Far right in Austria ‘opens new era’ with election victory 6 hours ago Paul Kirby BBC News Bethany Bell BBC Vienna correspondent Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) has opened the door to a new era, its leader Herbert Kickl has told supporters, as they celebrated an unprecedented election victory.
Kickl’s party won 29.2% of the vote according to provisional results – almost three points ahead of the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) on 26.5%, but far short of a majority.
Kickl’s victory is only the latest in a string of far-right election successes in Europe and he praised voters for their “optimism, courage and trust” in delivering a “piece of history”.
Kickl’s party has won 56 seats in the 183-seat parliament, with the conservatives on 52 and the Social Democrats on 41, according to projected results.
Kickl’s victory is the latest in almost a year of vote successes for radical right-wing parties in Europe.
After winning an election, Austria’s far right “opens new era.”.
6 hours prior.
Kirby, Paul.
News from BBC.
Bethany.
BBC journalist based in Vienna.
After an unprecedented election victory, Herbert Kickl, the leader of Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), told party supporters that a new era had begun.
According to preliminary results, Kickl’s party received 29.2% of the vote, nearly three points more than the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP), which received 26.5% of the vote. Nevertheless, the party fell well short of a majority.
In delivering a “piece of history,” voters’ “optimism, courage, and trust” were lauded by Kickl, whose victory is just the most recent in a run of far-right election victories in Europe.
A coalition government led by Kickl has not been accepted by the FPÖ, although the ÖVP, in second place, has refused to participate.
It is “impossible to form a government with someone who adores conspiracy theories,” according to Kickl’s main opponent, the incumbent Chancellor Karl Nehammer of the ÖVP.
The election saw a high turnout of 74.9% of Austrian voters, with the main issues being the war in Ukraine, the faltering economy, and immigration and asylum.
The FPÖ general secretary, Michael Schnedlitz, declared that “the men and women of Austria have made history today” as half of the country’s map turned dark blue. However, he refrained from revealing the type of coalition his party would aim to form.
On Monday morning, the postal votes were still being counted. However, a voter analysis revealed that those between the ages of 35 and 59 were the ones most likely to support the far right, with slightly more women than men.
Projected results show that Kickl’s party has gained 56 seats in the 183-seat parliament, with the conservatives holding 52 and the Social Democrats 41.
The ferocious head of the Freedom Party had pledged to the people of Austria to construct “Fortress Austria” in order to bring back their safety, wealth, and harmony.
The party has pushed the notion of remigration, which entails returning asylum seekers to their home countries, and it wants strict regulations on legal immigration. As a prelude to naturalization, it also seeks to restrict the ability to apply for asylum.
Herbert Kickl is closely aligned with Hungary’s neighbor Viktor Orban and his so-called “illiberal democracy.”. Leader of the Social Democrats Andreas Babler issued a warning on Sunday night, stating that Austria should not go down the same route as Hungary.
In addition, Kickl mentioned his intention to become the “people’s chancellor,” a reference to Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany that some Austrians find reminiscent.
It was established in the 1950s by ex-Nazis. A video of some of its candidates singing an SS song at a funeral surfaced two days prior to the election.
A tiny group of demonstrators bearing anti-Nazi banners materialized outside parliament as the FPÖ’s victory became apparent.
Given that Kickl is a contentious figure, forming a coalition is probably going to be difficult.
The far-right alliance has been rejected by the Social Democrats, Greens, and Neos.
As the ÖVP will not allow Kickl to become chancellor, the FPÖ would need to find a way around this. The only alliance Kickl’s party could possibly form is with the conservatives.
Following the election in November of last year, Geert Wilders, the leader of the Freedom Party in the Netherlands, withdrew his candidacy for prime minister in order to secure the coalition formation of three other parties. Kickl, though, is eager to take the helm of his nation and has pledged to the Austrians to be their “servant and protector.”.
Kickl would not receive a “direct mandate to form a coalition,” according to political analyst Thomas Hofer, who spoke to the BBC. Kickl reports to Alexander Van der Bellen, the head of the government of Austria.
If the most recent predictions come to pass, the ÖVP might be able to assemble a coalition with the Social Democrats and draw in the Greens or the liberal Neos party.”.
Karl Nehammer might also face pressure from within the ÖVP to rescind his objection. Following such a historic defeat, a prominent figure in the FPÖ said he should step down; however, Nehammer’s party’s general secretary rejected that.
Due to the FPÖ’s criticism of the EU and inaction on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, President Van der Bellen has expressed trepidation about the organization in the past. The party, which points to Austria’s neutrality in support of EU sanctions against Moscow, had several members of parliament leave Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech to the Vienna parliament last year.
With this victory, radical right-wing parties in Europe have now won nearly a year’s worth of elections.
Germany’s AfD topped the polls in Thuringia last month, and Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, leads a right-wing coalition in Italy. In the June European elections, the National Rally of France emerged victorious.
In contrast to Kickl, the prime minister of Italy has fully endorsed the European Union’s defense of Ukraine against Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Together with a photo of the two, AfD co-leader Alice Weidel congratulated Kickl, while National Rally’s Marine le Pen declared that “this groundswell carrying the defence of national interests” following the votes that confirmed “people’s triumphs everywhere” throughout Europe.
Geert Wilders stated that millions of Europeans yearned for “identity, sovereignty, freedom and no more illegal immigration/asylum” and that times were changing.
By embracing conspiracy theories regarding unusual cures for the virus, Kickl has capitalized on Austrians’ anxieties regarding immigration and has exploited their ire at the way the government has handled the Covid pandemic.
With their election victory on Sunday, Kickl and his party have made a significant comeback from 2019, when they finished a distant third following a video sting scandal that engulfed their former leader.
