How Austria's Freedom Party Strengthened Far-Right's Presence in Europe

Mahmoud Taha | a month ago

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The recent victory of Austria’s far-right Freedom Party in parliamentary elections marked a turning point in Austrian politics.

It was the first victory for a far-right party in Austria since World War II, highlighting the growing support for far-right parties across Europe.

The Freedom Party, led by former Interior Minister Herbert Kickl, needs to form a coalition government to command a parliamentary majority, and its rivals have said they will not work with Kickl in any government.

In contrast, the outgoing government, a coalition between the People’s Party and the Greens, lost its majority in the parliament.

Austria’s far-right has capitalized on voters’ frustration over high inflation, the war in Ukraine, and the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as exploiting concerns about immigration.

Earlier this month Germany’s anti-migrant Alternative for Germany recorded strong gains in regional elections, while last year anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders won the Dutch national election. 

Far-right forces also made major gains across the bloc in the European Parliament election in June, with France’s National Rally winning at the European ballot box and later becoming the biggest single party in France’s national parliament. 

Unprecedented Majority

Five years after its defeat in the previous elections, Austria’s far-right Freedom Party came first in the parliamentary elections held on September 29, 2024, but without guaranteeing the ability to govern.

According to data published by the Austrian public broadcaster ORF on September 30, the Freedom Party won around 29% of the votes.

The center-right Austrian People's Party came in second place, with around 26% of the votes, and is considered the main partner of the current government.

The center-right Social Democratic Party came in third place with 21% of the votes.

The liberal New Austria Party won 9% of the votes, while the Greens, the junior partner in the government, won 8% of the votes.

Amid the rise of extremist parties in Europe, the Freedom Party, founded by former Nazis, performed better than expected.

Despite this progress, Kickl has not yet secured the position of Chancellor or even a seat in the Austrian government, after failing to secure a majority (50% of the vote), amidst the refusal of other parties to form a coalition with it.

At the same time, the Freedom Party is likely to succeed in obtaining the position of Speaker of the National Council, the third most important public position in the country.

“We have written a piece of history together today. We have opened a door to a new era,” 55-year-old Kickl told cheering party supporters in Vienna.

Kickl said he was ready to form a government with each and every one of the parties in parliament.

In contrast, the ruling People's Party leader, Chancellor Karl Nehammer, expressed disappointment after the defeat, telling his supporters regretfully, “We were unable to catch up with the far right.”

Despite its popularity falling by more than 10 points compared to 2019, the People's Party, which has been in power since 1987, still has a good chance of retaining the position of chancellor, according to observers.

Although Nehammer has stressed that he does not want to form an alliance with Kickl, he has not ruled out a coalition with the far-right, as happened in 2000 and 2017.

It is worth noting that the People's Party will probably not accept being a secondary partner in a ruling coalition, and may prefer an agreement with the Social Democrats or the liberals in the Neues party.

The People's Party has recently had several points of disagreement with the Green Party, and it appears that a split has occurred between them.

Observers say that forming a three-party coalition would be unprecedented in Austria's history.

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Electoral Gains

The victory of the Austrian Freedom Party has heightened critics’ concerns about the rise of the far right in Europe, following electoral gains by the Alternative for Germany party and the National Rally in France in recent months.

The Freedom Party and the People’s Party combined won more than 55% of the vote, and observers say one of them is certain to lead the next government, raising expectations that Austria will adopt stricter rules like those in Germany, Hungary and France.

The immigration issue gained significant attention last month when police arrested a teenager of North Macedonian origin on suspicion of planning an ISIS-inspired attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna.

Polls show immigration and inflation are among voters’ top concerns, along with concerns that Austria is taking in migrants too quickly to integrate them.

The Freedom Party and its leader Herbert Kickl are calling for a comprehensive anti-immigration policy, including a halt to family reunifications through visa waivers for migrants and mass deportations.

In its election program, titled ‘Fortress Austria’, the Freedom Party calls for the remigration of uninvited foreigners, for achieving a more homogeneous nation by tightly controlling borders and suspending the right to asylum via an emergency law.

Among other things, Kickl has said in the past that if he wanted to form a coalition, he would not want the position of chancellor, but rather a position called people’s chancellor — the Nazi nickname for Adolf Hitler (who was also Austrian).

The Freedom Party suffered a setback in 2019 due to the scandalous ‘Ibiza scandal’, but has since bounced back under Kickl, who has tapped into a wave of social and economic fear sweeping the continent.

Earlier this year, the Freedom Party leader struck a coalition with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s party, which has been blocking or delaying key EU decisions, such as sanctions on Russia and aid to Ukraine.

In February, Kickl stressed the need to normalize relations with Russia.

Recently, the Freedom Party has also called for an end to sanctions against Russia, is highly critical of Western military aid to Ukraine and wants to bow out of the European Sky Shield Initiative, a missile defence project launched by Germany.

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European Division

The Austrian example is not unique in the European scene, as the far right has strengthened its influence across the old continent in recent years.

In many countries, such as the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, and France, the far right has gained a real place at the decision-making table and has expressed clear anti-immigration policies.

European right-wing political parties recently celebrated the victory of the Austrian Freedom Party in parliamentary elections, describing it as a strong boost for national conservatives amid the rise of the far-right fueled by concerns about immigration, Reuters reported.

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen said she was delighted with the FPOe victory. 

She hailed what she called a groundswell that carries the defense of national interests, the safeguarding of identities, and the resurrection of sovereignties.

Hungarian PM Viktor Orban congratulated the Austrian Freedom Party leader on his historic victory, calling it another win for the Patriots.

Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders, whose party dominates the Netherlands’ new government, congratulated the Freedom Party on X.

He wrote, “We are winning! Times are changing! Identity, sovereignty, freedom and no more illegal immigration/asylum is what tens of millions of Europeans long for!”

So did Alice Weidel, a co-leader of the Alternative for Germany party.

The leader of Italy’s League, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, called it a historic day in the name of change.

“To those who speak of the ‘far right,’ we remind you that in Vienna the only extreme thing is the desire for change that puts the values of work, family and security back at the center,” Salvini added.

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A victory for Austria's Freedom Party could deepen divisions within the European Union over foreign policy areas, such as support for Ukraine against Moscow's invasion of the country, Reuters reported.

In turn, Vienna-based journalist Abi Hamoud explained to Al-Estiklal that “the victory of the Freedom Party in the recent parliamentary elections was expected. Since last January, according to many opinion polls, it received between 26-28% of the vote.”

“Despite previous expectations of an increase in the popularity of the Freedom Party in Austria, its recent victory shocked the entire political class, because the far-right has previously participated in government, but this is the first time it has topped the results,” he said.

He pointed out that the Freedom Party's recent electoral success poses a real threat, pointing to worrying incidents such as the attendance of politicians from the party at funerals linked to the Nazi past.