Austria’s far right eyes unprecedented election win
Austrians head to the polls on Sunday for a general election that could see the far-right opposition party, the Freedom Party (FPÖ), achieve a historic first by topping the votes.
Five years ago, the FPÖ was ousted from a coalition government with the conservative People’s Party due to a corruption scandal known as Ibiza-gate. However, under the leadership of Herbert Kickl, the FPÖ now appears poised for a significant victory, currently holding a narrow lead over the ruling conservatives in opinion polls, with the opposition Social Democrats trailing in third.
Even if the Freedom Party secures the top spot, no single party is anticipated to gain enough seats for an outright majority, making coalition-building a challenging prospect.
The FPÖ has effectively tapped into public concerns surrounding migration, rising inflation, the war in Ukraine, and dissatisfaction with the handling of the Covid pandemic, consistently polling around 27%, slightly ahead of the conservative ÖVP, which is predicting a “photo finish.”
One of their campaign videos claims, “The chances have never been so great. As Volkskanzler (people’s chancellor), Herbert Kickl will do everything to restore your freedom, your security, your Wohlstand (prosperity), and your peace… Let’s build Fortress Austria!” The video features Kickl declaring his intention to be “your servant and your protector.”
Kickl’s use of the term Volkskanzler, historically associated with Adolf Hitler in the 1930s, has raised concerns among some Austrians, serving as a troubling reminder of the FPÖ’s origins as a party founded by former Nazis in the 1950s. Protesters at the party’s final election rally on Friday night carried banners that read “Nazis out of parliament.”
Like other far-right European parties, the FPÖ combines tough rhetoric on immigration and Islam with promises to reduce what it regards as interference from Brussels in national affairs.
But Kickl has also aligned his party closely with Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the self-styled champion of “illiberal democracy”, and shared a more conciliatory tone when it comes to Russia.
The Freedom Party leader has called European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen a “warmonger” and opposes sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Political analyst Thomas Hofer says Kickl’s rhetoric has always been “very harsh and divisive”, but he believes election victory would not necessarily clear the way to heading a coalition government.
“Of course it would be a totally new situation in the history of the Second Republic in Austria, because the Freedom Party came close a couple of times, but was never in first place, at least not on the general election level,” he told the BBC.
The party stunned European politics under leader Jörg Haider in 1999, coming second in elections and joined a conservative-led government. When it joined a coalition in 2018, Herbert Kickl was interior minister, until the party became engulfed in corruption revelations.
Now as leader the fiery Kickl has steered his party to what could be its best result yet.
“It would be a kind of shockwave for the other parties, but it doesn’t mean if the FPÖ comes in first, that they also will get the position of chancellor. This is by no means clear,” Thomas Hofer said.
The FPÖ leader is widely disliked by other parties in Austria.
The conservative People’s Party, led by Austria’s current chancellor Karl Nehammer, has repeatedly excluded joining a Kickl-led government, although it has not ruled out an alliance with his party.
