Günther Hopfgartner

Günther Hopfgartner (; born 12 August 1964) is an Austrian politician and former journalist, who's currently serving as the Leader of the Communist Party of Austria since June 2021.

One of the founders of the European Left Party and former Chairman of the Communist Youth of Austria, Hopfgartner is likely best known for his campaign during the 2024 European Parliament election.

Biography Günther Hopfgartner was born on 12 August 1964, in Linz. He presumably started his career as a lifeguard, in the years between 1986 and 1989. Between 2006 and 2012, he was also a board member of the party. Since 13 July 2017, Hopfgartner is the managing director of the Café 7*Stern in Vienna-Neubau. The main campaign slogan of the party was "Housing instead of cannons" ("Wohnen statt Kanonen").

Political views

Internal affairs Hopfgartner is a strong representative of the left and neutrality and a known critic of the impact of globalization and capitalism on the working class. During his electoral campaigns, he wanted to remove housing from competition law and create a European strategy for public housing that "meets the social and ecological requirements of our time". He insists that the salary cap for KPÖ politicians is made not higher than that of an average skilled worker.

Foreign policy Regarding the Gaza war, Hopfgartner and his 2024 European Parliament campaign called for an immediate ceasefire in Israel and Palestine, demanding "a life free from violence!". Later that year, he'd call for the recognition of the State of Palestine and for the expansion of the support for Ukraine during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He proposed that instead of supplying "excessive" armaments, Europe should invest in Ukrainian housing, write off its debt, etc. Hopfgartner sees two possible perspectives for the European Union: Either it moves towards a "community of solidarity", a social union, or it continues towards "militarism", in which the funds for social services, affordable housing or care will not be available.

Personal life Günther Hopfgartner is single.