Well, the stream analysis is here. Unsurprisingly, the largest stream went from all parties to the non-voters - over 100.000 people who voted in 2001 decided to stay home this time. The biggest number of them, a rough 75.000, left the social democrats - which, again, is no surprise, because it was always clear that they would win by far. The freedom party lost half its’ voters to the soc-dems, and the other half to the non-voters, and exhanged voters with the conservatives on a 2:1 scale. The conservatives gained some 27.000 voters from the social democrats, but had 23.000 moving on to the reds, and another 12.000 to freedom and green party. The green party gained equal amounts from the conservatives and the social democrats, and lost about as many votes to non-voters as they recruited from there.

The only interesting thing about all this is that the social democrats were able to recruit some 20.000 votes from “other parties” - the communists, various district-only parties and the odd “Donald Duck for mayor” type, something no other party managed to do. This, besides the rather low voter turnout of 59,95%, might be a signal of a slighty growing democratic sense in the population. Or it might be a glitch, we’ll see about that in the following votes.

Now, some commentary. People are strange. The freedom party was the only party this time with net losses, and substantial ones at that, they are the only party >5% that was unable to get control of even one district in the city, they lost over 5% of they voters, and they are the winners, just because it could have been worse? Please.

The real winner, in my opinion, is the green party, because, as was just announced, they were indeed able to snatch another district. Besides the Neubau, they now will control - get this - the Josefstadt, previously one of the most conservative districts in the city. Seems I should have gone to the party after all. But then, who would bring all this to the non-German speaking masses? Exactly. Cheers!