Can Austria's Communist Party get enough votes to enter the parliament?
The Communist KPÖ surprised opponents and themselves when they scored 11.7 percent of votes in the Salzburg state elections this year. Since then, the Communists have announced they will run in the Austrian legislative elections in autumn 2024. What are their chances to enter parliament and become a new political player? The Local talked to Austrian political advisor Thomas Hofer.
KPÖ’s victory in Salzburg last spring caused prompt reactions on a national and international scale. Critics warned of increasing populist tendencies, with the far-right FPÖ and far-left KPÖ being the only parties to win new seats in the Landtag. International media like Germany’s Die Zeit recalled the party’s previous successes in Graz, which Communist mayor Elke Kahr has governed since November 2021.
The fact that they could gain votes even in rural areas during the Salzburg elections surprised political advisor Thomas Hofer. “Generally speaking, KPÖ’s success in Salzburg is partly the result of a technically strong and very convincing campaign", he told The Local. The expert refers, for example, to a promotion clip in which top KPÖ candidate Kay-Michael Dankl criticised the governing centre-right ÖVP for renting out a 160,000 m2 golf resort for only € 1,200 a month – a price often charged for a small flat in Salzburg.
In their campaign, the Communists addressed not only the increasing issue of affordable housing in Austria but also Dankl spoke of a corrupted “parallel society” of a wealthy elite among the ruling ÖVP, a party with some member facing corruption scandals. With such statements, the Communists started appealing to people who cast protest votes or wouldn’t go to the ballots at all.
Ditching the 'commies' tag
“The Commies are coming!” (“Die Kummerln kommen!”) was the alarming headline of a rather critical article published in the Austrian print magazine Wirtschaftsnachrichten in May 2023 after the Salzburg elections. It raised the question of why a party that "cares for the poor and neglected ones" would still cling to a Communist name, reinvoking a dark and brutal past. “KPÖ Plus, as the party is now called, would indeed be more successful if they ditched the K and renamed themselves only Plus,” Hofer remarks.
Many Austrians, especially those among the older generations, associate Communism with the Russian occupation in the eastern parts of Austria after the Second World War –traumatising memories for many. They also associate Communism with the Iron Curtain, when the borders to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary were strictly patrolled and secured with barbed wire fences and landmines.
KPÖ members do not see such associations, though. They stick to the “K” as in “kommunistisch” because they consider it a critique of the neo-liberal paradigm. The Communist Party has “clearly distanced itself from dictatorships,” Kay-Michael Dankl said in an interview, adding that “if you look for Putin fans, you’ll be more likely to find them in the Austrian Economic Chambers or the OMV (Austria’s oil and petrol company).”
In the eyes of Thomas Hofer, the name is one of the party’s weakest spots – besides the argument that one vote for the Communists will be one less for the centre-left SPÖ and the Greens, likely favouring the far-right FPÖ. So what made the party successful despite its name?
One year after KPÖ member Elke Kahr had been elected mayor in Graz, many citizens appeared positively surprised by the party’s factual and constructive approach. Kahr is head of a city senate (Stadtsenat) consisting of five other city council members, of which two belong to the KPÖ, one to the Greens and two to the ÖVP. Decisions are based on consensus or a majority vote.
Critics admonish that Graz has barely changed since Kahr is in office as there’s not “much room to make things new” in the city council. Others, however, notice some positive changes, such as citizens participating in discussions about pedestrian zones or cycle paths in the city. KPÖ Graz also refers to successful projects involving housing for homeless young people and improved child care this year.
“KPÖ's charitable approach, their hands-on mentality when it comes to supporting disadvantaged and homeless people, is an asset for sure,” expert Thomas Hofer points out. Indeed, housing and donating money to those in need have been on top of the party’s agenda.
Am Samstag ist die Holzaktion. Wir haben das ganze Jahr gesammelt; unser Lager ist gefüllt. Nun geht es ans ausliefern. Wenn ihr Menschen kennt, denen mit dieser kleinen Holzspende geholfen ist, bitte gerne melden. Wir liefern in ganz Innsbruck ❤️ KPÖ bringt Wärme in die Häuser. pic.twitter.com/qxqL3oBfrI
— KPÖ Tirol (@kpoe_tirol) December 12, 2023
Pictured is a social action by KPÖ in Tyrol, where the party distributed free wooden pallets ahead of winter.
