At the National Council election of 22 February 1953, the VdU obtained 10.9 per cent of the votes and 14 seats. It had formally competed as the Election Party of Independents (Wahlpartei der Unabhängigen, or WdU).

The SPÖ ended up with the most votes, but as a result of electoral arithmetic, the ÖVP obtained one seat more.

This National Council election, conducted during the occupation period in Austria, had been brought forward because of a budget-related dispute within the ÖVP-SPÖ coalition. That helps account for the tough confrontation between the coalition partners, the ÖVP and SPÖ, and manifested itself in the various poster campaigns. Those of the VdU, for example, depicted the tearing apart of the Austrian state by the two major parties. 

The following parties and electoral lists stood for election at the National Council election of 22 February 1953:

Sozialistische Partei Österreichs (SPÖ)
Österreichische Volkspartei (ÖVP)
Wahlpartei der Unabhängigen (WdU)
Wahlgemeinschaft Österreichische Volksopposition (VO)
Überparteiliche Einigung der Mitte
Wahlgemeinschaft parteiloser Persönlichkeiten
Christlich-demokratische Partei (Krscanska demokratska stranka)
Christlichsoziale Partei und Parteifreie Persönlichkeiten
Wahlpartei Freie Demokraten
Bund der österreichischen Monarchisten
Österreichische National-Republikaner und Parteilose
Österreichische Patriotische Union

After the ÖVP had again emerged as the largest parliamentary party, the ÖVP’s Leopold Figl continued as Federal Chancellor of the Grand Coalition.