Austria ǀ Kahr and Care – Friday

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In the past few years, Elke Kahr, the leading candidate of the KPÖ, was considered the most popular politician in the Styrian capital. So now she should become mayor. And there is nothing against it, neither professionally nor personally. Kahr knows his way around, Kahr is experienced and open, Kahr has gathered a capable team around him. Who else was going to be head of the city? Kahr’s career as a local politician predestines her for this. Graz will not plunge into chaos. Who or what can Elke Kahr still prevent? Probably nothing and nobody. The Greens have already signaled their support and the battered SPÖ (it is now just under ten percent) will not be able to escape this if it is punished for its downfall. The KPÖ with 28.8 (+8.5) and the Greens with 17.3 (+6.8) percent are the two election winners. Left of center there is a whopping majority of 56 percent. Red-green-red is possible.

The Graz communists act as a social fire brigade. If someone is in need, the KPÖ is there. “Give instead of take”, it said on an election poster of the party. In any case, the KPÖ is not too sensitive to deal with the “little things” of everyday life, especially the subject of living. This topic has become her primary field of activity. The communists can be relied on, the people know that. There is not only demand and promise, concrete and quick help is also provided.

This “anti-politics” is characterized by a tremendous degree of philanthropy. The KPÖ’s always binding offers of help to the population were not only accepted, but also appreciated. “Help instead of talking” is a slogan of the party that has been carried forward to the point of exhaustion, with which it has now operated for more than 20 years and thus managed the rise from a mini-party to a majority party. Communism probably means: We help each other, we make sure that no one is left behind, and we try to set an example. This is beginning to succeed, above all because the carer is not linked to the authoritarian and bureaucratic regulation. Everything should be easy. Kahr relies on Care. She donated around half of her net salary as a city councilor (or department head), 2,000 euros a month. This money goes to a fund for the relief and resolution of acute social emergencies.

As far as the age, occupation or origin of the candidates are concerned, the Graz KPÖ has put together a colorful Kahr group to which quite a few non-members belong. The KPÖ has long ceased to be a cadre party. Except for social issues, however, one rarely comes across positions that are presented together in an exposed way. You are careful there, you don’t want to offend too much, you don’t want to allow any open flanks. The Graz KPÖ has more curves than edges. It is more persistence and continuity than determination and escalation that made this election success possible.

Staged lust for fear

Even in bourgeois rayons, the communists overtook the Christian-social ÖVP. As it were, the KPÖ won over from almost all parties in passing. “Flirting with the communists has been a good form in Graz for a long time”, knows The press. There is a staged lust for fear in the media. Somehow one is delighted with the local curiosity, on the other hand horrified, because how could something like that happen? The voices for the communists are of course not voices for communism, but they do indicate that the old anti-communism is no longer effective. Siegfried Nagl (ÖVP), who has already resigned and held the mayor’s office for 18 years, has just experienced this.

Even his official bonus was of no use. Incidentally, it is the first severe defeat that the ÖVP was inflicted in the Kurz era, and that of all things by the KPÖ, which was declared dead in federal politics. In any case, the right has been badly defeated. The ÖVP has lost twelve percentage points, the FPÖ five. How substantial this left slide is, however, cannot yet be said.

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