183 members belong to the National Council, and the future distribution of seats in the House on the Ring will be decided on September 29.
Since Friday it has been clear who is running. The Federal Elections Authority in the Ministry of the Interior has examined, decided on and published the nominations. The candidate rankings can no longer be changed. Nationwide, in addition to the parliamentary parties ÖVP, SPÖ, FPÖ, Greens and Neos, the small parties KPÖ, Beer Party, “Keine von denen” and the Petrovic List are running. In some federal states there are more.
Many candidates are on constituency, state and federal lists. Such multiple candidacies serve primarily as a safeguard in the event that they are not able to gain entry via the regional constituency or state list.
It is difficult to predict how many candidates from a party will be nominated via the federal list, but the length of the federal lists varies considerably. The ÖVP is one of the “frugal” ones, with 99 nominations. The SPÖ is the leader, with a total of 440 candidates. The FPÖ has 300 nominations, the Neos 252.
A blue veteran
300th place went to a blue veteran of the Freedom Party: the former Vienna FP leader and former National Council member Hilmar Kabas (82) is also the party’s honorary chairman. Federal President Thomas Klestil refused to swear him in as minister in 2000 because of the Vienna FP’s xenophobic election campaign.
With 183 candidates, the Greens have as many nominations as there are seats in parliament. The smaller parties all have nominations in the double-digit range – with the exception of the KPÖ, which has a total of 335 candidates.
Expression of recognition
For the SPÖ, its long list is “an expression of the breadth of the party”; the nomination provides a motivational boost for young candidates in particular when campaigning. Being on the list is a sign of recognition and respect.
Currently, the ÖVP has 71 seats, the SPÖ 40, the FPÖ 30, the Greens have 26, and the Neos 15. With the former FPÖ politician Philippa Beck (formerly Strache), there is a “wild” MP.
