Far-right FPÖ party offers substantial support, yet fiercely undermines Ludwig
Let's break it down: The Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) partied hard on Sunday, but their jubilation in Vienna may have been premature. Despite hailing their second-place finish as a "great comeback story," they actually scored their fifth-best result in the city. In 2015, they had a whopping 30% of the votes—a mark they didn't quite surpass this time around.
At the FPÖ election party in Lichtenfelsgasse on Sunday evening, Vienna's FPÖ chief Dominik Nepp was all smiles, declaring, "We're number two in Vienna—that's a strong libertarian sign!" But was it really cause for celebration? When you delve deeper into the numbers, it becomes clear that the FPÖ's recent performance, while significant, didn't set any records.
Truth be told, the FPÖ didn't exactly nail it in Vienna. In fact, they fell short of their historic highs in '91, '96, and 2010. A majority to the right of the center, or even the mayor's seat, still seems an elusive dream.
A Closer Look at the FPÖ's Strongest Areas:
While it's true that 29% of voters came from the ÖVP and 26% from the SPÖ, the FPÖ did not come close to unseating Mayor Michael Ludwig's SPÖ. In Simmering, the Blues reached 33.6%, but the SPÖ remained dominant with over 40%. In Floridsdorf, Nepp was a good 11 points behind the Reds, and in the supposed crisis hotspot of Favoriten, it was more than 15 points.
In essence, the FPÖ's attempt to transform Austria into an illiberal democracy fell flat this time around. But don't count them out just yet—their next chance may not come for five more years.
A Quick Recap: The highest election result ever achieved by the FPÖ in Vienna was way back in 2015, with a whopping 30% of the votes. This year, they managed to triple their vote share from the previous election, landing at nearly 21%, but it still didn't match their peak level. Here's a snapshot of their performance in Vienna over the years:
| Year | FPÖ Vote Share in Vienna ||------|---------------------------|| 2025 | 20.8% || 2015 | 30% || 2020 | Approximately 7.1% |
- The FPÖ's Vienna chief, Dominik Nepp, claimed a "strong libertarian sign" after securing the second-place finish in Vienna, despite the result not setting any records.
- In the general news, the FPÖ didn't quite surpass their historic highs in Vienna, recorded in 1991, 1996, and 2010, and a majority or the mayor's seat remains an elusive dream.
- Although the FPÖ did triple their vote share from the previous election and landed at nearly 21% this year, it still didn't match their peak level attained in 2015 with a whopping 30% of the votes.
- In recent elections, the FPÖ's performance in Vienna has shown variability, with lower vote shares in 2020 (approximately 7.1%) when compared to their historic highs and the 2015 peak of 30%.
