At least eight parties could participate in the vote in next fall’s National Council elections. Some small parties still have to collect signatures before then to be allowed to run. The deadline is July 9.
From this day on, the KPÖ, the Beer Party and the list of former Green Party leader Madeleine Petrovic, among others, can collect expressions of support. To compete throughout Austria, 2,600 are needed. Alternatively, the support of at least three members of the National Council is sufficient – the larger parties ÖVP, FPÖ, SPÖ, the Greens and NEOS can use this.
The 2,600 signatures should not be an obstacle for the KPÖ, which was also able to participate in the European elections. The communists have also historically participated reliably in National Council elections, but were only represented in the National Council from 1945 to 1959. At the time, they achieved a result of around five percent. In the last National Council elections this was only 0.7 percent. The KPÖ is mainly present in Salzburg and Styria, where Elke Kahr is mayor of Graz. In Innsbruck, the party has also been represented in the municipal council since April.
Surveys predict that the Beer Party will take over
Another small party that is expected to have a good chance of success is Dominik Wlazny’s Beer Party. This started in 2015 as a satirical project and called for, among other things, a beer fountain. Since the elections in Vienna, the party has been present in several district councils. In the fall of 2022, Wlazny participated in the federal presidential elections and came third with 8.3 percent. Research shows that the beer party has a good chance of ending up in the National Council.
Also wanting to run is the former leader of the Green Party, Madeleine Petrovic, who largely consists of former Greens and the ‘GGI Initiative’ – initially ‘Greens against Mandatory Vaccination & 2G’, now ‘Green Association for Fundamental Rights and Freedom of Information ‘ want to try ‘The Change’, the ‘SERVUS party’, ‘De Geelen’, the ‘Independent Austrians (DUO)’ or the ‘Democratic Alternative’.
Eight lists participated in 2019
In the last National Council elections in 2019, eight lists competed nationally; the JETZT list of former Green Party member Peter Pilz, the KPÖ and “Der Wandel” did not end up on the list. Five other lists competed in individual states, including the Beer Fest in Vienna.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
