Who would you vote for in the Vienna state election ?

[Tender Branson]

This poll will run for 10 days.

The parties running are:

SPÖ (Social Dems, center-left)
FPÖ (Freedom Party, far-right)
ÖVP (People's Party, center-right, conservative)
Greens (Green Party, eco-left)
NEOS (liberal, centrist to center-right)
WWW ("We want freedom of choice", a Team Stronach and BZÖ-backed list, right to far-right)
ANDAS ("A different Vienna", a joint list of Communists/KPÖ, Pirates, Real Greens and Independents. Left to Far-Left)
GFW ("Together for Vienna", the so-called "Turkish list", a migrant-oriented list, center to center-left I guess)

[Tender Branson]

For me:

Wien Anders ("ANDAS")

http://wienanders.at/programm/wien/en/

* If you ask yourself why their name (Anders) is different to their name on the ballot (ANDAS): it has to do with the fact that the Vienna election law only allows 5 letters as party designation. Since Anders has 6, they went with ANDAS - which is roughly how it's spelt in Viennese-German

[Tender Branson]

Why is a primarily American forum voting for FPO? Seems inexplicable.

Why is that a surprise really ?

There are many right-wing Republicans on here, who probably think the ÖVP as too wishy-washy-conservative (or even too "left" for them). The FPÖ is a much better fit for these types of Republicans than the ÖVP.

[Tender Branson]

Do you actually vote for a candidate or for a list?

It's a party list vote with an additional preference vote component.

It means that you are primarily voting for a party, but you can write in a candidate of your choice from that party list as well. If that candidate receives a high enough vote, that candidate then gets promoted up the list in each party.

It is only allowed to write in a candidate from the party you voted for.

If you vote for ÖVP and write in Lasar (FPÖ), your preference vote is invalid - because the party list vote trumps the preference vote.

If you just write in Lasar (FPÖ), but without marking any party with an [X], your preference vote will automatically count as a vote for the FPÖ.

[Tender Branson]

Why is a primarily American forum voting for FPO? Seems inexplicable.

Why is that a surprise really ?

There are many right-wing Republicans on here, who probably think the ÖVP as too wishy-washy-conservative (or even too "left" for them). The FPÖ is a much better fit for these types of Republicans than the ÖVP.

Yes, but the sort of conservatism the FPO expouses isn't the sort of conservatism that the Republican Party (especially the types predominant on this forum, libertarianesques, establishment types and the occasional true tea Partier) expresses.

Do you really think so ? While the FPÖ cannot be directly compared with the Republicans because they also have Social Democratic components in their party platform, their general policy is very much in line with standard GOP or Libertarian values.

Excerpts from their party platform in English:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

http://www.fpoe.at/fileadmin/user_upload/www.fpoe.at/dokumente/2015/2011_graz_parteiprogramm_englisch_web.pdf

[Tender Branson]

GFW, mostly because they seem most likely to piss off the FPÖ.

That's wrong.

GFW is the so-called "Turkish list", which attracts first and foremost voters of Turkish migration background. Turks are a core constituent of the SPÖ.

Which means a high share for GFW does not piss off the FPÖ, it in fact helps them (win the election).