Austria’s far-right Freedom Party is expected to win its first national election

VIENNA (AP) — The Freedom Party was on its way to the first far-right victory in a national parliamentary election in Austria since World War II on Sunday, finishing ahead of the ruling conservatives after capitalizing on voters’ fears over immigration, inflation and Ukraine had made and other problems, showed a projection. But his chances of governing were unclear.

A projection by ORF television, based on a count of over 90 percent of the votes, showed that the Freedom Party was at 28.9 percent and Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s Austrian People’s Party was at 26.3 percent. The center-left Social Democrats were in third place with 21 percent. The outgoing government – a coalition between Nehammer’s party and the environmentalists Greens – lost its majority in the lower house of parliament.

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Herbert Kickl, a former interior minister and long-time election campaign strategist who has led the Freedom Party since 2021, wants to become chancellor.

But in order to become Austria’s new head of state, he would need a coalition partner who has a parliamentary majority. Rivals have said they will not work with Kickl in government.

The far right has benefited from frustration over high inflation, the war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also based on concerns about migration.

In its election program entitled “Fortress Austria”, the Freedom Party calls for the “repatriation of uninvited foreigners”, a “more homogeneous” nation through strict border controls and the suspension of the right to asylum via emergency law.

The Freedom Party is also calling for an end to sanctions against Russia, is sharply critical of Western military aid to Ukraine and wants to withdraw from the European Sky Shield Initiative, a missile defense project launched by Germany. Kickl criticized the “elites” in Brussels and called for some powers to be returned from the European Union to Austria.

“We don’t have to change our position because we have always said that we are ready to lead a government, we are ready to drive this change in Austria together with the people,” Kickl said in an appearance alongside other party leaders on ORF. “The other parties should ask themselves where they stand on democracy,” he added, arguing that they should “sleep on the outcome.”

Nehammer said it was “bitter” that his party missed out on top spot, but noted that he had regained it through lower poll numbers. He has often said that he would not enter into a coalition with Kickl, saying: “What I said before the election, I will say after the election.”

More than 6.3 million people were eligible to vote for the new parliament in Austria, an EU member state that follows a policy of military neutrality.

Kickl has managed a turnaround since the last Austrian parliamentary election in 2019. In June, the Freedom Party narrowly won a nationwide vote for the first time in the European elections, which also brought gains to other European far-right parties.

Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders, whose party dominates the Netherlands’ new government, congratulated the Freedom Party on social network X on Sunday. So did Alice Weidel, a co-chair of the Alternative for Germany.

READ MORE: The former Dutch ruling party will not join the new government after the far-right victory

The Freedom Party is a long-established force, but Sunday’s predicted result would be its best ever in a national parliamentary election, surpassing the 26.9 percent it achieved in 1999.

In 2019, her support fell to 16.2 percent after a scandal brought down a government in which she was a junior partner. Then-Vice Chancellor and FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache resigned after a secretly recorded video was released in which he appeared to offer favors to an alleged Russian investor.

The leader of the Social Democrats, a party that led many post-war Austrian governments, positioned himself as the exact opposite of Kickl. Andreas Babler ruled out a right-wing extremist government and described Kickl as “a danger to democracy”.

While the Freedom Party has recovered, the popularity of Nehammer’s People’s Party has fallen sharply compared to 2019. Support for the Greens, their coalition partner, is also said to have fallen to around 8 percent.

During the election campaign, Nehammer portrayed his party, which has taken a tough line on immigration in recent years, as “the strong center” that would guarantee stability in multiple crises.

But crises ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resulting rising energy prices and inflation also cost it support. In 2022, the government also angered many Austrians with a short-lived corona vaccination requirement, the first in Europe.

But recent flooding from Storm Boris, which hit Austria and other countries, may have helped Nehammer somewhat reduce his slack as crisis manager.

The People’s Party is the far right’s only route into government and now holds the key to forming any government.

Nehammer repeatedly ruled out joining a Kickl-led government, calling it a “security risk” for the country, but did not rule out a coalition with the Freedom Party itself – which would mean Kickl would forego a position in the government. But that seems very unlikely since the Freedom Party is in first place.

The alternative would be an alliance between the People’s Party and the Social Democrats – with or without the liberal Neos, who received around nine percent of the vote.

About 300 demonstrators gathered in front of the parliament building in Vienna on Sunday evening and held up posters with slogans such as “Kickl is a Nazi”.

Associated Press video journalist Philipp Jenne in Vienna and reporter Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.