Tibor Zenker, chairman of the Party of Labour of Austria, dies at 50

The Party of Labour of Austria (Partei der Arbeit Österreichs, PdA) announced the sudden and unexpected death of its chairman, Tibor Zenker, at the age of 50, marking a significant loss for the communist movement in Austria and across Europe.

According to the party’s official publication, Zenker passed away on 16 April 2026. His death has caused deep shock among his comrades, as he had been at the forefront of efforts to rebuild and consolidate a revolutionary communist party in Austria under demanding political conditions.

DDR: What was the German Democratic Republic?

October 7 was for four decades the “Republic Day,” the national holiday of the German Democratic Republic (Deutsche Demokratische Republik). The date refers to the official founding moment of the GDR, based on the adoption of its constitution on October 7, 1949. 

 

On the occasion of this day, we present an article by Tibor Zenker, chairman of the Party of Labour of Austria (PdA), who examines the essence of the GDR: 

 

100th anniversary of the founding of the USSR: Speech by Tibor Zenker, Party of Labour of Austria (PdA)

Contribution by Tibor Zenker, chairman of the Party of Labour of Austria (PdA), at the teleconference of the European Communist Initiative on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the USSR:

The founding of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on 30 December 1922 marked the greatest state-political achievement of the revolutionary working class to date. It was the result of the Great October Socialist Revolution of 1917, the successful struggle of the young Russian Soviet Republic against counterrevolution and interventions, the overcoming of civil war and so-called "war communism". 

Communists in Vienna: "We are not paying for your crisis!"

“We are not paying for your crisis”. Under this campaign slogan, the Party of Labour of Austria (PdA) organized on Saturday 3 October a political rally at the headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce at Wiedener Hauptstrasse in Vienna. In the coming weeks and months the party will intervene with a campaign which, among others, will focus on the collective bargaining and will try to expose the treacherous role of the social democratic labor aristocracy.

Speeches at the PdA rally were delivered by Tibor Zenker, the party's chairman, as well as Raffael Schöberl, former chairman of the Communist Youth of Austria (KJÖ). 

Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) wins local election in Graz

The Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) is the winner of the municipal election held on Sunday in the country’s second-largest city, Graz.

According to preliminary results, the KPÖ came out on top on Sunday with 29% of the vote, ahead of the conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) on 25.7%.

Communist candidate Elke Kahr told reporters that the magnitude of the municipal election result was "more than surprising".  "Some people make promises a few weeks before the elections. We are there every day and for years for the people, especially for the poorest," she said.

Austria: Tibor Zenker elected new chairman of the Party of Labour (PdA)

Tibor Zenker, new chairman of the PdA,
 addressing the 4th Party Congress.

On December 21, under the slogan “Strengthen the PdA- Strengthen the working class”, the Party of Labour of Austria (Partei der Arbeit- PdA) held its 4th Party Congress in Hietzing, the 13th disctrict of Vienna. 

The Congress examined the activities and developments that took place the previous period since the 3rd Congress and proceeded to the planning for the next two years. 

Regarding the Party's leadership, Tibor Zenker from Wolkersforf was elected as the new chairman, succeeding Otto Bruckner who had been PdA's chairman since the founding party conference in October 2013.