Carinthian Slovenian elected to state assembly
Landhaus Klagenfurt, the seat of the Carinthian parliament.
Photo: Bor Slana/STA
Franc Jožef Smrtnik, a member of the Slovenian ethnic minority in the Austrian province of Carinthia, made it to the 36-member state assembly in the 5 March local election. He ran for Team Kärnten. So far, Carinthian Slovenian Ana Blatnik from the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) has served as an assembly member.
Smrtnik, the former mayor of Železna Kapla/Eisenkappel, told the minority weekly Novice that Team Kärnten had accomplished an exceptional feat. He praised the leader of the list, Gerhard Köfer, for giving a Carinthian Slovenian the opportunity to enter the state assembly.
"We are making history again," Smrtnik said. "I'm proud to be able to be part of this team and I'm sure that it will be possible to make some progress in the coming years."
The National Council of Carinthian Slovenians (NSKS), one of the main minority organisations, described Smrtnik as an experienced politician who they expect will represent the minority in the assembly in the best possible way.
Bernard Sadovnik, the head of the Community of Carinthian Slovenians, said Smrtnik's election strengthened the minority's position and proved that society had opened up to Carinthian Slovenians.
"Smrtnik also proved that it does not harm parties if they place representatives of the Slovenian minority on their lists," he said, noting that Team Kärnten had been gaining support throughout the entire state.
As yet incomplete election results show the SPÖ emerged as a relative winner but lost three seats to 15. The Freedom Party (FPÖ) kept nine seats and the People's Party (ÖVP) gained one to seven. Team Kärnten gained two seats to five.
The Greens with ethnic Slovenian Olga Voglauer as the top candidate once again failed to make it to the state assembly in Klagenfurt. Voglauer serves as a member of the federal parliament in Vienna.
There is still a possibility that Manuel Jug, the president of the Association of Slovenian Organisations (ZSO), will make it to the assembly. He ran for the SPÖ as the 18th candidate. The party won 15 seats, but if it forms a government coalition he could make it as a substitute member.
Commenting on the results, Slovenian minority organisations expressed the hope that the SPÖ's Peter Kaiser will stay on as the governor of Carinthia.
Jug said the best option for the minority would be a coalition of the SPÖ and the ÖVP, which has been in power so far.
The NSKS believes the two parties have run the state "rather harmoniously", and Kaiser would be the best possible candidate for the governor as far as Slovenians are concerned.
Sadovnik would like a new coalition to be positive for the minority.
The NSKS and Jug noted that the FPÖ, which had campaigned against the minority and what it called "Slovenisation" of Carinthia, failed to improve its standing in the state assembly.