A “new era” in the country’s history? – EURACTIV.pl

The victory of the right-wing Freedom Party of Austria opens a “new era” in the country’s history, said the group’s leader and candidate for chancellor Herbert Kickl.

The victory of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) in yesterday’s (September 29) parliamentary elections is the first victory at the national level in the history of this party.

As many as 78% of voters took part in Sunday’s vote. Austrians eligible to vote. The party of former Interior Minister Herbert Kickel won almost 29 percent. votes, by 2 percentage points more than the previously ruling Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) led by Chancellor Karl Nehammer.

Although the FPÖ’s victory is decisive and the situation in this respect is unlikely to change, the advantage gained will not be enough to govern on its own. To form a government, Kickl will have to enter into a coalition with another party or parties.

Nevertheless, with yesterday’s elections a “new era” in Austria’s history began, Kickl said on election night. He also appreciated the “optimism, courage and trust” of his voters.

Will the Christian Democrats be key?

The FPÖ has been part of the Austrian political scene for decades (it was founded in 1955) and has co-founded the government three times: in 1983-1987 with the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ), in 2000-2005 with ÖVP and in 2017-2019 again with ÖVP. However, it was never the main ruling party and did not have its own chancellor.

– The voters decided. They made it clear that things in the country cannot continue as before, Kickl said.

The Christian Democrats came in second place, slightly behind the libertarians, but they may prove to be key to the formation of the future government. Nehammer has in the past rejected the possibility of re-entering a coalition with libertarians, especially one in which the chancellorship will go to the FPÖ. Now he does not rule out this option, but on condition that Kickel is not in the joint government.

The biggest loser of yesterday’s elections is the SPÖ, which recorded the worst electoral result in its entire history. It took only third place, gaining approximately 21 percent. votes.

The liberal NEOS party obtained 9.2 percent. votes and won against the currently co-governing Green Party (8.3%). The Greens’ result is as much as 5.6 percentage points. worse than the one obtained in the previous elections, in 2019.

The Beer Party (BIER) failed to exceed the 4% electoral threshold. Dominik Wlaznywhich won as much as 8% in the presidential elections two years ago. votes, nor the Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ).

Libertarians rise like a phoenix from the ashes

The last government co-created by the FPÖ, headed by a Christian Democrat Sebastian Shortbroke up in May 2019 as a result of the “Ibizagate” scandal. It was triggered by the release of a recording from the infamous meeting in Ibiza in 2017.

The then FPÖ leadership, including the future vice-chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache, negotiated there with an alleged relative of the Russian oligarch (in fact a Bosnian student planted for provocation) to sell half of the shares in the Vienna daily Kronen Zeitung in exchange for help in the election campaign that year.

However, under the leadership of Kickel, who took over the party in 2021, the FPÖ managed to rebuild its reputation.

Kickl “is a master of communication, he is probably the best at it of all leading Austrian politicians,” says Prof. Reinhard Heinisch, political scientist from the University of Salzburg, in an interview with EURACTIV.com.

– He is definitely a different person and a different leader (of the party – ed.) than his predecessors – he said, comparing Kickel to Strachy and Norbert Hofer, who led the FPÖ in 2019-2021.

In his opinion, from the perspective of creating a new government, the most important question is whether the ÖVP imagines joining a coalition with the FPÖ if the FPÖ were to appoint the chancellor.

What will the president do?

The decision now rests with President Alexander Van der Bellen, who must decide who to entrust with the mission of forming a government. Traditionally, it is awarded to the candidate of the winning party, although the president may decide otherwise.

“I want to ensure that with the creation of a new government, the foundations of our liberal democracy are preserved: the rule of law, the separation of powers, human and minority rights, media freedom and recognition of the role of membership in the European Union,” Van der Bellen wrote on X.

Earlier, the president said that he would not entrust the creation of a new cabinet to a person “from an anti-European party that does not condemn Russia’s war against Ukraine.”

Van der Bellen, who comes from the Green Party, may prefer a coalition that includes his party – if possible, of course.

It is difficult to say whether the influence of the Austrian president will delay the process of forming a government.

– I think that he will not be able to prolong this process in the long run, even if he really wants other parties in the ruling coalition – says Heinisch.

However, it cannot be ruled out that, as happened last year in our country, the party winning the elections will be outside the government.

In Austria, a similar situation already occurred in 2000, when the SPÖ won the elections, but the government was nevertheless formed by the ÖVP and FPÖ.

– In the end, what matters is which party manages to secure a majority in parliament – ​​emphasizes Heinisch.