Meet The Other Parties
The Freedom Party, the Beer Party, and the Communist Party are some of the other factions competing for votes ahead of Austria's parliamentary elections
Servus!
I hope you’ve been receiving and reading the recent series of newsletters called “Meet the Parties” in which Austria’s leading political parties have addressed critical questions about the economy, healthcare, and national security. The series featured interviews with the center-right People’s Party (ÖVP), the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPÖ), the Greens, and the liberal NEOS. These, of course, are not the only parties running in the parliamentary elections on September 29, and so I wanted to round out the series by introducing the other parties competing for votes.
Before that, though, here is the current state of the race. The far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) continues to hold a lead in public polling, maintaining a polling average of 27 percent—down from a high of 30 percent in December 2023. Second are the ÖVP on 23 percent, followed by the SPÖ on 22 percent, the NEOS on 10 percent, the Greens on 8 percent, and the Beer Party on 5 percent. Polling at 2 percent, the Communist Party (KPÖ) look unlikely to pass the electoral threshold, though the political situation in Austria remains rather volatile.
The Freedom Party (FPÖ) is a far-right populist party that is aiming for a return to government for the first time since its coalition with the ÖVP ended in 2019. The party describes its values as “freedom, security, peace, and prosperity for Austria and its people.” Central to its agenda is its policy on migration: a halt to all asylum and the creation of a hostile environment for asylum seekers. The FPÖ holds to a broadly liberal economic agenda and also supports upholding Austria’s permanent neutrality by not backing, either financially or militarily, Ukraine in its war versus Russia.
The Beer Party is a populist protest party founded in 2015 by the musician Dominik Wlazny, also known as Marco Pogo. Wlazny ran for president in 2022, achieving 8.3 percent of the vote. The Beer Party has a left-of-center agenda and stands for what it calls a “depoliticization of politics.” This includes establishing a “ministry for the future” dedicated to ideas and reforms with long-term goals and independent commissions that would decide on ministerial appointments. The Beer Party also backs an end to fixed-term rental contracts offered by commercial providers and greater provision of German classes for new immigrants.
The Communist Party (KPÖ) has been around for over 100 years but has not achieved parliamentary representation since the mid-1950s. The centerpiece of its agenda today is housing. It wants to anchor a right to housing in the constitution and institute policies like a rent price cap and an end to time-limited rental contracts. The KPÖ supports maintaining Austrian neutrality and opposes the government’s policy of joining the common air defense European Sky Shield Initiative.
The Liste Madeleine Petrovic is a new faction founded by former Green Party leader Madeleine Petrovic, known in recent years for her esoteric, COVID-skeptic views. Petrovic also opposes her former party’s support for Ukraine. Wandel is, like the KPÖ, a far-left party. It will appear on the ballot as KEINE VON DENEN. Wandel supports a “departure from capitalism,” the introduction of a four-day working week and universal basic income, and the “democratization of the economy.” In addition to these nine parties running nationally, other minor parties may appear on the ballot in the state in which you are voting as well.
Bis bald!
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