Austria’s far-right Freedom Party is poised to potentially win a national election for the first time as the country heads to the polls on Sunday. The party, under the leadership of Herbert Kickl, a former interior minister, is capitalizing on voter concerns surrounding issues such as immigration, inflation, the conflict in Ukraine, and other anxieties fueling the rise of far-right movements across Europe. Kickl aims to become Austria’s new chancellor, drawing attention for his use of the term “Volkskanzler,” which has historical connotations linked to Adolf Hitler, although Kickl has distanced himself from the comparison. To secure a victory, Kickl would need a coalition partner to secure a majority in parliament.
Despite recent polls indicating a tight race, with the Freedom Party polling at 27%, closely followed by Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s Austrian People’s Party at 25% and the center-left Social Democrats at 21%, Kickl has managed to reverse the party’s fortunes since the 2019 election. The Freedom Party faced a setback in 2019 when a scandal led to its support dropping to 16.2% after a government collapse involving then-vice chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache. The far-right has resonated with voters by tapping into concerns over high inflation, the war in Ukraine, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, and issues related to immigration.
Kickl’s leadership of the Freedom Party has seen the party shift further to the right, with calls for policies such as the “remigration of uninvited foreigners” and a focus on border control to create a more “homogeneous” nation. The party’s stance includes advocating for the suspension of the right to asylum under emergency powers. Kickl’s rhetoric has been described as aggressive and deliberately provocative, with his refusal to distance the party from far-right groups raising concerns among observers.
In contrast to Kickl, Andreas Babler of the Social Democrats has positioned himself as a stark opposite and has ruled out forming a government with the far right, labeling Kickl as “a threat to democracy.” Meanwhile, Chancellor Nehammer’s People’s Party, which currently leads a coalition government with the Greens, has seen a decline in popularity due to various crises spanning from the pandemic to energy price hikes.
The recent flooding in Austria has brought environmental issues to the forefront of the election campaign, potentially aiding Nehammer in presenting himself as a “crisis manager” and narrowing the gap with the Freedom Party. The election outcome remains uncertain, with the potential for various coalition scenarios depending on the results. The possibility of a coalition between the People’s Party and the Freedom Party exists if the former finishes first, but alternatives such as a three-way alliance with the Social Democrats and the liberal Neos party could also materialize.
