The party in Austria's leadership position would bring the already conservative country into a growing group of countries that are shifting towards the far right of European politics. It has touted Nazi slogans and cozyed up to Russia, drawing warnings from Holocaust survivor groups. He campaigned on the promise of deporting immigrants and banning Islamic forms of government.
The Freedom Party, known as the FPÖ, and its firebrand leader Herbert Kickle were given the chance to form a coalition government this week after efforts to keep them out of power collapsed. If they succeed in forming a government, it would send a shockwave through Austria's political system and further into Western Europe, where far-right parties are also on the rise in countries such as France and Germany.
But that's not surprising.
The rise of the Freedom Party comes after years of growing acceptance of the far right in Austrian politics. Its growth has been helped by scandals and ideological shifts in the mainstream conservative party that has led Austria's government for 15 of the past 25 years.
Unlike neighboring Germany, where all other parties have refused to incorporate the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany into the federal ruling party, Austria's other parties have long shared government with the Freedom Party as a junior partner. I admit that I do.
The Liberal Party has expanded its appeal in recent elections with an anti-establishment message harshly criticizing immigration, coronavirus restrictions, the European Union and support for Ukraine in defending against Russian aggression. The party also enjoys support from blue-collar workers, university graduates, and especially women. In this summer's European Parliament elections, it was the most popular party among Austrian voters under the age of 35.
“The idea that the FPÖ is somehow politically taboo has long since left the station,” said Lorenz Enser Jedenastić, a political scientist at the University of Vienna.
The Freedom Party was founded in the 1950s by former members of the Nazi paramilitary SS. Although largely ignored in the early years, it has since slowly become part of the political system.
The party first joined national government with the progressive Social Democrats in 1983 and has since served in four coalition governments, the most recent just six years ago. It is also active at the state level, forming federations in most of Austria's nine states.
Until the late 1980s, the Liberal Party was a small, elitist group primarily associated with certain nationalist university fraternities. New leader Jorg Haider has attracted more voters by adopting campaign rhetoric harshly criticizing foreigners.
That focus is the driving force behind the modern party, and was further honed and strengthened by Mr. Kickl, who wrote a speech for Mr. Haider early in his career. Kickl led the party to raise increasingly provocative slogans, such as the xenophobic “Blood of Vienna – Too many foreigners are of no use to anyone.”
In 2017, the Liberal Party joined the ruling coalition with the conservative People's Party. Karin Kneissl, then the Liberal Party's choice for foreign minister, was widely criticized for dancing at her wedding to Russian President Vladimir V. Putin in 2018. She then moved to Russia.
His government and coalition quickly collapsed in 2019 over a scandal involving hidden cameras, a fake Russian heir and a former Liberal Party leader.
Mr Kickl served as Home Secretary during the government and was responsible for immigration, a topic integral to the party's platform.
He made headlines at the time for suggesting that refugees be “concentrated” in intensive care facilities. Although Mr Kickl later claimed he had not meant to provoke, many believe that his use of the phrase, which referred to Nazi-era concentration camps, was intentional.
It wasn't isolated either. Kickl's party has since repeatedly cited Hitler's use of the term “Volkskanzler,” or “people's chancellor.”
While other party members hope to tone down their anti-immigration rhetoric, Kickl is using raw and emotional appeals to Austrian-born workers. He capitalized on dissatisfaction with the influx of refugees from the Middle East to Austria and later to Ukraine. At the height of the coronavirus pandemic, he rallied against vaccine mandates, lockdowns and mask-wearing.
During last autumn's election campaign, Mr Kickl promised to build a “Fortress Austria” relying on strict border control measures, forced deportations of migrants and the suspension of asylum rights for refugees, which would require the European Union's It would be necessary to withdraw from the immigration agreement. He called for a reversal of measures to combat climate change and a renewed focus on fossil fuels.
He is also pushing for political change, which some analysts say could push Austria toward a more authoritarian model of government similar to Hungary's Viktor Orbán. . These changes include new referendum procedures that allow a relatively small number of voters to force a nationwide vote to change the government or remove individual ministers.
Kickle's platform appealed to many voters, and the party won the most seats in the National Assembly elections in September. “A certain level of rigor is now required in politics,” said Austrian election researcher Christoph Hofinger.
For some, it caused anxiety. After the election, Christoph Heubner, executive vice president of the International Auschwitz Committee, said the victory added “another alarming chapter of fear and concern” for Holocaust survivors.
The Liberal Party has partially benefited from the People's Party's problems. The group easily won the premiership in 2017 after shifting to the right on a number of issues. But the People's Party soon became embroiled in a series of scandals, including one related to fraudulent polls published in newspapers. Along with recent coalition partner the Green Party, it also faced voter dissatisfaction over inflation and coronavirus restrictions.
After the election defeat, incumbent Prime Minister Karl Nehammer of the People's Party said he had no intention of forming a coalition with Kickle. The two parties have a long history of working together in state and federal government, and many see this campaign promise as a play to stay in office rather than an ideological position. people were watching.
“There has never been any fundamental criticism from conservatives of the FPÖ's understanding of democracy and the rule of law,” said Encel Jedenástik.
Despite months of efforts, the People's Party was unable to form a coalition without far-right elements. Nehammer then announced his resignation from the premiership this week, paving the way for the Liberal Party to rise to the top of a coalition government.
Mr Kickle will not be able to fulfill all his promises in a coalition government. The next Austrian government will need to eliminate its budget deficit, which could hinder economic policies such as tax cuts and increased social spending.
But analysts say the party's popularity will give him a stronger voice as he pushes for policy changes toward foreigners and refugees. This would likely include cuts to social services for non-German speakers and cuts to economic aid for refugees.
In the autumn elections, 29% of Austrians voted for the Freedom Party. Current opinion polls show that support among voters is over 35 percent.
“If Mr. Kickle feels that the other side is not taking these talks seriously, he will get up from the table and force an early election,” Hoffinger said.
