2009 Carinthian state election
The 2009 Carinthian state election was held on 1 March 2009 to elect the members of the Landtag of Carinthia.
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All 36 seats in the Landtag of Carinthia 19 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 362,680 (82.8%) 3.1% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The election took place five months after the death of Governor Jörg Haider, long-time leader of the Freedom Party in Carinthia (FPK). He was succeeded by Gerhard Dörfler. The FPK had split from the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) when Haider formed the Alliance for the Future of Austria in 2005, and without its veteran leader, the party's future was uncertain. Nonetheless, Dörfler managed to retain the FPK's position and even increase its voteshare to an all-time high of almost 45%. The opposition Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) suffered major losses, but remained in second place. The Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) made gains, and The Greens narrowly retained their seats. The FPÖ's new state branch won just 3.8% and failed to enter the Landtag at all.
The FPK managed to secure a majority in the state government for the first time, but was still two seats short in the Landtag. The party subsequently formed a coalition with the ÖVP.