Austria University Parliament Election (May 18-20): Who would you vote for ?

[Tender Branson]

Austria’s 350.000 university students are voting for their student parliament (= ÖH) right now.

There’s a 2-year term and the ruling leftist Gras-VSStÖ-FLÖ government broke apart last year after differences and an AG-Junos minority caretaker government took over.

7 of the 8 lists have female frontrunners:

Sabine Hanger, AG
Keya Baier, GRAS
Sara Velić, VSStÖ
Sophie Wotschke, JUNOS
Gabriele Urban, FLÖ
Jessica Gasior, KSV-LiLi
Elena Ellmeier, KSV-KJÖ
Matthias Kornek, RFS

Overview of lists and lead candidates:

https://fm4.orf.at/stories/3014933/

AG portrait:

https://fm4.orf.at/stories/3014634/

GRAS portrait:

https://fm4.orf.at/stories/3014815/

VSStÖ portrait:

https://fm4.orf.at/stories/3014658/

JUNOS portrait:

https://fm4.orf.at/stories/3014492/

FLÖ portrait:

https://fm4.orf.at/stories/3014924/

KSV-LiLi portrait:

https://fm4.orf.at/stories/3014661/

KSV-KJÖ portrait:

https://fm4.orf.at/stories/3014856/

RFS portrait:

https://fm4.orf.at/stories/3014500/

[Tender Branson]

Why 2 Communist lists ?

Two times communism in the ÖH

It cannot be overlooked that there are two parliamentary groups running in the ÖH election that have communism in their name. But what is the difference between the two? The two groups are similar in their fundamental demands. Especially with regard to free university access, grants for students or the abolition of tuition fees.

Both factions emphasize that they want to “get to the roots” of social problems and by that mean the clear recognition of a capitalist, racist and patriarchal social system that needs to be overcome.

It was not until 2006 that the "Communist Student Union" - KSV, which had been united until then, split up. The reason for this was the sale of the Ernst-Kirchweger-Haus (EKH), which is still a left-wing autonomous center today. But even before that there were always content-related differences and the relationship with the parent party KPÖ is particularly decisive.

The KSV-KJÖ is close to the KPÖ-Styria, which they also support financially. Both, Styria KPÖ and KSV-KJÖ, tend to distance themselves from the Federal KPÖ. The KSV-LiLi is supported by the Federal KPÖ.

This is explained in more detail, for example, in this article from neuwal.com from 2009.

The two factions also differ, for example, in their position on the Middle East conflict and on the “BDS” campaign (“Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” - meaning the Jewish state). The discussion about "BDS" in left circles is long and complicated. But in short, and based on the ÖH election, it means: While the KSV-LiLi regards the campaign as anti-Semitic, the KSV-KJÖ thinks it would water down the term anti-Semitism. (As the Jewish journalist Fabian Wolff puts it in his recently published essay.) That is why the KSV-KJÖ has also refrained from approving an official statement by the entire ÖH, which "BDS" describes as anti-Semitic.

For the KSV-LiLi, the KSV-KJÖ turns too much to real socialism and is too dogmatic, as they criticized in an interview with mokant.at in 2011. (This interview with both parliamentary groups together shows some differences.) The KSV-KJÖ, in turn, criticizes the fact that the KSV-LiLi with its demands on politics is too unrealistic. The rejection of KSV-LiLi's “service policy” is also clearly recognizable. The KSV-KJÖ thinks: Just having a left ÖH is not enough. It takes concrete actions, mobilization and service to attract students and thus build pressure for demands.

[Tender Branson]

FTR, I voted GRAS in 2007 and FLÖ in 2009.

[Tender Branson]

Junos (= NEOS) for example cut an ad:

As did the VSStÖ (= SPÖ):

Or the AG (= ÖVP):

Or the RFS (= FPÖ):

And there was a 2 hour discussion of the frontrunners:

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

2 separate communist lists is just hilarious.

[Tender Branson]

2 separate communist lists is just hilarious.

Yeah, hilarious.

But both lists are rejected by other lists, just like the RFS.

Anyway, here is the English info:

https://wahl2021.oeh.ac.at/language/en/

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

2 separate communist lists is just hilarious.

Yeah, hilarious.

But both lists are rejected by other lists, just like the RFS.

Anyway, here is the English info:

https://wahl2021.oeh.ac.at/language/en/

Thanks for the link.
Will the Communists lose any seats due to running two separate lists?

[Tender Branson]

2 separate communist lists is just hilarious.

Yeah, hilarious.

But both lists are rejected by other lists, just like the RFS.

Anyway, here is the English info:

https://wahl2021.oeh.ac.at/language/en/

Thanks for the link.
Will the Communists lose any seats due to running two separate lists?

Usually, each of them gets 2-2.5%, therefore 1 seat each in the 55-member student parliament.

It’s possible that one grouping (or both) do not receive any seat if they fall below 1.8%

[Tender Branson]

ORFs FM4 radio is covering the results as they come in (polls close now):

https://fm4.orf.at/tags/oehwahl2021

Results by university here:

https://fm4.orf.at/stories/3014220

University students are notoriously lazy folk. Turnout in 2019 was just 26% (as it has always been), but is expected to drop to a record low 16% (!) in this election ...

[Tender Branson]

Fun fact:

The Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, which rejected Hitler as a student twice, voted 96% for the Left (parties) and no single student voted for the RFS (=FPÖ) ...

[beesley]

It doesn't look as if there are any parties who want to abolish the Parliament, but the RFS seem to favour ending mandatory membership, which I would likely support.

[Tender Branson]

It doesn't look as if there are any parties who want to abolish the Parliament, but the RFS seem to favour ending mandatory membership, which I would likely support.

Why would you favour ending mandatory membership ?

The parliament is not only a parliament of and for students, it’s also a union of and for students which is helping students in every regard, be it mentoring, housing, anti-discrimination etc. and the annual fee is a lousy 20$.

And all of this on top of the fact that you don’t have to pay any tuition fees in Austria (if you are an Austrian or EU citizen, Swiss or EEA citizen or a recognized refugee). Even 3rd country citizen students only have to pay 730€/semester in tuition fees, which is pretty low when compared to the US for example.

[Tender Branson]

The election results are in !

https://wahlergebnisse2021.oeh.ac.at/#uni0

The VSStÖ (= SPÖ) has won it and beat the AG (= ÖVP) from first into third place.

The GRAS remained 2nd, with small losses.

The big losers are the federal government parties, with their student vehicles losing and all other parties gaining.

Leftwing lists now hold 36/55 seats - rightwing lists (AG, Junos, RFS) 19/55.

Leftwing lists gain 3 seats vs. 2019.

[H. Ross Peron]

Sophie Wotschke looks like Liz Bruenig.