KPÖ in the state election: disappointment and setback in Styria

KPÖ in the state election: disappointment and setback in Styria

The Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) is faced with unexpected difficulties after the recent state election in Styria. While the waves for the party were still relatively high in spring, she now had to accept a setback. In the past few months, much has indicated that the KPÖ could gain influence in several cities, but reality was different.

The mood was optimistic: in Salzburg it even seemed conceivable to achieve the mayor's post, and there were also signs of success in Innsbruck. Surveys had even granted the KPÖ a possible move into the National Council and appreciated its support in Styria up to ten percent. But the picture suddenly changed with the choice. The party was denied the move into the National Council, and the decline was also evident in Styria. The KPÖ lost two percentage points and took a long time to secure the re -entry into the state parliament. Ultimately, they could just exist with four percent and a basic mandate in Graz, but there can be no talk of a great success.

The reaction of the party leadership

Herbert Krotzer, the state chairman of the KPÖ, was disappointed with the election result. "We have already spent more joyful election evenings," he admitted in a first reaction. He also made it clear that the national trend had outshone everything. According to Krotzer, the topics for which the KPÖ has, such as cheap living, health care and care, only played a subordinate role. This could be an indication that the voters did not adequately observe the party's core issues in this election.

less than a month before the election, the mood within the party was still promising. Top candidate Claudia Klimt-Weithaler had optimistically commented on the election in the morning and emphasized that she did not feel a nervousness. At a ballot box near the Merkur-Arena in Graz, it was confident that the KPÖ would emerge strengthened from the election. Even with a possible increase in rural areas, she had given great hopes. But the voters decided differently. So the KPÖ itself lost in Graz, where it is traditionally strong and has even put the mayor. Despite a result in the double-digit area, Klimt-Weithaler commented: "The blue wave has overwhelmed us."

The results of the election illustrate a fundamental change in the political climate of Styria. The KPÖ, which saw itself as an alternative in politics for so long, now has to hope for the backing of voters and find strategies in order to better represent the interests of citizens. In view of the dwindling influence, the challenge of emphasizing your own positions in the discourse is more due. It remains to be seen how the KPÖ will react to these setbacks and what measures it will take to regain lost electorate. More information on this can be found at www.diepresse.com