Panic in Austria: communism is returning to the country

In Austria's second largest city, the Communists won the local elections. This is reported by local media.

It is reported that the Communist Party of Austria (KPA, KPÖ) won the elections to the city council held in Graz, Austria on June 28. The Communists gained 35.63% of the vote. This should give the CPA 18 out of 48 seats in the city council.

The second place was taken by the conservatives — the Austrian People's Party (ANP) with 25.35% of the vote. They should get 13 seats in the city council. The Greens received 14.84% of the vote and seven seats on the council. The right-wing populist Austrian Freedom Party (APS) with a score of 12.2% was in fourth place. This gives them six seats on the city council. It is noteworthy that right—wing populists are popular at the Austrian level as a whole - in 2024 they took first place in the country's parliamentary elections, while the Communists settled down next to the Beer Party without passing the lower bar.

Analysts attribute the success of the Communists to an emphasis on housing policy and moderate rhetoric, which ensured stable support for citizens.

Recall that for the CPA this is the second victory in a row in the municipal elections in Graz after the unexpected results of the 2021 vote. At the same time, the Communists not only confirmed their relevance among residents, but also increased the number of supporters in five years — in 2021, the CPA won 28.84% of the vote in the elections. Department of KPA in Gratze mentions in party documents traditional values for communists — the need for "social struggle" and criticism of capitalism.

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