Has the headscarf ban, the ban on God’s Commandment, paid off for the prohibitionists? Surprise, surprise: the latest end-of-year polls paint a sobering picture for Austria’s three-party coalition. In the APA polling average, the ÖVP and SPÖ reach 18.9 and 18 percent respectively—together not even matching the current level of the FPÖ, which has further extended its lead since the government took office.

SPÖ headquarters in Vienna – the table shows the abbreviation for “Bed and Breakfast”, now that the FPÖ has twice as many votes in the current polls, even more than the SPÖ and ÖVP combined.

Three hundred days after the swearing-in of the black–red–pink coalition, there has been little sign of optimism in the polls. The early adoption of a strict austerity course, combined with a generally tense situation, has weighed on public support. After a brief period of stabilization at a low level, ÖVP and SPÖ have been losing ground again since summer.

With 18.9 percent, the chancellor’s party is close to its mid-January low and has been below the 20 percent mark for weeks —far from the 26.3 percent it achieved in the September 2024 parliamentary election. The SPÖ has also failed to benefit from governing, remaining below 20 percent for months. The smallest coalition partner appears more stable: the Neos are polling at around 9.6 percent, slightly above their election result.

By contrast, the Freedom Party is clearly benefiting, having topped all polls for three years. After winning the 2024 election, the FPÖ continued to gain support and now stands at 37.4 percent in the current polling trend. The Greens have recently managed to stabilize somewhat and are holding steady above the ten-percent mark at around 10.9 percent, though well below their former highs.

By Okay Altinisik | 29-12-2025, 13:38:41

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