‘Earthquake’: victory of the far-right Freedom Party in Austria

Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) achieved a historic victory in the national elections, but will likely struggle to find partners to form a governing coalition.

According to almost complete results, FPOe won 28.8% of the vote, defeating the ruling conservative People’s Party (OeVP) and placed second with 26.3% of the vote.

Although the FPOe had already served in coalition governments, it won the national vote for the first time, and far-right parties across Europe benefited.

However, all other parties in the country reject forming a coalition with the Eurosceptic, Russia-friendly FPOe, founded in the 1950s under the leadership of a former Nazi legislator. Leader Herbert Kickl is also a provocative and polarizing figure, strongly disliked by the leaders of other parties.

“We wrote a piece of history together today…” Kickl, 55, told cheering fans in Vienna. “We have opened the door to a new era.”

Like other far-right parties in Europe, FPOe’s popularity has surged as a result of voter anger over issues such as migration, the state of the economy and restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This is certainly an earthquake that sends shockwaves through all the other parties,” political analyst Thomas Hofer told the AFP news agency.

“Our hand is stretched out”

Kickl, who took over the party leadership in 2021, said he was ready to form a government with “each individual” party in parliament.

“Our hands are stretched out in all directions,” he said.

The atmosphere among the FPOe fans was festive as fans dressed in traditional Austrian costumes drank glasses of beer.

“It’s a real success… It’s going to be a very, very exciting time,” FPOe is trying to form a government, said Erik Berglund, a waiter. The 35-year-old hailed Kickel as “the most competent leader.”

Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who managed to reduce the gap to the FPOe in recent weeks in opinion polls, admitted that he had failed.

“It was a race to catch up and unfortunately we didn’t manage to do it,” Nehammer, 51, said, vowing to “keep fighting for the interests of the people.”

However, Nehammer could remain chancellor by forming a coalition with the Social Democrats (SPOe) and possibly another party, probably the liberal NEOS.

SPOe scored 21.1%, similar to the record low of 2019, while NEOS was 9.2%.

First there would be a three-party coalition, but analysts say it may struggle to govern given the country’s shift to the right.

Analysts believe that a coalition of the extreme right and conservatives – in power since 1987 – is also possible.

The first FPOe government with the conservatives in 2000 sparked widespread protests and sanctions from Brussels.

The second one collapsed as a result of the spectacular FPOe corruption scandal in 2019, after only a year and a half in power.

More than 6.3 million of Austria’s 9 million citizens were eligible to vote.

Nehammer again repeated his refusal to cooperate with Kickel, who called himself the future “Volkskanzler”, people’s chancellor, as Adolf Hitler was called in the 1930s.

Kickl regularly attacks European Union sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Kathrin Stainer-Haemmerle, professor of political science at the Carinthian University of Applied Sciences, said that if Kickel had succeeded in becoming chancellor, Austria’s role in the EU would have been “significantly different”.

“Kickl has often said that (Hungarian Prime Minister) Viktor Orban is a role model for him and will support him,” she told the Reuters news agency.