1996 Ostric regional election

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1996 Ostric regional election

← 1994 24 March 1996 2000 →

All 15 seats in the Dorada
8 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
  Marek Czekalski.jpg Tomasz Posadzki.JPG Paweł Arndt Sejm 2016.JPG
Leader Jón Burgstaller Robert Szucher Arne Gotti
Party Social Democratic Radical People's Liberal
Leader since 1 March 1995 17 March 1984 20 January 1990
Last election 4 seats, 24.04% 5 seats, 32.38% 2 seats, 15.63%
Seats won 5 4 3
Seat change Increase1 Decrease1 Increase1
Popular vote 4,199 3,630 2,420
Percentage 30.49% 26.36 17.57%
Swing Increase6.45pp Decrease6.02pp Increase1.94pp

  Fourth party Fifth party
 
NKP
Leader Marek Szréber Adóm Messer
Party Ostric National Consolidation
Leader since 27 August 1994 3 June 1993
Last election 2 seats, 13.49% 2 seats, 11.45%
Seats won 2 1
Seat change Steady Decrease1
Popular vote 1,567 1,511
Percentage 11.38% 10.97%
Swing Decrease2.11pp Decrease0.48pp

Minister-Chairman before election

Jón Burgstaller
Social Democratic Radical

Minister-Chairman

Jón Burgstaller
Social Democratic Radical

The 4th Ostric regional election occurred on 24 March 1996. Called just over a year after the previous election, the snap election saw a tight race between the Social Democratic Radical Party, the Ostric People's Party, and the Ostric Liberal Party, with all three parties gaining well over 15 percent of the vote. In the end, the SRPO and People's Party entered a grand coalition.

Background

Winning only a plurality in the previous election, the Ostric People's Party under Robert Szucher faced difficulty passing its platform, especially the 1995 budget, as the unionist opposition called for new elections. This reached a head during late 1995 and early 1996, when the government tried to gain approval for a referendum on independence.

In February of 1996, the SRPO successfully passed a vote of no confidence against the Szucher government, granting the opposition the chance to form its own coalition. A governing majority was formed from the SRPO, Liberals, and NKP under the leadership of SRPO leader Jón Burgstaller as Minister-Chairman. However, the new "unity government" failed to agree on a regional budget, instead calling for new election mere weeks after its formation.

Electoral system

The electorate elects all fifteen members of the Dorada using single non-transferable vote in one island-wide multi-member constituency.

Results

Party Votes % Seats +/–
Social Democratic Radical Party 4,199 30.49 5 +1
Ostric People's Party 3,630 26.36 4 –1
Ostric Liberal Party 2,420 17.57 3 +1
Ostric Party 1,567 11.38 2 0
National Consolidation Party 1,511 10.97 1 –1
Green Party 445 3.23 0 0
Total 13,772 100 15 0
Registered voters/turnout 17,798 77.38
Popular vote
SRPO
30.49%
ÒSL
26.36%
OLP
17.57%
11.38%
NKP
10.97%
Greens
3.23%
Seats
SRPO
33.33%
ÒSL
26.67%
OLP
20.00%
13.33%
NKP
6.67%

Reactions

After the results of the election where announced, Ostric media questioned how the new government would be form, although it seemed clear that Burgstaller and his SRPO would stay in government. Initially a SRPO-Liberal coalition was discussed, but worry over the unpopular 1990-94 coalition agreement and disapproval from the parties' federal counterparts caused negotiations to stall.

With an unionist government seemingly hard to form, Burgstaller proposed a "Red-Green" coalition with the People's Party, crossing nationalist-unionist boundaries to create a purely left-leaning and regionalist governing majority. People's Party leader Robert Szucher agreed to the terms, forming the first cross-sectarian government in Ostric politics.