Austria’s Freedom Party Election Victory: Historic Win Shakes European Politics

Austria’s Freedom Party Election Victory

Austria’s far-right party wins first victory in parliamentary elections since World War II

The Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) achieved a historic victory in the recent national parliament election, securing 29.2% of the votes and surpassing the ruling Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) and the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ). This marks the first win for a far-right party in Austria since World War II, reflecting public dissatisfaction with high inflation, immigration issues, and the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl aims to become chancellor but faces challenges in forming a government due to rival parties refusing to partner with him. The party’s campaign platform, “Fortress Austria,” advocates for strict immigration controls and a shift of power from the EU back to Austria, while also opposing sanctions against Russia. The election results have bolstered support for far-right parties across Europe, with leaders from similar movements in neighboring countries expressing their congratulations.

Key Concepts

• The Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) achieved a historic electoral victory, marking the first win for a far-right party in Austria since World War II.
• The FPÖ received 29.2% of the votes, surpassing the ruling Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) and the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ).
• Herbert Kickl, the FPÖ leader, aims to become chancellor but faces difficulties in forming a government due to opposition from rival parties.
• The FPÖ’s rise is linked to public dissatisfaction with high inflation, immigration issues, and the impacts of the war in Ukraine.
• The FPÖ’s campaign platform, “Fortress Austria,” advocates for strict immigration controls and the repatriation of “uninvited foreigners.”
• The party opposes sanctions against Russia and Western military support for Ukraine, seeking a withdrawal from the European Sky Shield Initiative.
• Chancellor Nehammer expressed disappointment over his party’s performance but remains against forming a coalition with the FPÖ.
• The FPÖ’s recent success has contributed to a rise in support for other far-right parties across Europe.
• Geert Wilders and Alice Weidel congratulated the FPÖ, highlighting the growing influence of far-right movements in Europe.
• Austria maintains its commitment to EU membership and military neutrality despite the FPÖ’s electoral success.

Austria’s Freedom Party (FPÖ) won Sunday’s national parliament election. It was the first such victory for a far-right party since World War II, surpassing the ruling Conservatives. The victory was achieved by tapping into anxiety about immigration, inflation, Ukraine, and other issues. However, it remains unclear whether the party will be able to govern.

According to preliminary results released by the Austrian Interior Ministry, the FPÖ came in first with 29.2% of the votes, while Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) came in second with 26.5%. The center-left Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) came in third with 21%. The outgoing government, a coalition between Nehammer’s party and the environmentalist Greens (GRÜNE), lost its majority in the national parliament.

Herbert Kickl, a former interior minister and longtime campaign strategist, has led the FPÖ since 2021. He hopes to become chancellor.

However, to become Austria’s new leader, he needs a coalition partner with a majority in parliament. But his rivals have said they will not form a government with Kickel.

The far right has benefited from frustration with high inflation, the war in Ukraine and the coronavirus pandemic, while also tapping into concerns about immigration.

In its campaign platform, called “Fortress Austria,” the Freedom Party called for “repatriating uninvited foreigners” and achieving a more “homogeneous” country through strict border controls and the use of emergency laws to suspend asylum rights.

The Freedom Party also called for an end to sanctions against Russia, strongly criticized Western military aid to Ukraine, and wanted to withdraw from the German-initiated missile defense project, the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI). Kickel criticized the “elites” in Brussels and called for some power to be transferred back to Austria from the EU.

“We don’t need to change our position because we have always said that we are ready to lead the government and that we are ready to work with the people for change in Austria,” Kickel said in an appearance on Austrian public broadcaster ORF alongside other party leaders.

He added that “other parties should ask themselves on which side of democracy they are on” and said they should “reflect on this result”.

Chancellor Nehammer was “sad” that his party did not win but mentioned that he had pulled it back from lower polls. He had previously said he would not form a coalition government with Kickel, saying “what I said before the election will still be valid after the election”.

Austria is a member of the European Union and has a military neutrality policy, with more than 6.3 million people eligible to vote in the new parliament.

Kickel has made some changes since Austria’s last parliamentary election in 2019. The Freedom Party won the national vote by a narrow margin in the European Parliament elections for the first time in June, which also gave other European far-right parties more support.

Geert Wilders, leader of the far-right Freedom Party of the Netherlands, which dominates the new Dutch government, congratulated the Austrian Freedom Party on Sunday on the social media platform X. Alice Weidel, co-leader of the German Alternative for Germany party, also expressed congratulations.