Leda Dodos
The elections in Austria brought the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) to first place with 29%, just like in the European elections. The ruling People’s Party (ÖVP), which belongs to the same European family as the ND, as well as its government partner, the Greens, recorded a big drop, while the Socialists (SPÖ) came third, maintaining their percentages. The Communist Party (KPÖ) also had a significant increase for its data, which, however, did not reach the limit of entry into the Parliament which is set at 4%, with the exception of the case where a party directly elects a member of parliament. There was also a ballot called “GAZA-against genocide”, which got 0.4%.
The formation of a government coalition is a one-way street, a fact not uncommon in Austrian political life, with two possible combinations: either the FPÖ with the People’s Party, which has also happened in the past (last time in the period 2017-2019, when the government fell due to a scandal ), or the People’s Party and the Socialist Party, which traditionally constitute the two main parties of power. What matters, however, is not what combination of system administrators will be formed. What is interesting is what the electoral bases of the parties reflect.
The FPÖ, which focused on immigration while at the same time declaring to related questions that there was no way it would raise income tax, took many voters from all parties, mainly from the People’s Party, but also from the pool of those who abstained from the previous elections . During the pandemic, he led demonstrations against health measures, vaccines, etc., while after the war in Ukraine he took a particularly pro-Russian stance. The FPÖ was supported by the part of the far-right in which it is rooted, even if it was not electorally reflected last time, while it gathered votes because of popular dissatisfaction with government policy.
The Socialist Party, for its part, despite getting votes from other parties, failed to convince those who had abstained, due to its ambivalent stance on many issues. Finally, the CC did well in areas where it already had a significant presence (e.g. Graz) and mainly in the urban centers, with the main issue being social benefits – but at the same time with quite limited discussion around the issue of the war.
In short, if this election has (also) proven anything, it is that when popular discontent grows and there are no other convincing “narratives”, the system skillfully uses the Far Right as a bulwark.
Published in the newspaper Before (5.10.24)
2024-10-11 12:32:00