Controversial demands
Controversial topics – such as their call for open borders and safer asylum routes or demands for demilitarisation in Europe despite the Russian-Ukrainian war – will likely not be addressed at all in their next campaign. They would be less popular, even among protest voters.
Still, the expert believes that the KPÖ’s attacks on the EU as a community exploited by neo-liberal players and their seemingly unrealistic demands for an unconditional minimum income won’t do them any harm.
“Even with their new leader Andreas Babler, the Social Democrats aren’t in a position to make controversial demands like that,” Thomas Hofer explains. “This could turn out to be one major advantage for the KPÖ, who isn’t targeting larger parts of the population but trying to win protest votes instead.”
KPÖ seats in parliament will depend on Babler’s performance
It isn’t easy to predict whether the KPÖ will be able to win a seat in Parliament next autumn. According to recent opinion polls, the right-wing FPÖ, with more than 30 percent is predicted to be the winner in the federal elections. Currently, the Social Democrats (SPÖ) would achieve 23 to 25 percent of all votes, followed by the ÖVP with 19 to 23 percent. The KPÖ could gain between two and four percent of the votes, depending on the research institute. In order to enter parliament, parties need to exceed Austria's four-percent-mark.
Hofer believes that the Communist Party’s success will depend on the performance of the runner-up. “It’s possible that the KPÖ could enter parliament, but it’s not certain,” he says.
“The party campaigns are an important factor. But their success will also depend on Andreas Babler's (SPÖ) performance in the last polls ahead of the election. If Babler is a strong second there and able to deliver the message that he could still close in on the FPÖ, it will be much harder for the Communists to win votes than with the ÖVP as a runner-up.”
Tobias Schweiger, KPÖ’s top candidate for the legislative elections, has told The Local that his team is still finalising the party’s complete programme until January or February next year. Campaigning could start in late spring or summer of 2024.
----------------------------------
Stefan Haderer is the author of the book “Perspektivenwechsel: Beobachtungen im Jahrzehnt des Wandels 2011-2022” (KPD 2023), a compilation of his political analyses published in the Austrian daily “Wiener Zeitung”.
Comments
See Also
KPÖ’s victory in Salzburg last spring caused prompt reactions on a national and international scale. Critics warned of increasing populist tendencies, with the far-right FPÖ and far-left KPÖ being the only parties to win new seats in the Landtag. International media like Germany’s Die Zeit recalled the party’s previous successes in Graz, which Communist mayor Elke Kahr has governed since November 2021.
The fact that they could gain votes even in rural areas during the Salzburg elections surprised political advisor Thomas Hofer. “Generally speaking, KPÖ’s success in Salzburg is partly the result of a technically strong and very convincing campaign", he told The Local. The expert refers, for example, to a promotion clip in which top KPÖ candidate Kay-Michael Dankl criticised the governing centre-right ÖVP for renting out a 160,000 m2 golf resort for only € 1,200 a month – a price often charged for a small flat in Salzburg.
In their campaign, the Communists addressed not only the increasing issue of affordable housing in Austria but also Dankl spoke of a corrupted “parallel society” of a wealthy elite among the ruling ÖVP, a party with some member facing corruption scandals. With such statements, the Communists started appealing to people who cast protest votes or wouldn’t go to the ballots at all.
Ditching the 'commies' tag
“The Commies are coming!” (“Die Kummerln kommen!”) was the alarming headline of a rather critical article published in the Austrian print magazine Wirtschaftsnachrichten in May 2023 after the Salzburg elections. It raised the question of why a party that "cares for the poor and neglected ones" would still cling to a Communist name, reinvoking a dark and brutal past. “KPÖ Plus, as the party is now called, would indeed be more successful if they ditched the K and renamed themselves only Plus,” Hofer remarks.
Many Austrians, especially those among the older generations, associate Communism with the Russian occupation in the eastern parts of Austria after the Second World War –traumatising memories for many. They also associate Communism with the Iron Curtain, when the borders to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary were strictly patrolled and secured with barbed wire fences and landmines.
