2020 Burgenland state election


The Burgenland state election of 2020 was held in the Austrian state of Burgenland on 26 January 2020. The election was called earlier than they were originally due in May after fallout from the Ibiza-gate scandal. The major parties both gained votes, with the Social Democratic Party gaining 8% more of the vote compared to 2015 and the Austrian People's Party coming second with 30.5% of the votes, 1.5% more than the last election. Third-parties such as the Freedom Party and the regional LBL lost voters, with the List Burgenland losing its representation in the landtag.
The Social Democrats gained a majority of the seats, which reverses the trend of losses after the national election the prior year. Under the leadership of Hans-Peter Doskozil, the party has shifted rightwards on issues such as immigration and security, likely in order to stave off the ÖVP, which rose nationally in the years prior. The election continues the SPÖ streak of having held the governorship of Burgenland - the least populous state - since 1964. Hans-Peter Doskozil was sworn in for another term on 17 February 2020 along with the first woman to serve as deputy governor, Astrid Eisenkopf.

Results

The SPÖ was able to gain four seats, at the expense of the FPÖ and List Burgenland, and reached the threshold of having a legislative majority without the need for a coalition.