Election campaign attacks: Parties stay below the cost limit!

Election campaign attacks: Parties stay below the cost limit!

In the preparation phase for the Vienna city council elections on April 27, 2025, the political parties published their campaign costs. The Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) says it spent almost 4.9 million euros. The Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) follows with over 4.7 million euros, while the ÖVP announced their spending with 3.7 million euros and the Greens with 3.5 million euros. The NEOS invested 2.8 million euros and the KPÖ only 600,000 euros.

The new regulations stipulate a cost cap of 5 million euros per party, which was previously 6 million euros. This reform was initiated by the SPÖ and NEOS and also includes the introduction of mandatory election advertising reports. The first report is due a week before Election Day, which is today. This must include both the previous and estimated future election advertising expenses and be submitted to the city auditor. Failure to comply could result in a fine of up to 50,000 euros.

Transparency in campaign spending

A striking aspect is that there is no election advertising report on the HC Strache team website. This raises questions about compliance with the new transparency requirements. Compliance with these regulations is essential as all parties must demonstrate that they do not exceed the established campaign spending limit, such as parteispenden.at explained.

Compared to the nationwide upper limit for elections, which is 7 million euros per election and party, the regulation at state level is stricter. Only Salzburg and Carinthia have effective cost limits that are well below the nationwide upper limit. In Vienna, where local council elections are not only focused on the city but also on the districts, comparing campaign expenditure is difficult, as the analysis by parteispenden.at clarified.

Overview of the parties' expenses

In summary, the situation regarding the parties' election campaign spending in Vienna remains tense. Parties are under pressure to comply with the new regulations while voters insist on transparency and accountability. ORF Vienna reports that compliance with these new regulations is increasingly being discussed in political discourse.