023-02-15" |17 Jan–11 Feb 2023 |500 |style="background:#F4C6C9;" |46 |23 |10 |11 |5 |3 |– |2 |style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Austria}};color:#FFFFFF;" |23 |
| 2-morrow+telemark/5 min{{Cite web|url=https://www.5min.at/202209557693/polit-umfrage-zeigt-spoe-an-der-spitze-aber-tiefe-werte-fuer-oevp/|title=Umfrage zur Landtagswahl: Umfrage zeigt SPÖ an der Spitze, aber tiefe Werte für ÖVP|work=5min.at|date=2022-05-13|language=de-DE}}
|data-sort-value="2022-09-02" |18 Jul–16 Aug 2022 |600 |style="background:#F4C6C9;" |42 |20 |11 |10 |8 |4 |– |5 |style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Austria}};color:#FFFFFF;" |22 |
| Peter Hajek/Kleine Zeitung{{Cite web|url=https://kaernten.spoe.at/post/aktuelle-umfrage-zur-landtagswahl-2023-in-kaernten/|title=Aktuelle Umfrage zur Landtagswahl 2023 in Kärnten|work=SPÖ Kärnten|date=2022-03-06|language=de-DE}}
|data-sort-value="2022-03-06" |28 Feb–3 Mar 2022 |800 |style="background:#F4C6C9;" |48 |15 |13 |7 |4 |3 |7 |3 |style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Austria}};color:#FFFFFF;" |33 |
| style="background:#E9E9E9;"
| data-sort-value="2013-03-03" |4 Mar 2018 |– |style="background:#F4C6C9;" |47.9 |23.0 |15.5 |5.7 |3.1 |2.1 |– |2.7 |style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Austria}};color:#FFFFFF;" |20.3 |
Results
| class=wikitable style=text-align:right
| align=center colspan=7|File:Carinthie Landtag 2023.svg |
| colspan=2|Party
! Votes ! % ! +/− ! Seats ! +/− |
|---|
| bgcolor={{party color|Social Democratic Party of Austria}}|
| align=left| Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) | 117,962 | 38.94 | –9.00 | 15 | –3 |
| bgcolor={{party color|Freedom Party of Austria}}|
| align=left| Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) | 74,329 | 24.53 | +1.57 | 9 | ±0 |
| bgcolor={{party color|Austrian People's Party (2017)}}|
| align=left| Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) | 51,637 | 17.04 | +1.59 | 7 | +1 |
| bgcolor={{party color|Team Carinthia}}|
| align=left| Team Carinthia (TK) | 30,549 | 10.08 | +4.41 | 5 | +2 |
| bgcolor={{party color|The Greens – The Green Alternative}}|
| align=left| The Greens – The Green Alternative (GRÜNE) | 11,676 | 3.85 | +0.73 | 0 | ±0 |
| bgcolor={{party color|NEOS – The New Austria}}|
| align=left| NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum (NEOS) | 7,840 | 2.59 | +0.45 | 0 | ±0 |
| bgcolor={{party color|Vision Austria}}|
| align=left| Vision Austria (VÖ) | 7,191 | 2.37 | New | 0 | New |
| bgcolor={{party color|Alliance for the Future of Austria}}|
| align=left| Alliance for Carinthia (BFK) | 1,270 | 0.42 | New | 0 | New |
| bgcolor={{party color|Communist Party of Austria}}|
| align=left| Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) | 349 | 0.12 | –0.16 | 0 | ±0 |
| bgcolor=C0C0C0|
| align=left| List Stark (STARK) | 167 | 0.06 | New | 0 | New |
| colspan=2 align=left| Invalid/blank votes
| 4,464 | – | – | – | – |
| colspan=2 align=left| Total
| 307,434 | 100 | – | 36 | 0 |
| align=left colspan=2| Registered voters/turnout
| 428,929 | 71.67 | +3.04 | – | – |
| align=left colspan=8 |Source: [https://web.archive.org/web/20241203035133/https://www.ktn.gv.at/wahlen/ltwahl2023/ Carinthian Government] [https://landtagswahl-kaernten.at/ Carinthian Government (Maps, Analysis)] |
Aftermath
The SPÖ announced that it would negotiate with all 3 parties who are represented in the new Landtag, first with the FPÖ, then with the ÖVP and finally with the Team Carinthia. For the new term, experts predicted a continuation of the current SPÖ-ÖVP government.
On 14 March 2023, the SPÖ started official coalition talks with the ÖVP.
On 31 March 2023, the SPÖ and ÖVP announced the official renewal of their coalition for another term of 5 years.