The election victory of the EU-sceptic and Russia-friendly Freedom Party FPÖ was another milestone for the rise of the far right in Europe, but the party quickly got a cold shower.
Because without a collaboration to secure a majority in the National Assembly, the path to government power looks difficult for the party.
Shortly after the election victory was a fact, the leaders of the other parties rejected a possible collaboration with the FPÖ and leader Herbert Kickl. The victory Kickl referred to as historic can therefore quickly have a bitter aftertaste.
Accusations against rivals
The FPÖ received around 29 percent of the vote in Sunday’s election in Austria – around 2.5 percentage points ahead of Prime Minister Karl Nehammer’s conservative People’s Party (OVP).
The election is the FPÖ’s best ever, and Kickl accuses his rivals of opposing the will of the people, as none of them want to cooperate with him.
– Tomorrow will be a blue Monday, and then we will start the job of making the 29 percent a political reality in this country, Kickl told his supporters on Sunday evening, referring to the party’s color blue.
Kickl, a polarizing figure in Austria who is allied with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, says he is willing to negotiate with all the other parties. Because without a partner, he can wave goodbye to his dream of taking the prime minister’s chair.
Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, former leader of the Green party which oversees the formation of a new government, encourages all parties to participate in talks with Kickl, but says the process could probably be long.
Several cases
Far-right parties have achieved success in several European countries, such as the Netherlands, France and Germany. Growing support for these parties has increased the risk of division in the EU in important political areas, such as support for Ukraine.
However, the victories have not been a guarantee that the far right has managed to secure real government power, as several other parties have worked hard to ensure that this does not become a fact.
The National Assembly in France, for example, won the first round of elections in June, but was unable to secure a majority in the second and decisive election round, when several other moderate parties decided to call for one candidate. The left secured victory, although French President Emmanuel Macron later appointed a centre-right candidate as prime minister.
In the Netherlands, nationalist Geert Wilders had to give up his hopes of becoming prime minister despite winning the election, as his rivals refused to support a government headed by him.
“People’s Chancellor”
Kickl has said he wants to be a “people’s chancellor”, a term the Nazis used for Adolf Hitler, although others have also used such a title.
The 55-year-old has embraced conspiracy theories, opposes support for Ukraine and wants to lift sanctions against Russia, which he claims are hurting Austria more than the Russians.
Voters have gravitated to the FPÖ on promises of stricter immigration policies and measures to tackle inflation, but their support for Kickl appears to be limited. Only 2 percent of FPÖ voters say the party leader was the main reason for their vote, the lowest for any party leader in Austria, according to a Foresight poll.
The OVP is the only party in the country that has signaled that they are open to discussions about a coalition government with the FPÖ, but party leader Nehammer has ruled out entering into a government with Kickl. He repeated this on Sunday, although there are no signs that Kickl is considering throwing in the towel.
If Kickl fails to assemble a coalition, it could open the door for the OVP and the Social Democrats to enter into a collaboration instead. The two parties have dominated Austria’s political history since World War II.
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2024-09-30 23:56:51
