in november 1945, the övp won a landslide victory in austria's first postwar election, winning almost half the popular vote and an absolute majority in the legislature. however, memories of the hyper-partisanship that had plagued the first republic prompted the övp to maintain the grand coalition with the social democratic party of austria (spö) that had governed the country since the restoration of independence in early 1945. the övp remained the senior partner in this coalition until 1966 and governed alone from 1966 to 1970. it reentered the government in 1986, but has never been completely out of power since the restoration of austrian independence in 1945 due to a longstanding tradition that all major interest groups were to be consulted on policy.