The team is set

The KPÖ Aims to Cause a Surprise in Upper Austria in 2027

Gerlinde Grünn (left) will be the lead candidate in the state legislative election, while Roth-Schmida and Pree (right) will run in Linz.(Bild: Robert Loy)

In Graz, the KPÖ holds the mayor’s office, and in Salzburg, it surprisingly secured seats in the state parliament. Now the Communists want to make a splash in Upper Austria as well. The team has been reorganized for the fall 2027 elections. But a planned change to the electoral law is causing friction.

It was the big political surprise of 2023: In the state election in Salzburg, the KPÖ, led by its top candidate Kay-Michael Dankl, secured 11.7 percent of the vote right off the bat and won four seats in the state parliament. A year later, the Communists went one better in the municipal council election in the state capital: 23.1 percent and ten seats. Dankl even made it to the mayoral runoff and ultimately became deputy mayor.

In Graz, the KPÖ even holds the mayor’s office
A political success that the KPÖ in Upper Austria can only dream of so far. Not least because the Communists traditionally face an uphill battle in this region. Yet there is another role model in Graz: there, the KPÖ even holds the mayor’s office with Elke Kahr.

A New Team for the 2027 Elections
With an eye toward the state and municipal council elections in the fall of 2027, however, hope is also growing in Upper Austria. On Wednesday, the KPÖ in Linz presented its new team. Michael Roth-Schmida (54), who has served on the Linz City Council for five years, will run as the top candidate in the city council election. He is followed by social economist Christina Pree (32). Party veteran Gerlinde Grünn, who has served on the Linz City Council since 2009, will focus on state politics in the future and lead the KPÖ in the state legislative election.

“We want to be represented in all elections,” says Grünn, who now hopes to bring her many years of experience in local politics to the state level. At the same time, the KPÖ aims to expand its structures in the regions. In addition to Linz, the Communists plan to field candidates in Wels and Steyr, and are seeking to field additional candidates in Braunau, among other places.

In Linz, 3.3 percent was enough for two seats
The starting point, however, is anything but easy. In the 2021 state election, the Communists received just 0.81 percent of the vote in Upper Austria, and 3.3 percent in the municipal council election held simultaneously in Linz. In the state capital, that was enough for two seats; in the state parliament, however, the KPÖ had no representation.

Roth-Schmida points to the success in Salzburg and the focus there on housing issues. The party managed to position itself as a viable alternative. “That’s definitely something we can learn from,” says the Linz city council member.

According to the KPÖ, the party deliberately focuses on teamwork rather than individual personalities. Roth-Schmida also acknowledges that, ironically, it was two well-known politicians—Kahr and Dankl—in Graz and Salzburg, respectively, who contributed significantly to the success.

Four-Percent Threshold Causes Trouble
Grünn, Roth-Schmida, and Pree firmly believe in gaining ground, but they face an additional problem: A four-percent threshold is set to apply in future Linz city council elections. With their 2021 results, the Communists would have failed to secure a seat under this rule.

“The ruling parties are simply trying to squeeze out alternative views,” says Pree, criticizing this “decision that raises concerns about democracy.” Roth-Schmida also has little regard for the planned change, but remains confident that they can clear the threshold.