What does far-right election victory mean for Austria?
The anti-migrant Freedom Party 'downplays its Nazi past' but has 'deep roots' in Austrian politics
The far-right has won the most votes in an Austrian election for the first time since the Nazi era, as the pro-Kremlin, anti-Islam Freedom Party (FPÖ) beat the ruling centre-right People's Party (ÖVP).
FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl told supporters in Vienna that it was a "piece of history that we have written together today". The party, founded by former Nazis just a decade after the end of the Second World War, won 29.2% of the votes. ÖVP came second with 26.5%.
The Social Democratic Party finished with 21%, the worst result in its history, while the ÖVP's junior coalition partner, the Greens, suffered a big drop in support, coming fifth with 8.3%.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Turnout was high, with nearly 80% of eligible Austrians voting. "The results today couldn't have been clearer," said Kickl, who has insisted that his party should lead the next government.
What did the commentators say?
By "profiting from a rightwing surge in many parts of Europe and taking Hungary's Viktor Orbán as a model", the FPÖ has successfully "capitalised on fears around migration, asylum and crime", said The Guardian. These fears were "heightened by the August cancellation of three Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna over an alleged Islamist terror plot".
But the party had seen a "huge leap in support since the last election in 2019, a result of "mounting inflation, tepid economic growth and lingering resentment over strict government measures during Covid".
The results represent a "remarkable comeback" for the FPÖ, which was "humiliated" five years ago, during its coalition with the ÖVP. Heinz-Christian Strache, vice-chancellor and chairman of the FPÖ at the time, was caught on camera pledging government contracts to a woman pretending to be the niece of a Russian oligarch. The so-called "Ibiza-gate" scandal led to Strache's resignation and the collapse of the coalition.
Although the party "downplays its Nazi past and seeks to portray itself as an anti-establishment alternative to the mainstream centre right and left", it "regularly uses antisemitic fascist tropes to stir its base" said Politico. The FPÖ ran on an overtly "anti-foreigner platform" in this election, vowing to "erect a 'Fortress Austria' to keep out migrants". Kickl also promised voters that should his party win, he would serve as their Volkskanzler – "people's chancellor" – the same term once used by Adolf Hitler.
And a reminder of "the depth of the party's affinity for a Third Reich aesthetic" was provided this weekend at the funeral of a long-serving FPÖ politician, "where mourners sent off their comrade by singing an SS anthem". Such "excesses" will make it difficult for the FPÖ to build a coalition, "but not impossible", said Politico.
The FPÖ's success echoes far-right gains in countries like Italy, the Netherlands and Germany. But unlike parties such as Germany's AfD, which was "formed in reaction to Eurozone policies in 2013", the FPÖ has "deep roots" in Austrian politics, and has "held power at a federal level three times, in coalition with other groupings, making it one of just a few far-right parties in Europe to have done so", said CNN.
What next?
The FPÖ fell short of an outright majority, meaning it will need coalition partners to govern. While most centrist parties have ruled out working with the far right, the ÖVP hasn’t dismissed the possibility, "as it has twice in the past in taboo-breaking alliances at the national level", said The Guardian.
However, Chancellor Karl Nehammer has made it clear that Kickl becoming chancellor is a "non-starter". This sets up "a potential showdown in which the FPÖ would have to either jettison Kickl or take a backseat in government to win the ÖVP’s support".
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Sorcha Bradley is a writer at The Week and a regular on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast. She worked at The Week magazine for a year and a half before taking up her current role with the digital team, where she mostly covers UK current affairs and politics. Before joining The Week, Sorcha worked at slow-news start-up Tortoise Media. She has also written for Sky News, The Sunday Times, the London Evening Standard and Grazia magazine, among other publications. She has a master’s in newspaper journalism from City, University of London, where she specialised in political journalism.
-
Harris storms media with '60 Minutes,' Stern, podcasts
Speed Read The Democratic candidate is doing a blitz of interviews with less-traditional media
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
23andMe: will customers' DNA go up for sale?
Under The Radar Genetic testing company's financial woes creates concerns around personal data it holds
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Long Covid: study shows damage to brain's 'control centre'
The Explainer Research could help scientists understand long-term effects of Covid-19 as well as conditions such as MS and dementia
By The Week UK Published
-
What's behind Trump's last-minute merch push?
Today's Big Question With just weeks to go before the election, Donald Trump is spending the waning days of his campaign hawking a suite of new products, from silver coins to cryptocurrency
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Why are meteorologists worried Trump could ruin their forecasts?
Today's Big Question How a conservative push to dismantle a little-known government agency could lead to big headaches for anyone hoping to get a handle on their local weather
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
UK cedes Chagos Islands to Mauritius, minus US base
Speed Read Mauritius has long argued it was forced to give up the islands in 1965 in return for independence from Britain
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How could escalation in the Middle East affect the global economy?
Today's Big Question Oil prices have already risen but wider conflict could see supply chains disrupted more broadly
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Texas about to put a Democrat in the Senate?
Today's Big Question Colin Allred is gaining on Ted Cruz
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Who could be in a potential Harris Cabinet?
Today's Big Question Speculation is already brewing about who could occupy the top positions
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Japan's ruling party picks next prime minister
Speed Read Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba is on track to succeed outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published