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2005 Styrian state election


FieldValue
election_name2005 Styrian state election
countryStyria
flag_yearstate
typeparliamentary
previous_election2000 Styrian state election
previous_year2000
next_election2010 Styrian state election
next_year2010
election_date2 October 2005
seats_for_electionAll 56 seats in the Landtag of Styria
29 seats needed for a majority
All 9 seats in the state government
turnout708,311 (76.2%)
1.5%
image1[[File:Pressekonferenz Wohnen leistbar machen (8612434823).jpg150x150px]]
leader1Franz Voves
party1Social Democratic Party of Austria
last_election119 seats, 32.3%
seats125
seat_change16
popular_vote1290,859
percentage141.7%
swing19.4%
image2
leader2Waltraud Klasnic
party2Austrian People's Party
last_election227 seats, 47.3%
popular_vote2269,905
seats224
seat_change23
percentage238.7%
swing28.6%
image3[[File:Ernest Kaltenegger.jpg150x150px]]
leader3Ernest Kaltenegger
party3Communist Party of Austria
last_election30 seats, 1.0%
seats34
seat_change34
popular_vote344,247
percentage36.3%
swing35.3%
party4The Greens – The Green Alternative
last_election43 seats, 5.6%
seats43
seat_change40
popular_vote433,013
percentage44.7%
swing40.9%
party5Freedom Party of Austria
last_election57 seats, 12.4%
seats50
seat_change57
popular_vote531,807
percentage54.6%
swing57.8%
titleGovernor
before_electionWaltraud Klasnic
before_partyAustrian People's Party
after_electionFranz Voves
after_partySocial Democratic Party of Austria

29 seats needed for a majority All 9 seats in the state government 1.5%

The 2005 Styrian state election was held on 2 October 2005 to elect the members of the Landtag of Styria.

The result was a historic defeat for the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), who had governed the state uninterrupted since 1945. The Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) became the largest party on a swing of over nine percentage points. The election was also significant in other ways: the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) lost all its seats for the first time since entering the Landtag in 1949, and suffered its worst result since 1974 in terms of vote share. Conversely, the Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) returned to the Landtag after a 35-year absence. It became the third largest party with four seats.

SPÖ leader Franz Voves became the new Governor of Styria. Outgoing Governor Waltraud Klasnic sought to remain regional ÖVP leader, but was forced to resign shortly after the election.

Background

Prior to amendments made in 2011, the Styrian constitution mandated that cabinet positions in the state government (state councillors, ) be allocated between parties proportionally in accordance with the share of votes won by each; this is known as Proporz. As such, the government was a perpetual coalition of all parties that qualified for at least one state councillor.

The 2000 election was a decisive victory for the ÖVP, which improved its vote share by eleven points to 47%, falling two seats short of an absolute majority. This was balanced by losses for the SPÖ, FPÖ, and Liberal Forum.

The KPÖ gained national attention after an unexpected record showing in the 2003 local elections in Graz, the capital of Styria, winning 21% and becoming the third largest party in the municipal council. This was attributed to an effective campaign and the popularity of leader Ernest Kaltenegger. The party gained popularity statewide in the aftermath, particularly after Kaltenegger was announced as lead candidate for the 2005 state election.

Electoral system

The 56 seats of the Landtag of Styria were elected via open list proportional representation in a two-step process. 48 of the seats were distributed between four multi-member constituencies. For parties to receive any representation in the Landtag, they must win at least one seat in a constituency directly. Seats were distributed in constituencies according to the Hare quota, with nine leveling seats allocated using the D'Hondt method at the state level, to ensure overall proportionality between a party's vote share and its share of seats.

Contesting parties

NameIdeologyLeader2000 resultVotes (%)SeatsCouncillors
Austrian People's Party}};"ÖVPAustrian People's Party
Österreichische VolksparteiChristian democracyWaltraud Klasnic47.3%
Social Democratic Party of Austria}};"SPÖSocial Democratic Party of Austria
Sozialdemokratische Partei ÖsterreichsSocial democracyFranz Voves32.3%
Freedom Party of Austria}};"FPÖFreedom Party of Austria
Freiheitliche Partei ÖsterreichsRight-wing populism
Euroscepticism?12.4%
The Greens – The Green Alternative}};"GRÜNEThe Greens – The Green Alternative
Die Grünen – Die Grüne AlternativeGreen politics?5.6%

In addition to the parties already represented in the Landtag, four parties collected enough signatures to be placed on the ballot:

  • Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ)
  • Hirschmann List (LH)
  • Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ)
  • Party-free List (Parteifrei)

Results

PartyVotes%+/−Seats+/−Coun.+/−
Social Democratic Party of Austria}}Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ)290,85941.67+9.3525+65
Austrian People's Party}}Austrian People's Party (ÖVP)269,90538.66–8.6424–34
Communist Party of Austria}}Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ)44,2476.34+5.314+40
The Greens – The Green Alternative}}The Greens – The Green Alternative (GRÜNE)33,0134.73–0.883±00
Freedom Party of Austria}}Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ)31,8074.56–7.850–70
Hirschmann List (LH)14,3092.05New0New0
Alliance for the Future of Austria}}Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ)11,9771.72New0New0
Party-free List (Parteifrei)1,9620.28New0New0
Invalid/blank votes10,232
Total708,31110056090
Registered voters/turnout929,79576.18+1.54
Source: Styrian Government

Results by constituency

ConstituencySPÖÖVPKPÖGrüneFPÖOthersTotal
seatsTurnoutSocial Democratic Party of Austria}};"Austrian People's Party}};"Communist Party of Austria}};"The Greens – The Green Alternative}};"Freedom Party of Austria}};"%class=unsortableS%class=unsortableS%class=unsortableS%class=unsortableS%class=unsortableS%
District 136.1633.6611.228.615.15.41570.6
District 242.4442.944.43.13.43.8877.9
District 332.8451.963.74.94.33.51080.7
District 452.5931.654.92.84.93.41477.8
State seats23229
Total41.72538.7246.344.734.604.15676.2
Source: Styrian Government

References

References

  1. (19 April 2014). "Klutz instead of World Revolution". [[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]].
  2. "Landtag election on 26 September 2010". Styrian Government.
Info: Wikipedia Source

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