Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPO) is expected this Monday (30) to seek to claw its way to power, after its first victory in parliamentary elections left the anti-establishment group dependent on a partner to form a government coalition.
The triumph of the FPO, a eurosceptic and friend of Russia, on Sunday (29), was another milestone in the recent rise of the European far right. But the party immediately suffered a harsh reality check.
Confronting FPO party leader Herbert Kickl in a television studio after the results were announced, the leaders of the other parties in parliament rejected his proposals to form a coalition.
The FPO finished around 2.5 percentage points ahead of Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s conservative People’s Party (OVP), winning around 29% of the vote – its best result in its history – and Kickl accused his rivals of opposing the will of the people.
“Tomorrow there will be a Blue Monday and then we will start to make that 29% a political reality in this country,” Kickl told his supporters on Sunday night, joking about the fact that blue is the color associated with his party.
Kickl, a provocative and polarizing figure allied with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, offered to negotiate with all other parties in Austria. The FPO’s unexpectedly clear victory risks being hollow if it fails to find a partner.
President Alexander Van der Bellen, a former Greens leader who oversees the formation of the next government, urged all parties to hold talks and suggested the process could be prolonged.
Kickl’s victory cheered far-right parties across Europe, where the far right has made gains in countries including the Netherlands, France and Germany. This growing support could fuel the risk of divisions within the European Union in key policy areas such as defending Ukraine against Russia.
However, these victories were no guarantee of power for the far right, with other parties eager to deny them.
France’s far-right National Rally won the first round of elections in June, but was frustrated when more moderate parties withdrew candidates in the second round, helping the left win the most seats. In the end, the left also lost when President Emmanuel Macron appointed a center-right prime minister.
In the Netherlands, nationalist Geert Wilders had to give up his hopes of being prime minister after coming first in elections when rivals refused to support a government led by him.
Orbán’s path
Kickl says he wants to be a “Volkskanzler,” a term the Nazis used for Adolf Hitler, although others have said so too.
Kickl, 55, has embraced conspiracy theories claiming that the deworming agent ivermectin is effective against Covid-19, as has former US President Donald Trump. He opposes aid to Ukraine and wants sanctions against Russia lifted, arguing they hurt Austria more than Moscow.
Supporters say the FPO’s “Austria First” policies will reduce illegal immigration and boost the economy. Critics fear this could herald a more authoritarian state.
An FPO victory meant that Austria’s future as a democracy was now at stake, said Irene Rubik, a 69-year-old retired civil servant and Green voter, expressing her concern that the country was at risk of “orbanization.” pointing to the situation in Hungary, under Viktor Orbán.
Founded in the 1950s under the leadership of a former Nazi lawmaker, the FPO has worked to moderate its image. Voters were attracted by his promises to restrict asylum and combat inflation, although his connection to Kickl appears limited.
Just 2% of FPO voters said he was the main reason for their vote, the lowest figure of any party leader, a survey by pollster Foresight showed.
The OVP is the only party that has signaled openness to forming a coalition with the FPO – but Nehammer has ruled out the possibility of entering government with Kickl. The politician repeated this on Sunday and there was no indication that Kickl would step aside.
If Kickl fails to form a coalition, it could open the door to some form of linkage involving the OVP and the center-left Social Democrats, the two parties that dominated Austria’s post-war political history.
Kickl’s constant characterization as a threat and other parties’ refusal to work with him risked reinforcing his position as an outsider, said political analyst Thomas Hofer.
“Because it is clear that Herbert Kickl only sees this as a confirmation of his anti-establishment narrative, his anti-establishment narrative,” Hofer said.
This content was originally published in Austrian far right tries to articulate government formation on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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