The five parliamentary parties will participate in the elections for the National Council on 29 September. They have already largely positioned themselves for the autumn elections. The extra-parliamentary lists, on the other hand, will have to collect expressions of support in the coming weeks. With the exception of the FPÖ, the parties represented in the National Council have already finalised their lists and officially chosen their top candidates.
ÖVP
The ÖVP only presented its federal list last Friday – and as expected, chose Chancellor Karl Nehammer as the top candidate by circular resolution without much fuss. Nehammer is followed by State Secretary for Youth Claudia Plakolm and Finance Minister Magnus Brunner on the federal list. The list was very busy this time, but the People’s Party must expect a loss compared to the 2019 result – when the ÖVP, with Sebastian Kurz as the top candidate, received 37.5 percent of the votes.
The EU election results recently sparked optimism within the party, as the ÖVP lost first place and more than ten percentage points, but ultimately ended up much closer to the FPÖ than was generally expected. The ÖVP has been in election campaign mode since the end of January, when Nehammer presented his ‘Austria plan’. The People’s Party will officially start the election campaign in mid-August.
SPÖ
The SPÖ already established its federal list at the end of April. In terms of its program, the largest opposition party has already driven in numerous stakes in recent months. Party leader Andreas Babler, who was elected a year ago, will be the top candidate in the elections for the first time.
After the modest election results of the Social Democrats in the EU elections in early June, there is great pressure within the party on the mayor of Traiskirchen. Doris Bures, chairwoman of the second National Council, is in second place behind Babler, followed by FSG boss Josef Muchitsch. Under the motto “Heart and Brain”, Babler has been touring the country for weeks and promoting a “reform chancellor” under his leadership. The party wants to officially start the intensive election campaign on 29 August in Linz.
FPÖ
The Freedom Party has also been in election campaign mode for some time, but they are taking their time to compile the list. No federal list has been submitted yet. According to reports, this could be the case at the end of July. In any case, it is already certain that the FPÖ will enter the election campaign with list leader Herbert Kickl as the top candidate.
According to surveys, the Blues have a very good chance of becoming the strongest party in the National Council elections for the first time after the EU elections. In this case, the self-proclaimed “People’s Chancellor” Kickl would claim the chancellorship. So far, however, no party wants to support this in a coalition.
GREENS
The Greens decided on their list of candidates during a federal congress in Vienna on 22 June. The top candidate for the National Council elections is party leader Werner Kogler. Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler and Justice Minister Alma Zadić are following them. The Eco Party is campaigning for the first time as a governing party in the National Council elections.
The Greens have recently managed to sharpen their profile and distinguish themselves from their coalition partners with the escalation of the conflict with the ÖVP over the EU renaturation law. However, the bar for the elections is high after the good result in the 2019 National Council elections, when the party made a comeback in the National Council with 13.9 percent. The goal is further government participation. The ÖVP has in any case ruled out any further cooperation with Gewessler.
NEOS
The NEOS were the first party to set their lists in April. As in the last National Council elections in 2019, party leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger is the driving force. The Pinks’ stated goal is to finally have a say in the government after the elections.
Stephanie Krisper is running for second place on the list, followed by entrepreneur Sepp Schellhorn, who has returned to politics. The official start of the campaign is scheduled for August 23.
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.
