On Sunday, the people of Austria vote in a general election. The opposition Freedom Party (FPÖ) may have a great chance to win the polls for the first time as it outperforms the ruling conservatives in opinion polls, with the opposition Social Democrats in third place, BBC said.
The Freedom Party, led by Herbert Kickl, stands one step away from a historic victory. However, even if the party manages to come out on top, it is unlikely that any party will win enough seats for an absolute majority, and coalition building is likely to be difficult.
A potential victory reinforced by the fact that the party has successfully capitalised on the issues of migration, rising inflation, the war in Ukraine and anger over the way the COVID pandemic is being handled. In addition, the FPÖ has held steady at 27 per cent in the polls for months, two points ahead of the conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), which is predicting a photo finish.
In common with other nationally orientated and anti-migration European parties, the FPÖ combines tough rhetoric on immigration and Islam with promises to curtail what it sees as Brussels’ meddling in national affairs.
In addition, Kickl has also aligned his party closely with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and has taken a more conciliatory stance on Russia. By contrast, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, appears to be a “warmonger,” according to Kickl. He also opposed sanctions against Moscow after the Ukraine-Russia conflict began.
The FPÖ stunned European politicians under leader Jörg Haider in 1999 by finishing second in elections and entering a Conservative-led government. The party joined the coalition in 2018, Herbert Kickl was interior minister at the time, until the party became embroiled in corruption revelations.
Currently, Herbert Kickl has led his party to arguably the best result in its history. However, the leader holds widespread dislike among Austria’s other parties, while the Conservative People’s Party, led by current Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, has not ruled out an alliance with his party.
