Freedom Party in Lower Austria Gains Nine New Members. The new members of the state parliament in Lower Austria for the Freedom Party (FPÖ) have been confirmed, with three more yet to be named. These newcomers will be part of the largest group of FPÖ representatives to ever be present in the state parliament. This comes after the Lower Austrian state election held on January 29, which saw the FPÖ win 24.19 percent of the vote, an increase of 9.43 percentage points.
Edith Mühlberghuber, who is moving from the National Council to the state parliament, and Werner Herbert, the top candidate from the district of Bruck a.d. Leitha, are among the nine new members. The others include Martin Antauer from St. Pölten, Richard Punz from Melk, Christoph Luisser from Mödling, Hubert Keyl from Korneuburg, Peter Gerstner from Baden, Andreas Bors from Tulln, Susanne Rosenkranz from Krems, and Alexander Schnabel from Amstetten.
While the names of the three government members have not been released, it has been confirmed that they will come from the group of 14 state parliament members nominated by the FPÖ. Additionally, three more representatives will be nominated.
Udo Landbauer, the FPÖ state party and parliamentary leader, has demanded “negotiations on equal footing” from the ÖVP following the election. Landbauer believes that “the will of the voters must be implemented,” adding that “the Lower Austrians have chosen an honest change.”
The FPÖ has made its stance clear, with Landbauer stating that their principle for negotiations and future work in the state parliament is “Lower Austria first.” Landbauer stated that the FPÖ will negotiate on behalf of the voters, with a focus on “noticeable relief for families in the fight against price explosion, the asylum chaos must be fought consistently, and corruption must be smashed.”
The FPÖ’s success in the election has granted them a deputy governor, two other government members, 14 state parliamentarians, and three federal councilors. This is the first time the party has achieved a basic mandate in six districts, including Amstetten, Baden, Melk, Neunkirchen, St. Pölten, and Wiener Neustadt.
The future work of the FPÖ in Lower Austria’s state parliament remains to be seen, but the party has made it clear that they will be negotiating for the best content for children, families, workers, and seniors in the state.