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What is Austria’s beer party and why are they surging in the polls?

Austria's so-called “Beer Party” is polling in third place ahead of Vienna's crucial state election. Could a beer fountain in the middle of Austria's capital become a reality?

Published: 11 October 2023 16:55 CEST
What is Austria's beer party and why are they surging in the polls?
This file photo taken on September 9, 2022 shows Dominik Wlazny, founder of the Beer Party (Bierpartei), as he presented posters for his presidential campaign in downtown Vienna, Austria. (Photo by JOE KLAMAR / AFP)

The Beer Party is currently polling at 12 percent ahead of the Vienna state election, that’s ahead of the centre-right ÖVP party who are on 10 percent in the latest poll.

To put that in context, only two parties are polling better, the center left SPÖ (35 percent) and far-right FPÖ (23 percent).

If the results were taken as they are today, the Beer Party would rank as the third-largest party in the Viennese state and secure seats on the city council. It’s not clear though, who would govern in coalition with the Beer Party, but it would get certain representation and speaking rights in Vienna state parliament.

Who’s behind the beer party?

Austrian comedian, doctor, brewer, and musician Dominik Wlazny, known by his stage name Marco Pogo, founded the satirical ‘Beer Party’ in 2015 in response to perceived corruption and a lack of transparency in Austrian politics.

Wlazny himself studied medicine in Vienna and worked as a general doctor in a hospital before quitting in 2014 to focus on music.

Wlazny said that he was inspired by one of the songs played by the punk band he was a part of, which included the lyrics: ‘If you like to be fat and drink a lot every day, then vote for us now, the Beer Party, and we’ll abolish the alcohol tax.”

The party has since built up over 1,000 members. Wlazny and 10 others have served as district councillors in Vienna following 2020 city elections.

In Autumn 2022, Wlazny entered the race to become president of Austria, which he eventually failed to win.

He said at the time: “Beer is a great thing. But actually it’s about how you can get involved, and you don’t have to be a beer drinker for that.”

What do the beer party want?

The party’s proposals perhaps explain why they are so popular.

They involve delivering barrels of beer to citizens, providing 50 litres per month for adults and even 20 litres per month for children.

They aim to eliminate taxes on drinks served in bars and restaurants and compensate for this with a 50 percent tax on “Radlers” (generally beer mixed with lemon soda or other fruit juice).

Additionally, the beer purists also promote a “Radler buyback program”, where Radlers can be exchanged for what they refer to as “real beer”.

Their policies also include the concept of a gastronomy network that encourages improved relations between local restaurateurs and local politicians, as well as the abolition of mandatory closing times for bars and restaurants.

The Beer Party promotes a “live and let live” philosophy regarding drinking behaviour but points out that this should not apply to Radler drinkers.

Any other more realistic aims?

Besides the drinking-related proposals, the party also has some more serious ambitions. They aim to encourage more people to participate in the electoral process so that Austrian politics can be taken more seriously. They also insist on introducing a mandatory aptitude test for politicians.

In addition to this, the Beer Party wants more resources to be allocated to Vienna’s public transport and sports facilities, and they have taken a forward-thinking position on transgender rights and environmental issues.

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POLITICS

How Austria’s centre-left SPÖ party plans to change integration policy

Asylum, migration, and integration policies are a much-debated issue in Austria, particularly as the country heads to its national elections in the fall. What are the centre-left SPÖ plans?

Published: 24 June 2024 12:12 CEST
How Austria's centre-left SPÖ party plans to change integration policy

National elections in Austria will take place this fall, and one of the most debated issues – certainly one that has been driving voters for the past few years – is the refugee and asylum policy debates. 

While the far-right party FPÖ has gained popularity with extremist views such as closing off Austria entirely for asylum seekers, the centre-right ÖVP has also presented tougher stances. The chancellor’s party has publicly defended the creation of “asylum centres” for processing outside of the EU borders. Chancellor Karl Nehammer has also fully supported the UK’s plan to deport asylum seekers to “safe third countries”. 

A tougher stance on refugee policies has proved popular in Austria, and the centre-left SPÖ party has also seemed to lean toward stricter ideas more recently. However, since the party got a new leadership, a precise migration programme had not been presented yet. However, the issue was pressing, particularly following the party’s poor performance in the EU elections, when migration played a key role.

READ ALSO: How a change in the profile of asylum seekers is impacting Austria

So what are the party’s plans?

The SPÖ presented a new” masterplan” for asylum, migration, and integration. According to the SPÖ, the “Doskozil-Kaiser paper,” which has existed since 2018, has been “sharpened,” resulting in an “offensive paper” with approaches for action, said SPÖ leader Andreas Babler.

The aim was to “ensure balance and order” under “the premise of humanity”, said Babler at a press conference in Vienna.

The plan’s main points include faster procedures at the EU’s external borders, a fair distribution of refugees within the EU, and sanctions against countries that refuse to do so. With this, the SPÖ wants to reach a 75 percent reduction in the number of asylum applications. 

For example, the party leaders mentioned Hungary, where there were only 45 applications in 2023, compared to almost 60,000 in Austria. They said Hungary had to be persuaded to cooperate by exhausting all legal and political means.

The SPÖ proposes procedure centres along the EU’s external borders so that procedures can be completed more quickly and people do not hand themselves over to smugglers. The EU should set up “common centres for asylum applications”, for example, in embassies. 

People should only be distributed within the EU once the asylum applications have been assessed favourably. As a first step, cooperation between individual states could occur without the consent of all EU member states.

READ ALSO: When do Austrians think an immigrant is successfully integrated?

‘Integration year’ and deportation

The SPÖ plan contains an “extended mandatory integration year” that would ensure refugees get “German and values courses.” However, severe penalties, including deportation, would be imposed for serious offences or “repeated minor crimes.” 

Instead of mass accommodation, the SPÖ proposes small centres enabling better contact with the population. Women’s rights should also become a “central guiding principle for integration”. Women’s self-determination is the top priority, said SPÖ women’s spokesperson Eva-Maria Holzleitner.

The party reiterated that asylum is fundamentally a human right that should never be questioned. However, those who are denied their asylum request would be deported to their country of origin or safe third countries, the party advocates. 

READ ALSO: Who needs to take Austria’s integration exam?

Criticism from the right

Over the weekend, party representatives from far-right FPÖ and centre-right ÖVP have come out to criticise the SPÖ proposals. 

An FPÖ spokesperson said the plan is “pure PR policy” and that, in truth, the SPÖ had “always opened the door to illegal mass immigration under the guise of asylum”. The ÖVP said the proposals are just “headlines instead of concrete proposals for solutions”. 

In a press release, the party said that no capacity limit was presented, showing “that the SPÖ has still not realised that illegal migration cannot be countered by further squeezing the Austrian taxpayer”

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