On Monday, all parties that are trying to remain in or enter the National Council on September 29 had to submit their lists of candidates to the electoral authorities. Only those who appear on one of the lists can be part of the new parliament.
The Communists’ top candidate, Tobias Schweiger, heads the list. The Graz native once joined the Young Greens before the rebellious young politicians had to leave the party again in the era of Eva Glawischnig. Max Zirngast, who gained international fame because he was held in Turkey for a year in 2018/2019, including four months in prison, is running in 13th place on the KPÖ federal list.
Elke Kahr in 335th place
However, the mayor of Graz, Elke Kahr, is also running for the National Council; she appears at the bottom of the list of 335 candidates. Salzburg’s deputy mayor, Kay-Michael Dankl, is at 334th place, and the Styrian top candidate, Claudia Klimt-Weithaler, is at 333rd place.
State party leaders in last place
However, Kahr, Dankl & Co. do not want to give up their current jobs and move to the federal level. Such solidarity candidacies are not unusual. In 2019, the FPÖ’s regional party leaders ran for office in the last places on the 299-name federal list, and in 2017, former FPÖ top politicians Hilmar Kabas, Herbert Haupt and Harald Ofner found themselves in the last three places.
