 In January, 2020 the SPÖ received almost 50% of the votes in regional elections in the State of Burgenland under the leadership of Hans Peter Doskozil, which gave him an absolute majority of seats in the Landtag, and allows him to govern without the support of a junior coalition partner.This surprising success raises the possibility that the SPÖ could reverse recent setbacks at the national level likewise, if it steered a more pragmatic course like Doskozil had done as Governor of Burgenland.The Freedom Party ("Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs", or FPÖ) is a right-wing populist political party that was founded in 1955 as a successor to the Federation of Independents.