The far right won Austria’s parliamentary elections this Sunday, according to projections. According to polls, the FPÖ, an anti-immigration and anti-Islamist party founded in the 1950s by former Nazis, became for the first time in the country’s post-war history the party with the most votes. voice.
However, the data suggests that the FPÖ will not reach an absolute majority. Governability will therefore require a coalition in which the key will be whether the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP), its only possible partner, will agree to give up the presidency of the government. to the ultra leader, Herbert Kickl.
According to projections, the FPÖ would reach 29.1% (57 seats), compared to 26.25% for the conservative ÖVP (52 seats) and 20.4% for the Social Democrats (40 seats). The liberal NEOS would reach 8.8% (17 seats); the Greens, 8.6% (17 seats); and the KPÖ communists, 2.9%
The FPÖ, founded by former Nazis after World War II, presents itself as a group of patriots that rejects immigration and claims to defend the country’s traditions and German identity under the motto “Austria first.” and with a call for “homogeneity”. of society.
Furthermore, it assumes the controversial concept of “remigration”, an idea promoted by the extremist Identitarian Movement, an ethno-nationalist ideology that advocates the expulsion of citizens of non-European origin back to their countries to guarantee racial and cultural homogeneity of the continent. .
Although Austria has one of the highest per capita incomes in Europe, the FPÖ accuses the current coalition of conservatives and environmentalists of causing “extreme inflation” which they say harms the working class and favors migrants, who they believe receive excessive income. public aid.
Kickl attracts supporters of a tougher immigration policy, but also those disenchanted with traditional parties and media, opponents of health measures and vaccination during the pandemic.
The FPÖ was the most voted force in Austria during the last European elections last June, with significant support among men over 30 and among workers with low levels of education.
Kickl exploits the insecurity and discontent of different sectors in the face of the economic crisis or the war in Ukraine, to present itself as a defender of freedom against so-called elites who – in its history – want to impose a single thought and control the citizens.
Nazi terms
The FPÖ has co-opted terms from Nazism, such as “Volkskanzler” (people’s chancellor), a term used by Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler himself, and now proposes that Kickl would be the legitimate leader of the country even if he does not garner support parliamentarian to become Prime Minister.
This far-right nationalism has enjoyed great social acceptance in Austria since 1986, when Jörg Haider took over as leader of the party. Since then, the FPÖ has been in government three times, always as a junior partner in a coalition with the ÖVP.
The last was interrupted in 2019, when a corruption scandal shattered the executive and caused the FPÖ’s electoral support to plummet to less than 10%.
But under the leadership of Kickl, and thanks to its anti-vaccine rhetoric and against health measures during the pandemic, the FPÖ has managed to regain positions in just four years and, a few days before the elections, is leading the polls in ‘a short margin. before the ÖVP.
