Communist Party of Austria

The Communist Party of Austria is a communist party based in Austria. Established in 1918, it was banned between 1933 and 1945 under German control of Austria during World War II. It played an important role in the Austrian resistance against the Nazis and fascism. The party publishes a newspaper called Volksstimmen and stands in elections, however, it has not had representation in the federal parliament since 1959. After losing its last representative in a state parliament, in Styria in 1970, it has become a fringe movement with limited political significance. At the National Council elections held on November 22, 2002, it won only 0.56% of the votes, well below the 4% minimum to obtain seats in the National Council. However, it received an exceptional 20% of the vote in the 2003 Graz local elections, and in 2005 it returned to its first state parliament in 35 years after winning 6.3% of the vote in Styria.