Right-Wing Party Wins Austrian Elections

Right-Wing Party Wins Austrian Elections

FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl. Photo: REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

 

Early projections give the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) victory in the country’s parliamentary elections for the first time in its history, in a result likely to send ripples across Austria and beyond.

According to early projections, the FPÖ secured 28.8% of the vote, placing it ahead of the People’s Party (ÖVP), which is currently the senior partner in Austria’s coalition government with the Green Party.

The ÖVP came in second with 26%, while the Social Democrats (SPÖ) followed in third place with 21.2%. NEOS achieved 9.2%, marking its strongest performance in a national election, while the Green Party secured 8.4%, a decline of more than 5% since the last elections.

Smaller parties, such as the Beer Party and the Communist Party (KPÖ), are set to fall short of the 4% threshold to enter the National Council (Nationalrat), the lower chamber of parliament that makes most of the laws.

In total, around 6.3 million Austrians were eligible to vote. Most polling stations opened at 8 a.m., and many party leaders candidates cast their ballots in the morning, urging voters to support their parties.

Future government

Herbert Kickl, the leader of the FPÖ, cast his vote at a polling station in Purkersdorf, Lower Austria, and is now hoping to replace ÖVP leader Karl Nehammer as Austria’s chancellor.

However, despite the FPÖ’s historic result which surpassed its previous record from 1999, it still falls short of an outright majority, meaning coalition-building will be necessary. The ÖVP, SPÖ, NEOS, and the Green Party have all ruled out the possibility of teaming up with the FPÖ. As a result, the FPÖ won’t automatically have the right to nominate the chancellor or form the government.

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen is responsible for giving the mandate to form a government, and so far, he hasn’t made any firm decisions.

Reactions

In an initial response to the election results, Chancellor Karl Nehammer expressed regret that the ÖVP had not secured first place. He emphasised the need to closely examine why “radicalised” individuals garnered more support than the “strength of the centre,” which he referred to as the “voice of reason.”

FPÖ Secretary-General Christian Hafenecker advised the government leader to resign, stating, “When you suffer such a historic defeat, there’s really only one consequence.”

SPÖ Federal Secretary Klaus Seltenheim described the outcome as painful, attributing it to internal disputes. However, he does not anticipate a resignation from lead candidate Andreas Babler, asserting, “The project is certainly not over.” SPÖ Member of Parliament and Babler’s close aide, Julia Herr, expressed a willingness to engage in talks with the ÖVP.

For the Greens, Social Minister Johannes Rauch remarked that the results represented “a mandate to continue fighting.”

‘No need to panic’

Speaking to The International, well-connected journalist Michael Fleischhacker – now a TV moderator and formerly editor-in-chief of the daily Die Presse – sought to allay fears about what the FPÖ’s rise might mean for foreign nationals living in Austria.

“As a foreign citizen here, you won’t notice any real difference; there will be a coalition government, possibly with different policies, but nothing radical will change,” he said.

Regarding whether Austria’s future government will feature an FPÖ-led coalition, Fleischhacker was doubtful. Having observed Austrian politics for decades, and speaking to The International right after moderating a post-election debate between Kickl and SPÖ leader Andreas Babler, Fleischhacker suggested the most likely outcome would be a three-way coalition between the ÖVP, SPÖ, and NEOS.

The ÖVP and SPÖ governed Austria together for decades in what’s known as a Grand Coalition. NEOS, while never part of a national government, is currently the junior partner in Vienna’s city government, led by the SPÖ.

When to expect official results

A long wait is expected before the preliminary final result is announced tonight – likely “not before 11 p.m.,” according to the election authorities. The delay is due to the electoral law reforms introduced earlier this year. Unlike in previous elections, most postal votes will now be counted on election Sunday itself. With a record number of 1,436,240 postal ballots issued – compared to 1,070,933 in the 2019 national election and 958,948 in the European Parliament election earlier this year – the count is expected to take longer.

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