The small parties are receiving special attention in this National Council election. Given the relatively favorable mood for the non-parliamentary lists, they are very optimistic. The four small parties that made it onto the national ballot have little money at their disposal. Therefore, they are relying on a lot of volunteer work and are eagerly collecting donations. In comparison, the KPÖ and the Beer Party have the largest budgets for the election campaign.
The Communists have the most election campaign experience among the small parties, having taken part in every National Council election since 1945, but having failed to clear the four percent hurdle since 1959. There is great optimism that this election will be different. Accordingly, the campaign budget is also better filled than in previous elections. According to the party, almost 800,000 euros have been budgeted for the National Council election campaign. In this year’s EU election, where the parties’ budgets are traditionally smaller than in National Council elections, the party had around 50,000 euros at its disposal.
According to the KPÖ, the money for the campaign budget comes from membership fees, donations, contributions from the sub-organizations, loans from the regional organizations as well as loans and savings from the federal party. Around 12,500 euros have been raised in donations since the beginning of the year, and hopes are for another 10,000 euros. The average donation amount is around 50 euros, it is emphasized. “We reject donations from large corporations and lobbies,” said top candidate Tobias Schweiger.
The KPÖ is also relying on a lot of volunteer work in the election campaign. Around five percent of the election campaign budget is earmarked for the approximately 4,000 poster stands, a quarter for printing costs, another quarter for shipping and ten percent for campaigning on social media.
The Beer Party is not very forthcoming with information. According to top candidate Dominik Wlazny, 350,000 euros have been budgeted for campaign costs. The money was raised in recent months by recruiting new party members and supporters. Wlazny would have liked to have had a lot more at his disposal: According to the Beer Party, the funding target announced in the spring of 1.2 million budget over 20,000 memberships has so far only been achieved by around 55 percent. The Beer Party will certainly be frugal with its posters. A total of nine triangular stands will be set up across the country, with each federal state receiving one.
The list of former Green Party leader Madeleine Petrovic has no fixed budget for the National Council election campaign, as it is financed by donations that are collected on an ongoing basis – including many small donations – and membership fees. “This works surprisingly well, because the donations have so far been able to cover all the investments that we have needed,” said a spokeswoman. However, the budget requirement is not that high, as everyone on the list works voluntarily and some have even given up their regular jobs to do so. In total, around 70 to 100 people are active for the party, with 20 people working in the core team.
Posters, flyers, T-shirts and events are planned for the election campaign. “But it will certainly not be a major battle of materials. We don’t think that makes sense – regardless of the budget,” they stress.
All employees at Wandel, which is on the ballot as the “None of them” list, are also working on the election campaign on a voluntary basis. A total of 20,000 euros have been budgeted for campaign expenses. 15,000 euros of this has so far been raised in membership fees and donations from private individuals, according to political director Daniela Platsch. Part of the budget was already spent before the start on the required so-called printing costs contribution and collecting declarations of support. During the election campaign, the money will be used primarily for information material and social media advertising. Despite the tight budget, the list is combative: “None of the parliamentary parties could survive an election campaign with this budget. We are still fighting,” says Platsch.
