1976 General Election - Austrian Election Series

[Cranberry]

The election of 1972 would prove to be a decisive one for many decades to follow. The government lost its majority, with huge losses for the CSP and moderate ones for the LKP, while the KPÖ scored nearly 30 percent, far ahead of the SPÖ. Already on election day, it was apparent what the new government would look like, and an upcry went throughout the western world: For the first time, a communist party - while independent from Moscow still advocating for an eventual end to capitalism - was elected to government in a democratic election in Western Europe. Especially the US would be severly hostile to the new government led by Ernst Fischer, but Austria's neutrality and bloc-free status, as well as its proximity to the Warsaw Pact nations, rendered the Americans impossible to do anything.

The government did not transform Austria into a communist utopia, nor did it join the Warsaw Pact, as heralded in the right-wing press. Instead, its two major fields of reform laid with education and scoial policy. Major reforms to the Austrian educational system were undertaken, profiting very much workers' and rural farmers' children and smoothing out inequality within schools and providing more possibilites for Austrian children. Large investments in these fields were largely funded by deficit-spending, the first time such was operated on a larger scale.

The second major reform was spearheaded by Chancellor Fischer and Vice-Chancellor and Justice Minister Broda, and dealt with reforms to criminal and family law, finally achieving true equality before the law for men and women. Fulfilling the demands of the feminist movement, women within and without marriage now enjoyed the same priviligies as men, and going further, measures were undertaken to easen the integration of women into the workforce, as still most women stayed at home, dependent on their husbands. Furthermore, with the same novella, the illegalisation and criminalisation of homosexuality was rescinded.

While observers initially did not expect it, the KPÖ-SPÖ government kept together all four years of the legilsative period, and went into the 1976 elections wanting to continue the government.

KPÖ:
The party of the Chancellor campaigns on the sucesses of the government "enabling a future for Austria's children" and in regards to the feminist issues. Chancellor Fischer wants, if reelected, start reforms on economical policies, providing relief and help for the nation's working class, both workers and individual farmers.

SPÖ:
The junior coalition partner SPÖ wants to continue the government, campaigning similarly to the KPÖ b but emphasising more on Justice Minister Broda's work in regards to the feminist issues, styling the party as the party of progress "into a modern Austria".


LKP:
With new leader Kurt Waldheim, the LKP is solely aligned towards opposition to the government, to the point that pundits claim "they talk more often about communism than the KPÖ itsself". The LKP opposes the government's reforms, they oppose every action on "the government's road to Moscow", and provide little input into debate of their own.

CSP:
After serious losses, the CSP has reformed, focussing on their catholic Tyrolean farmer's consticuency. They support the government's education reform, but still oppose any communist-led government, presenting themselves however as an option for a government of the centre to centre-left.

3 days

[Cranberry]

LKP!

You do realize that Waldheim was literally a Nazi who (at the very least) was well aware of the war crimes were being committed, right?

KPO ftr

No I didn't, I regret my vote now. Would have voted CSP had I known.

It was not known to the public of 1976 either, so this wouldn't have played into your decision, if we want to invent some realism.

X, I wanted to keep that whole story as an issue for the next election, but oh well

[Cranberry]

Voting is now closed, thank you for your particiaption!