Initial results suggest the far-right Freedom Party takes first place in Austria’s elections | Austria

The far right won the most votes in an Austrian election on Sunday for the first time since the Nazi era, as the Freedom Party (FPÖ) capitalized on public anger over migration and the cost of living to beat the center-right People’s Party (ÖVP ) by three percentage points according to initial projections.

Preliminary results suggest that the pro-Kremlin and anti-Islam FPÖ exceeded expectations with around 29% of the vote, well ahead of Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s ruling ÖVP with just over 26%.

The opposition Social Democratic Party achieved its worst result ever at 20.6%, while the liberal NEOS achieved around 9%. Despite this month’s devastating floods from Storm Boris, which brought the climate crisis to the fore, the Greens, junior partners in the governing coalition, came in a dismal fifth place with just under 9%.

It seemed unlikely that the Communist Party and the non-political Beer Party would overcome the 4 percent hurdle. Voter turnout was high at around 78%.

The FPÖ benefited from a right-wing upswing in many parts of Europe and took Hungarian Viktor Orbán as a model. It capitalized on fears of migration, asylum and crime, which were heightened by the cancellation of three Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna in August because of an alleged Islamist terrorist attack. Rising inflation, subdued economic growth and continued discontent over strict government measures during Covid led to a 13-point jump in support for the FPÖ since the last election in 2019.

Its polarizing leading candidate Herbert Kickl, who used the nickname “People’s Chancellor” in the election campaign that was once used to describe the Austrian-born Adolf Hitler, immediately claimed power with his party’s decisive victory.

“The voters made it clear today that things in this country cannot continue as before,” he told public broadcaster ORF. “We have always said that we are ready to lead a government, that we are ready to drive forward this change in Austria alongside its citizens.”

Nehammer described the result, which will send shockwaves across Europe, as “bitter”, while his Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner admitted the debacle had been a “wake-up call” for the governing parties.

Since the FPÖ was unable to achieve an absolute majority, it needs a government partner. In contrast to the other centrist parties, the ÖVP does not rule out collaboration with the extreme right in the next government, as it has already done twice in the past with taboo-breaking alliances at the national level. However, Nehammer reiterated on Sunday that a scenario in which Kickl, a former hardline interior minister, would become chancellor was not a winning scenario and would set up a potential showdown in which the FPÖ would either have to jettison Kickl or take a backseat in government win the support of the ÖVP.

“We will see in the coming weeks what is more important to FPÖ voters – the claim to the chancellor’s seat or Herbert Kickl,” political scientist Peter Filzmaier told ORF, adding that election polls had shown that it was issues and not personalities were that motivated voters.

Kickl, a bespectacled marathon runner, was a protégé of Jörg Haider. The fiery former FPÖ leader and Carinthian Prime Minister, who died in a traffic accident while under the influence of alcohol in 2008, transformed the party founded by former Nazi officials and SS officers into the ultranationalist force it is today.

Migrant groups have expressed fears for the future of Austria, which critics say is not fully aware of its Nazi past and its role in the Holocaust. Rabbi Jacob Frenkel of the Vienna Jewish Council called the election a “moment of truth.”

At his final rally on Friday in downtown Vienna, Kickl received cheers from the crowd, who railed against the anti-Russian EU sanctions, “the snobs, school principals and know-it-alls,” climate activists and “drag queens in schools and the early sexualization of our children.” He welcomed a proposed constitutional amendment providing for the existence of only two genders. The biggest applause, however, was his call for “remigration” or forced deportation of people “who think they don’t have to follow the rules” of Austrian society.

During the election campaign, Nehammer actively tried to adopt the FPÖ’s tough stance on immigration policy, which the right-wing extremists want to enforce at the EU level through Austria’s outsized influence in Brussels due to its geographical importance and strong alliances. Congratulations to Kickl poured in from right-wing populist parties across Europe, including Germany’s Alternative for Germany and Hungary’s ruling party Fidesz.

“The government has drastically reduced the number of asylum applications,” said the Chancellor on Thursday. “But we need more: asylum procedures in third countries before asylum seekers come across several European countries. And what’s more: full access to social assistance only after five years of residence in Austria.”

It was a remarkable comeback for the FPÖ, which was humiliated five years ago after the so-called Ibiza scandal, in which Austria’s then vice-chancellor and party leader Heinz-Christian Strache was caught on video at a Spanish luxury resort discussing possible bribery of a discussed woman claiming to be the niece of a Russian oligarch.

The disgraced Strache and his faction leader Johann Gudenus, who had initiated the meeting, were forced to resign, triggering early elections in which the ÖVP, then led by “prodigy” chancellor Sebastian Kurz, triumphed. Two years later, Kurz withdrew from politics due to a corruption investigation.

The last electoral term was marked by a stunning turnaround for the government, an ÖVP coalition with the Greens, even by the baroque standards of politics in this Alpine country of 9 million people. The Conservatives lost 11 points in that time, with the FPÖ leading in the polls since the end of 2022 and taking first place in the European elections in June.

Coalition negotiations are expected to last several weeks until a new government is in office. Regardless of the outcome, the ÖVP appears poised to remain in power, either in an alliance with the far right or in an unwieldy, unprecedented three-party coalition with smaller centrist parties, similar to the unpopular government in Germany. A two-party alliance with the Social Democrats could win a razor-thin majority, but analysts believe such a pact is unlikely.