The far right founded by a Nazi wins in Austria and turns the country into a “fortress against immigration”

Accused of “high treason against the Austrian people” during the Anschluss of 1938, member of the SS under number 292,775 and prisoner of war in Russia for two years during the First World War, Anton Reinthaller He became the first leader of the FPÖ after leaving an American prison in Germany in 1950.

He Freedom Party -its translation into Spanish- then brought together in a single formation former Nazis without the right to vote in the first general elections after the Second World War and former nationalists favorable to a Greater Germany. And in a way, the formation which won the legislative elections this Sunday in Austria is not very far from its origins.

In favor of making the country a “fortress”, with strict immigration controls, ultranationalist, eurosceptic and, to a large extent, pro-Russian, the FPÖ became the most voted party in Austria on Sunday, with an advantage of just over three points on the People’s Party (ÖVP) and around nine points on the Social Democrats (SPÖ). Next come the liberal parties Neos (8.8%) and Los Verdes (8.7%).

Ibizagate

Mountaineer and marathon runner, Herber Kickl is above all the man of the match. After abandoning two different careers at the University of Vienna, in 1995 he fully immersed himself in the depths of the party, first in the academy and then in the field of campaign strategy and content. Full-fledged plumber who became FPÖ ideologue and author of the famous inflammatory speeches Jörg Haider in the early 2000s.

Secretary general of the party between 2005 and 2018 and considered by many others as “the rudest politician” in France, he probably would not have managed to lead the party without the famous Ibiza-Affäre.

In May 2019, a video secretly recorded in Ibiza two years earlier was revealed in which Heinz-Christian Stracheuntil then Austrian vice-chancellor and leader of the FPÖ and Johann Gudenus, his second in the game, they were talking to a woman who posed as Alyona Makarovaniece of Russian businessman Igor Makarov. In their speech, the two politicians offered public contracts to the so-called media entrepreneur in exchange for positive media coverage for the party.

“Volkskanzer”

Karl Nehammerleader of the Austrian People’s Party, defined him as “a danger to the security of the country”, both because of his ideology and the fact that he calls himself a “Volkskanzler”. So, as “People’s Chancellor”, it’s exactly like Adolf Hitler He defined himself in his speeches in the early 1930s. Their similarities do not end there, however.

Kickl took advantage of widespread discontent with inflation and the war in Ukraine to come to power, although, undoubtedly, the strong point of his program is immigration.

Copy to Donald Trumpthe party’s program is called “Austria First” and its motto, without doubt, is “Austria, Fortress of Freedom”. His main promises during the campaign ranged from cutting social benefits to irregular migrants and asylum seekers, blocking family reunification opportunities even for migrants already in Austria, and promoting a “remigration” policy. .

The FPÖ has in fact clearly indicated that it will only accept “legal and legitimate immigrants who are already integrated and speak the German language”. [y] fully recognize our values ​​and our laws.” Only these people, believes the party, should have the right to stay in the country and obtain citizenship. In addition, the ultra party also promises to expel “foreigners found guilty of ‘a crime in Austria.’

Illegal immigration is undoubtedly the biggest problem facing Austrians. Moreover, the latest demographic studies place it as the main concern of citizens, who have seen in recent years how asylum requests – mainly from Syrians and Afghans – have exceeded 400,000, while 120,000 Ukrainians are also arrived in the country with which they fled the war. Russia.

Ultra Ascension

Austria is today faced with the difficulties of forming a government in which the popular Austrians would be the only ones willing to join the most voted list, even if Nehammer, its leader and until now prime minister of the country, has already indicated that he would only accept Kickl if he withdrew. Moreover, Alexander Van der Bellenpresident of the country and deputy of Los Verdes, added a new element to the equation since he has the power to entrust the formation of the government to the candidate who has the best chance of achieving it and not necessarily the one who has the more votes and has already expressed its intention to avoid doing so with Kickl at all costs.

Whether Kickl becomes chancellor or not, ultra-ascension is today inevitable both in Austria and in the rest of Europe. In fact, if Kickl were to govern, he would make Austria the seventh country in the European Union with a government entirely or partially made up of the far right.

In Hungary Viktor Orban governs with absolute power – and never said better – in Italy Giorgia Meloni He does it in coalition, but with the parties of the deceased Silvio Berlusconi and with the ultras of the formation of Matteo Salvini. In addition, Croatia, Slovakia and Finland have coalition leaders, and in the Netherlands and Sweden the government is supported by external support from the ultras.

All of the above cannot be separated from the last regional elections in Germany, where the AfD won in Thuringia and came second in Saxony and Brandenburg. We cannot forget the last French elections either, where the National Group of Marine Le Penalthough it did not confirm the expectations generated during the campaign, finished in third position and forced Emmanuel Macron form a government with a prime minister they like. And obviously, the last elections to the European Parliament are those which surprised the most with these 25% of deputies which make the European Parliament the most right-wing in its history.