The Victorian Socialists and South Australian Socialists have begun endorsing candidates for their respective state elections, which could likely see the first Marxist elected to parliament since Fred Paterson in 1950

Socialists begin preparations for 2026 elections

The Socialist Bulletin Staff - 4/2/2026

Photo: Public Domain

THE Victorian and South Australian Socialists have begun their preparations for the elections in their respective states, which are set to occur this year.

The South Australian branch was founded in May of last year, following a vote at the Victorian Socialists' National Conference which overwhelmingly endorsed its formation with only ten votes against. The SA Socialists were met with immediate challenge following their formation, with only 10 months to create party structures, elect leadership, get to the minimum number of members, register with the Electoral Commission SA, and field a slate of candidates. Within just a few months, the SA Socialists reached the minimum member count to register for elections, and have since begun working towards the 21 March state election.

The SA Socialists achieved some publicity after prominent Palestine activist and SA Socialists member Ahmed Azhar, who was arrested under the South Australian government's draconian anti-protest laws just last year, announced that he would stand as an independent candidate against Malinauskas in March. The South Australian party has also been announcing endorsed members in this time.

While the Victorian state election is almost a year away, the Victorian Socialists have begun preparations already, becoming one of the first Victorian parties to enter 'campaign mode' for the upcoming election. In accordance with a vote passed at the National Conference, the Victorian Socialists have aimed to endorse candidates in every single lower house seat seat across the state.

Several candidates have already been endorsed, including Omar Hassan as the Party's lead candidate in Northern Metro. Polling has shown a spike in support for Victorian Socialists, and some upper house seat projections have indicated that Mr Hassan could be the first Marxist elected to any parliament on the continent since the great Fred Paterson lost his seat to gerrymandering in 1950.

While electoralism is absolutely not the end goal of any socialist party, including the Victorian and SA Socialists, it is absolutely beneficial to have a Marxist in parliament, able to offer workers a visible left-wing alternative to the Greens. Having a Marxist in parliament would boost the Party's funding, and allow them to achieve far greater air time than remaining out of parliament.

The Socialist Bulletin acknowledges that we write on stolen, unceded Indigenous land. We pay our respects to First Nations elders, past, present, and emerging.