New Role As Opposition Party and Return To Power
The end of the grand coalition left many within the party embittered with the ÖVP and what was perceived as a sell-out. Alfred Gusenbauer became new party chairman and started restructuring the party politically, organisationally and financially. In the snap elections of November 2002 the party lost its position as strongest party to the conservative ÖVP, which was able to win a resounding victory at the expense of the Social Democrats and the FPÖ. The SPÖ got 36.5% of all votes, ending up with 69 seats in the National Council. It had 23 seats in the Federal Council. Nevertheless in a number of state elections, the SPÖ was able to win votes back and even made inroads in traditionally conservative-ruled states. Outside its traditional strongholds of Vienna and Burgenland, the party surprisingly won state elections in Styria and Salzburg, forming the new state governments there.
The SPÖ candidate Heinz Fischer won the presidential elections in April 2004 against conservative ÖVP contender Benita Ferrero-Waldner. Thus an ÖVP-led government stood opposite a Social Democrat president. President Fischer repeatedly made statements that stood in contrast to the official stance of the government, such as the speaking out for the equality of homosexuals as well as calling for better treatment of immigrants.
In June 2004, the SPÖ fared well in the elections to the European Parliament, winning 33.5% of the Austrian votes cast, thus receiving nine seats (out of a total of 18 Austrian seats) and becoming strongest Austrian party. This was seen as a welcome sign for upcoming national elections in 2006. Due to the banking scandal of the BAWAG, which was close to the unions, confidence has been greatly shaken how the party will in future separate financial dealings from politics.
In the 2006 National Elections the SPÖ to the surprise of many became Austria's largest party with 68 seats (67 plus the chairman of the Liberal Forum running on the SPÖ electoral list) to the ÖVP's 66. In the long protracted coalition negotiations that followed a grand coalition was formed with Gusenbauer as Chancellor in a grand coalition with the ÖVP which was finally sworn in January 2007, 3 months after the elections.
Read more about this topic: Social Democratic Party Of Austria
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