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VSStÖ celebrates historic election victory: coalition negotiations with GRAS started!
After the successful ÖH election in 2025, VSStÖ and GRAS are negotiating a possible coalition as voter turnout increases.
VSStÖ celebrates historic election victory: coalition negotiations with GRAS started!
After the election for the Austrian Students' Union (ÖH) in May 2025, the focus is on the new political constellations in the student parliament. The first round of negotiations between the Association of Socialist Students (VSStÖ) and the Greens and Alternative Students (GRAS) is described as constructive and trusting. This could be a signal for a possible two-party coalition at the top of the ÖH, which has not been possible for a long time and could give the political climate at the universities a breath of fresh air.
The VSStÖ achieved a historic result with 30.16 percent of the votes and secured 18 of the 55 mandates in the Austria-wide student parliament. The VSStÖ was the strongest faction, followed by the ÖVP-affiliated Aktionsgemeinschaft (AG), which came in second with 20.87 percent and achieved 12 mandates. The GRAS, on the other hand, remained stable at 18.21 percent and 11 mandates.
Voter turnout and election results
Voter turnout increased slightly compared to the 2023 ÖH election to 22.09 percent, which corresponds to a turnout of around 81,582 students. A total of 346,000 students took part in the election, which took place from May 13 to 15, 2025. A significant decline in voter sentiment was seen among the Young Liberal Students (JUNOS), which fell to 7.60 percent and 4 mandates, while the student council lists (FLÖ) also achieved 4 mandates with 6.67 percent. In addition, the communist student associations KSV-KJÖ and KSV-LiLi each received 2 mandates. The Ring of Freedom Students (RFS) stagnated at 2.95 percent and secured 1 mandate, while the latest list “Who the F*ck is Herbert?” lost in votes and also only received 1 mandate.
What is particularly remarkable is the fortunes of the VSStÖ, which has the first chance of forming a coalition in the new legislative period. In the last election in 2023, the VSStÖ's share of the vote was 26.5 percent, while the ÖVP-affiliated AG also finished somewhat weaker at the time. This shift in voices could significantly influence the design of university policy and open a new chapter for student representation in Austria.
Constituent meeting and outlook
The constituent meeting of the new ÖH federal representation is scheduled for June 23, 2025, with the new term of office beginning on July 1, 2025. The upcoming coalition negotiations between VSStÖ and GRAS will therefore be followed with interest, as they could set the course for future decisions in higher education policy. The political starting point seems more open than ever, and both students and political observers are excited to see how the negotiations will develop.
This election not only brings changes to the political landscape of university representation, but could also have an impact on students themselves, who are hoping for active and committed representation of their concerns.
For further information on the election results and the political situation in universities, take a look at the articles from Kleine Zeitung, FM4 and Wikipedia.