Courting supporters

Top lawyer wants to enter the National Council with “List Gaza”

The "Gaza List", co-founded by Palestinian activists and the well-known Viennese lawyer Astrid Wagner, advocates an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Middle East.

(Bild: Gerhard Bartel)

Many new lists and small parties want to be on the ballot paper for the National Council elections on September 29. Declarations of support can be signed from July 9. The well-known Viennese lawyer Astrid Wagner also wants to enter parliament with the "Gaza List".

The group, co-founded by Palestinian activists and top lawyer Astrid Wagner, wants to campaign for Austria to support an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Middle East.

Lawyer herself also on the list
Wagner is one of five top candidates on the "Gaza List", which will present itself to the public on June 1.

"The envisaged candidacy is also a call to the established parties to stop remaining silent about the mass murder in Gaza and to take the necessary steps to immediately end the military, economic and political support of Austria and the European Union for Israel's inhumane war," it said in a statement.

War in the Gaza Strip

(Bild: APA/AFP)

Small parties have to collect signatures in midsummer
The number of new lists and small parties that want to run in the National Council elections in the fall is therefore increasing. However, in order to actually make it onto the ballot paper, the small parties must first collect the necessary declarations of support.

This is made more difficult by the fact that this time the collection of signatures falls in the middle of the vacation period. From the deadline of July 9, eligible voters can sign for parties that are not yet represented in the National Council.

(Bild: APA/EVA MANHART)

2600 signatures required
Parties need either the support of three members of parliament or - in the case of political newcomers and small parties - 2,600 declarations of support to stand in the election throughout Austria. These must be signed by eligible voters in person at the municipal office or magistrate.

The deadline for submitting the collected declarations of support is August 2, when the sufficiently supported election proposals must be submitted to the provincial electoral authorities at the latest.

It is also possible to stand in individual federal states
It is also possible to stand for election in individual federal states only; the number of declarations of support required depends on the size of the state: in Burgenland and Vorarlberg, 100 signatures are required on the ballot paper, in Tyrol, Carinthia and Salzburg 200, in Upper Austria and Styria 400 and for the two states with the highest number of votes, Lower Austria and Vienna, 500 supporters are needed.

Beer party has good chances
Numerous small parties are in the starting blocks for collecting signatures this time. The KPÖ, which has run in every National Council election so far, has the most experience in collecting signatures. In the last National Council election, the KPÖ received 0.69 percent of the vote.

Dominik Wlazny's Beer Party is also considered to have a good chance of standing this time. In 2019, the Beer Party only ran in Vienna and received 0.1% of the total vote.

The beer party of Dominik Wlazny

(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

The "Wandel" party, founded in 2012, also wants to try again. Fayad Mulla's left-wing progressive party made it onto the ballot paper nationwide five years ago and received 0.5 percent of the vote.

Ex-Green Petrovic also wants to give it a try
New on the political stage is the list founded in May by ex-Green Party leader Madeleine Petrovic, which emerged from the "GGI Initiative" (initially "Greens against compulsory vaccination & 2G", now "Green Association for Fundamental Rights and Freedom of Information").

Madeleine Petrovic

(Bild: APA/Florian Wieser)

MFG, "Servus-Partei", "Die Gelben" ...
The MFG (Menschen-Freiheit-Grundrechte), which is also critical of vaccination and has been represented in the Upper Austrian state parliament since 2021, also wants to run. The "Servus Party", which was founded in spring by a Carinthian entrepreneur and advocates a reduction in government spending, also wants to collect declarations of support.

The electoral alliance "Die Gelben" is campaigning for an unconditional basic income. The "Independents of Austria (DUO)" and the "Democratic Alternative" are also attempting to make an appearance.

16 parties were on the ballot paper in 2017
The ÖVP, SPÖ, FPÖ, Greens and NEOS parliamentary parties are all set to run this year. For the ballot paper to reach a record length, eleven candidates would have to be added. In 2017, a total of 16 parties stood for election, ten of them across Austria. In 2019, eight parties ran across Austria (ÖVP, SPÖ, FPÖ, NEOS, NOW, Greens, KPÖ and Wandel), five other small parties only in one or two federal states.