2024-09-27 20:40:13
Austria is preparing to experience an important political season on Sunday with legislative elections which could, for the first time in the country’s history, be won by the Freedom Party (FPÖ), the far-right party by Herbert Kickl.
The FPÖ, which had previously come to power, did not finish first in a national election. Today, buoyed by his victory in the European elections in May, he hopes to reverse the movement, despite uncertainties about his future participation in government.
We throw a duel with the conservatives
The polls put the FPÖ in the lead with 27% of the vote, just ahead of Karl Nehammer’s Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), which counted with 25%. Although closely followed by conservatives, Herbert Kickl remained confident and mobilized his supporters on Friday evening in central Vienna. “We must open a new page,” he announced, promising “five good years” to his supporters.
For his part, Karl Nehammer launched a call to vote for “stability” and against the “radicalism” of the FPÖ. From the ÖVP headquarters, he stressed the need to avoid “chaos”, while indicating that a coalition with the FPÖ could be considered, although nothing is certain.
A campaign dominated by conflict
During the campaign, Karl Nehammer was able to control the flooding caused by Storm Boris, which stopped the political debates for a while, allowing him to take the field. His party also managed to reinvent itself as a centrist force, distinguishing itself from the right wing of the FPÖ and the left wing represented by the Social Democrats (SPÖ), which counted with 20% of the vote.
The ÖVP, which currently governs in coalition with the Greens, may, according to experts, retain the company. However, the question of which partners are open. If the ÖVP and the FPÖ find themselves neck and neck, we can observe a reconciliation between these two forces, as was the case in 2000 and 2017. However, a landslide victory for the FPÖ will complicate the negotiations, because ‘ The ÖVP will refuse to play the role of a junior partner within the government.
Herbert Kickl’s argument system
Herbert Kickl, 55, was able to restart the FPÖ after the Ibizagate scandal rocked the party. He adopted a populist strategy, opposing the measures of Covid-19, inflation, climate policies and sanctions against Russia. He also relied on Austrian dishonesty to justify his positions. Kickl even proposed a policy of “immigration”, planning to remove some Austrians from their foreign origin.
Despite the possibility of not forming a government, the main point for the FPÖ on election night will be a political “earthquake” in Austria, according to Thomas Hofer, a Viennese analyst. And even while he was kept out of power, Herbert Kickl could benefit by continuing to play the anti-elitism card, while causing divisions within the country afflicted by economic problems.
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