Austrians vote in a close election as the far right expects an unprecedented victory

Issued on: 09/29/2024 – 09:26

3 mins

Austrians voted on Sunday to elect a new parliament. The far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) was seeking its first victory in the general election in a tight race with the ruling conservatives.

The election campaign was dominated by voters’ concerns about economic concerns and immigration. The FPO led opinion polls for months, but its lead over the ruling Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) has shrunk to almost nothing as Chancellor Karl Nehammer portrays himself as a statesman and portrays his rival, FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl, as a toxic threat.

According to polls, whoever wins will miss an absolute majority, but will claim the right to lead a coalition government.

The first polling stations opened at or shortly before 7 a.m. (0500 GMT). The forecasts are due a few minutes after the polls close at 5 p.m., with the results refined in the hours that follow.

“It’s about whether the FPÖ appoints the chancellor or not,” says Kathrin Stainer-Hämmerle, political science professor at the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences.

“If that were to happen, then I have to say that Austria’s role in the European Union would be significantly different. Kickl has often said that (Hungarian Prime Minister) Viktor Orban is a role model for him and that he will stand by him.”

An FPO victory would make Austria the latest European Union country to see growing far-right support, following gains in countries such as the Netherlands, France and Germany.

The Eurosceptic, Russia-friendly Freedom Party, which criticizes Islam and promises tougher rules for asylum seekers, won a nationwide vote for the first time in June when it trailed the ÖVP by less than a percentage point in the European elections.

The ÖVP, which like the FPÖ supports stricter immigration rules and tax cuts, is the only party open to a coalition with the far-right party. However, Nehammer says that his party will not join a government with Kickl.

Sarah Wolf, a 22-year-old graphic designer and Austrian Communist Party supporter in Vienna, said tactical voting was worth considering to keep the FPO out.

“What scares me most, if the FPO really gets the most votes, is that we will get something like Viktor Orban: a slow, gradual reduction in media diversity, democracy and understanding,” she said. “There are just so many really dangerous signs.”

“Fortress Austria”

The 55-year-old Kickl has emerged as a fiery opponent of the opposition, but at times appeared uncomfortable as he tried to moderate his tone to increase his leadership appeal.

Viktor de Lijzer, a 17-year soldier who supports the FPO, said the party was best placed to address what he saw as too much criminal violence through immigration.

President Alexander Van der Bellen, who is responsible for forming a government, has expressed reservations about the FPÖ because it criticizes the EU and does not condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The party rejects EU sanctions against Moscow and points to Austria’s neutrality.

He has hinted that he might thwart Kickl’s plans by pointing out that the constitution does not require him to ask the first-placed party to form a government, even though this has long been the practice.

The FPÖ wants to stop granting asylum altogether and create a “Fortress Austria” that prevents migrants from entering the country, even if this is widely viewed as illegal or inconvenient.

Nehammer has portrayed Kickl as a conspiracy theorist shouting from the sidelines as he rules Austria.

Nehammer, 51, has led a coalition with the left-wing Greens since 2021, but the alliance has proven fractured as the economy struggles and inflation worries voters.

Some voters believe Nehammer’s handling of severe flooding in Austria this month likely helped him win back support.

Susanne Pinter, 55, a Green Party supporter in Vienna, said the floods had helped make Nehammer look statesmanlike but she still feared a far-right victory.

“If the FPÖ wins,” she said, “it will have dire consequences for women, people with a migrant background and climate change.”

(Reuters)