Beer Party Becomes A Political Force In Austria

, Beer Party Becomes A Political Force In Austria

(The Beer Party came in third In Austria’s presidental elections)

When you think ‘beer party’, we’d bet a political movement isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But that’s what’s happening in Austria, where the Beer Party is gaining real traction.

Founded by Dominik Wlazny, a comedian, doctor, brewer and musician, the Beer Party is beginning to be taken seriously in Austria. In October’s Austrian presidential elections, party leader Wlazny (who goes by his stage name of Marco Pogo) gained 8.31% of the vote, with 337,000 citizens.

Inspired to run for office by the song Bierpartei, which he performs with his punk band Turbobier, Wlazny founded the Beer Party in 2015. The song, which includes the lyrics ““If you like to be fat and drink a lot every day, then vote for us now, the Beer Party, we’ll abolish the alcohol tax,” has become an anthem for disenfranchised beer voters in Austria.

In addition to a beer fountain in the Austrian capital, the Beer Party’s proposals include (but are not limited to) the following…

  • “For the purpose of better networking between local restaurateurs and local politics, the creation of a gastronomy network.”
  • “The long overdue banning of all mixed beer drinks like Radlers from public spaces…”
  • The abolition of mandatory closing times for bars and restaurants.
  • The abolition of taxes on drinks in bars and restaurants (compensated for with a new 50% tax on Radlers and “other atrocities”.)
  • “Live and let live (except Radler drinkers).”

“The popularity of these drinks-focused policies makes sense, when one considers that, per capita, Austrians are (as of 2020) the second biggest beer consumers in the world, knocking back an average of 96.8 liters of the stuff per annum, ” according to the Drinks Business

The popularity of a beer-themed political party is not without precedent. The now defunct Polish Beer-Lovers’ Party won 16 seats in Poland’s lower house in the 1991 elections, similar parties also sprung up in Norway, Russia, Belarus and Czechia, though none achieved quite the same success.

Having come in third in Austria’s October elections Marco Pogo’s following is growing as is the Beer Party’s long held opposition to its political enemy Radler drinkers.

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