KPÖ members do not see such associations, though. They stick to the “K” as in “kommunistisch” because they consider it a critique of the neo-liberal paradigm. The Communist Party has “clearly distanced itself from dictatorships,” Kay-Michael Dankl said in an interview, adding that “if you look for Putin fans, you’ll be more likely to find them in the Austrian Economic Chambers or the OMV (Austria’s oil and petrol company).”
In the eyes of Thomas Hofer, the name is one of the party’s weakest spots – besides the argument that one vote for the Communists will be one less for the centre-left SPÖ and the Greens, likely favouring the far-right FPÖ. So what made the party successful despite its name?
One year after KPÖ member Elke Kahr had been elected mayor in Graz, many citizens appeared positively surprised by the party’s factual and constructive approach. Kahr is head of a city senate (Stadtsenat) consisting of five other city council members, of which two belong to the KPÖ, one to the Greens and two to the ÖVP. Decisions are based on consensus or a majority vote.
Critics admonish that Graz has barely changed since Kahr is in office as there’s not “much room to make things new” in the city council. Others, however, notice some positive changes, such as citizens participating in discussions about pedestrian zones or cycle paths in the city. KPÖ Graz also refers to successful projects involving housing for homeless young people and improved child care this year.
“KPÖ's charitable approach, their hands-on mentality when it comes to supporting disadvantaged and homeless people, is an asset for sure,” expert Thomas Hofer points out. Indeed, housing and donating money to those in need have been on top of the party’s agenda.
Am Samstag ist die Holzaktion. Wir haben das ganze Jahr gesammelt; unser Lager ist gefüllt. Nun geht es ans ausliefern. Wenn ihr Menschen kennt, denen mit dieser kleinen Holzspende geholfen ist, bitte gerne melden. Wir liefern in ganz Innsbruck ❤️ KPÖ bringt Wärme in die Häuser. pic.twitter.com/qxqL3oBfrI
— KPÖ Tirol (@kpoe_tirol) December 12, 2023
Pictured is a social action by KPÖ in Tyrol, where the party distributed free wooden pallets ahead of winter.
Controversial demands
Controversial topics – such as their call for open borders and safer asylum routes or demands for demilitarisation in Europe despite the Russian-Ukrainian war – will likely not be addressed at all in their next campaign. They would be less popular, even among protest voters.
Still, the expert believes that the KPÖ’s attacks on the EU as a community exploited by neo-liberal players and their seemingly unrealistic demands for an unconditional minimum income won’t do them any harm.
“Even with their new leader Andreas Babler, the Social Democrats aren’t in a position to make controversial demands like that,” Thomas Hofer explains. “This could turn out to be one major advantage for the KPÖ, who isn’t targeting larger parts of the population but trying to win protest votes instead.”
KPÖ seats in parliament will depend on Babler’s performance
It isn’t easy to predict whether the KPÖ will be able to win a seat in Parliament next autumn. According to recent opinion polls, the right-wing FPÖ, with more than 30 percent is predicted to be the winner in the federal elections. Currently, the Social Democrats (SPÖ) would achieve 23 to 25 percent of all votes, followed by the ÖVP with 19 to 23 percent. The KPÖ could gain between two and four percent of the votes, depending on the research institute. In order to enter parliament, parties need to exceed Austria's four-percent-mark.
Hofer believes that the Communist Party’s success will depend on the performance of the runner-up. “It’s possible that the KPÖ could enter parliament, but it’s not certain,” he says.
“The party campaigns are an important factor. But their success will also depend on Andreas Babler's (SPÖ) performance in the last polls ahead of the election. If Babler is a strong second there and able to deliver the message that he could still close in on the FPÖ, it will be much harder for the Communists to win votes than with the ÖVP as a runner-up.”
Tobias Schweiger, KPÖ’s top candidate for the legislative elections, has told The Local that his team is still finalising the party’s complete programme until January or February next year. Campaigning could start in late spring or summer of 2024.
----------------------------------
Stefan Haderer is the author of the book “Perspektivenwechsel: Beobachtungen im Jahrzehnt des Wandels 2011-2022” (KPD 2023), a compilation of his political analyses published in the Austrian daily “Wiener Zeitung”.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.