Missing the boat

Small parties look through their fingers

Beer Party founder Dominik Wlazny on his way to the election party

(Bild: APA/MAX SLOVENCIK)

The votes in the National Council elections are divided between the major parties - and the FPÖ has secured the biggest slice of the cake with an expected 29%. The small parties, on the other hand, are looking through their fingers.

The so-called "hatchet effect" has apparently come into play again in this election. It means that parties that are hopelessly far below the minimum threshold of four percent in the polls are often not elected in order to avoid losing votes. As a result, small parties such as the Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) - which still performed best - or the Beer Party clearly missed out on a place in the National Council.

The KPÖ itself no longer expected to enter the National Council. In the latest projection (count of just under 55%), the Communists are well below the necessary 4% threshold, as is the Beer Party.

"I have not fallen on my head"
For KPÖ lead candidate Tobias Schweiger, the result "can be improved", but he is still positive about the future: "We know that we can build on this." Beer Party leader Dominik Wlazny had "naturally expected more". Even if, in theory, the margin of fluctuation initially suggested a very narrow jump over the four percent hurdle, one had to remain realistic: "I didn't fall on my head. I can read the result."

KPÖ top candidate Tobias Schweiger

(Bild: APA/EVA MANHART)

The ex-Green Madeleine Petrovic

(Bild: APA/TOBIAS STEINMAURER)

LMP, the Madeleine Petrovic list, and "None of them" were among the "little ones" running nationwide. According to the projection, ex-Green Party member Petrovic and NONE each achieved 0.6 percent.

Like Petrovic, MFG chairman Joachim Aigner was also disappointed after the first projection, but both announced their intention to continue. The MFG, which became known as a party critical of the coronavirus measures, ran in seven federal states.