Kickl's far right Freedom Party 'opens new era' with unprecedented victory in Austrian election

30 September 2024, 13:07

Leader of Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) Herbet Kickl has told supporters it has opened the door to a new era following an unprecedented election victory.

Kickl's party won 29.2% of the vote according to provisional results - almost three points ahead of the conservative People's Party (ÖVP) on 26.5% in second.

This share of the vote falls short of a majority for the FPÖ but forming a coalition is likely to prove complicated for Kickl, who is a divisive figure.

The ÖVP has refused to take part in a coalition government led by Kickl with his main rival, incumbent Chancellor Karl Nehammer of the ÖVP, saying it's “impossible to form a government with someone who adores conspiracy theories”.

The FPÖ has been in coalition with the ÖVP before but it collapsed in 2019 following a corruption scandal known as Ibiza-gate.

The Social Democrats, Greens and Neos have all ruled out a partnership with the far right.

Kickl's party has won 56 seats in the 183-seat parliament, with the conservatives on 52 and the Social Democrats on 41, according to projected results.

The Freedom Party's fiery leader had promised Austrians to build "Fortress Austria", to restore their security, prosperity and peace.

Kickl's victory is the latest in a string of far-right election successes in Europe and he praised voters for their "optimism, courage and trust" in delivering a "piece of history".

There was a high turnout of 74.9% in an election centred around of migration and asylum, as well as a flagging economy and the war in Ukraine.

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FPÖ general secretary Michael Schnedlitz said "the men and women of Austria have made history today", although he refused to say what kind of coalition his party would try to build.

An initial analysis of voters suggested those aged 35-59 were most likely to back the far right, and marginally more women than men.

Herbert Kickl has aligned himself closely with Viktor Orban and his self-styled "illiberal democracy" in neighbouring Hungary.

Kickl had also spoken of becoming Volkskanzler (people's chancellor) which for some Austrians carries echoes of the term used to describe Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany, particularly given the FPÖ was founded by former Nazis in the 1950s.

As the FPÖ's victory became clear, a small group of protesters appeared outside parliament carrying anti-Nazi banners.

People’s Party general secretary Christian Stocker conceded that “we didn’t achieve first place” but said his party had come back from lower poll ratings.

And he reiterated Mr Nehammer’s refusal to form a coalition with Mr Kickl — “that was the case yesterday, and it is the case today and it will still be the case tomorrow”.

More than 6.3 million people age 16 and over were eligible to vote for the new parliament in Austria, a European Union member that has a policy of military neutrality.

Kickl has achieved a turnaround since Austria’s last parliamentary election in 2019. In June, the Freedom Party narrowly won a nationwide vote for the first time in the European Parliament election, which also brought gains for other European far-right parties.

In 2019, its support slumped to 16.2% after a scandal brought down a government in which it was the junior coalition partner.

Then-vice chancellor and Freedom Party leader, Heinz-Christian Strache, resigned following the publication of a secretly recorded video in which he appeared to offer favours to a purported Russian investor.

The far right has tapped into voter frustration over high inflation, the war in Ukraine and the Covid pandemic. It has also built on worries about migration.

In its election program, titled Fortress Austria, the Freedom Party calls for “remigration of uninvited foreigners”, for achieving a more “homogeneous” nation by tightly controlling borders and suspending the right to asylum via an “emergency law”.

The Freedom Party also calls for an end to sanctions against Russia, is highly critical of Western military aid to Ukraine and wants to bow out of the European Sky Shield Initiative, a missile defence project launched by Germany.

The leader of the Social Democrats, a party that led many of Austria’s post-Second World War governments, has positioned himself as the polar opposite to Mr Kickl. Andreas Babler has ruled out governing with the far right and labeled Kickl “a threat to democracy”.

While the Freedom Party has recovered, the popularity of Mr Nehammer’s People’s Party, which has led a coalition government with the environmentalist Greens as junior partners, has declined since 2019.

During the election campaign, Mr Nehammer portrayed his party, which has taken a tough line on immigration in recent years, as “the strong centre” that will guarantee stability amid multiple crises.

Under their leadership, Austria has experienced high inflation averaging 4.2% over the past 12 months, surpassing the EU average.

The government also angered many Austrians in 2022 by becoming the first European country to introduce a coronavirus vaccine mandate, which was scrapped a few months later without ever being put into effect.