Beer party at 8%

Pogo: One-man show as strong as NEOS and the Greens

Singer, doctor, politician: Marco Pogo is doing well in the polls with his beer party.

(Bild: APA)

The dazzling musician Dominik Wlazny, alias Marco Pogo, could make the established parties turn pale in the fall elections. What are the reasons for this?

Eight percent - that's really strong beer. For Marco Pogo and his beer party, that means the best prospects of entering parliament. Should he actually run. In the polls, Dominik Wlazny, the middle-class name of the leader of the Beer Party, is on a par with the Greens and NEOS. The two parties have been an integral part of the House of Representatives for many years and are also active in governments - especially the Greens. Professional musician Pogo, meanwhile, tours the country as a one-man show. Still without campaign appearances and election programs. So what makes him so appealing?

Öllinger: "A high-risk undertaking"
Former Green politician Karl Öllinger says: "The phenomenon that voters react so strongly with approval to largely blank slates or parties has been observed for many years - mainly regionally - but also at federal level. See Stronach or the reinvention of the ÖVP by Sebastian Kurz."  

The probable motive is the hope that a new party or group will do better than the old ones. "Of course, this is a high-risk undertaking that usually doesn't end well. For the hopes, sometimes also for the electorate or for the political culture and the state as a whole." According to Öllinger, the established parties have to come to terms with this and react. Even his Greens.

Singer, doctor, politician: Marco Pogo is doing well in the polls with his beer party.

(Bild: APA)

Strolz: "Established parties are breathing constriction"
 Matthias Strolz, 51, is co-founder of the NEOS. The charismatic author and entrepreneur is likely to make a comeback with his Pinken party. How does he assess the Pogo situation?

"We don't yet know what he and his party stand for. What are the plans for health, security, education, social issues? How would they vote on these and other policy areas in parliament? At the moment, the Beer Party is a blank slate, and as such an ideal projection surface for those people who are dissatisfied with current politics. And, as we know, there are many of them."

Matthias Strolz: The NEOS co-founder sees Marco Pogo as "the unheard-of new thing".

(Bild: Andreas Graf)

Strolz detects a longing for something new. "And I get it. The established parties are rather unimaginative in their form and presentation, fearfully clinging to old structures. They breathe narrowness."

The established parties need to be more courageous and determined in their renewal. For example, they could open up and act more as platforms. That would make them more approachable for the people. The current parliamentary parties are increasingly perceived as a closed society and out of touch with the world. They lack the imagination and courage to open up and renew themselves. "The momentum of the new is with the FPÖ and Marco Pogo. The former is completely reinventing itself in the media by creating its own media empire. And Marco Pogo is 'the outrageous new thing', the 'new kid in town'."

"Free beer alone won't fix it"
 It is doubtful whether entering parliament would be helpful for our Austria. "I remember that Frank Stronach had similar poll ratings to the Beer Party today. The party quickly imploded in parliament because it had no substance." In the first two years of its foundation, the NEOS invested over two million volunteer hours in developing a joint program. Thousands were actively involved. "That's the glue that holds us together. Free beer alone won't do it." There have been well over 1,000 new parties founded since 1975, the vast majority of which, says Strolz, "fail on their own and are unable to create any added value for the country or the people."

Researcher: "Pogo enjoys puppy protection"
 Opinion researcher Christoph Haselmayer (IFDD) also sees the Beer Party on a par with the Greens and NEOS. "This shows the total frustration of the population with the traditional parties." The support is currently coming from all parties. "He has also not yet had to take a stand on substantive issues. That's why he still enjoys media and political puppy protection." Haselmayer believes that Pogo will not be able to maintain his level until the end. "Because in an election campaign, he also has to take a stand on key issues such as asylum or inflation."