Austria election results put far-right Freedom Party on top, but leader Herbert Kickl faces coalition hurdles
Berlin — Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) emerged Monday as the winners in national parliamentary elections, marking a first victory for a far-right Austrian party since World War II. The Freedom Party, led by Herbert Kickl, secured 29.2% of the vote, topping the center-right Austrian People's Party with 26.5% and the Social Democrats with 21%.
The far-right win reflects a broader European trend of rising popularity for nationalist, anti-immigration parties, fueled by public frustration over issues including inflation, the war in Ukraine and rising migrant populations.
Kickl's party has drawn widespread attention for its anti-immigrant, nationalist rhetoric, with the party campaigning on a vow to seal the country's borders to create "Fortress Austria."
The Freedom Party has promised a crackdown on immigration, including the forced "remigration" of non-Austrian nationals and stricter control over asylum laws. Kickl, a former interior minister, has also been critical of Austria's participation in international sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
The party leader has promised to lead Austria as a "Volkskanzler," or chancellor of the people — a term used by the German Nazi party to refer to Adolf Hitler. His campaign leaned heavily on nationalist sentiment, with promises to restrict immigration and distance Austria from European Union policies on Ukraine and Russia.
The results of Austria's vote largely mirror the trend seen in recent elections in neighboring Germany, where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party made significant gains. The AfD won big in rural areas in Germany's state elections, taking more than 30% of the vote in the states of Thuringia and Saxony.
Despite its victory, the Freedom Party did not win anywhere near enough of the vote to form a new government on its own, so it will need to find partners to build a governing coalition. That is certain to prove a challenge.
Austria's other major parties, including the center-right FPÖ and the Social Democrats, have already said they will not form a coalition with the far-right, raising doubts about the path to power for Kickl's party. Without a coalition partner, the Freedom Party may struggle to build the necessary majority in parliament to for the next government.
The same situation is faced by the AfD in Germany, where the party's rise has been met with firm opposition from the established parties, making it difficult for them to participate in government.
The election results also highlight the decline of the center-right in Austria, which has been in power in various coalitions for the last decade.
Current Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who led the People's Party to second place on Sunday, saw his party lose significant ground compared to its 2019 results, as many Austrians appeared to blame the center-right movement for Austria's economic challenges and some controversial policies, including a temporary COVID vaccine mandate.
Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his Social Democrat SPD also saw their popularity wane in the recent state elections in the eastern states of Saxony and Thuringia.
Kickl's ascent has not been without controversy, including allegations during his tenure as interior minister that the FPÖ was involved in the 2019 "Ibiza Affair," a corruption scandal that brought down the Freedom Party's last coalition government with the center-right.
But he has, since then, helped rebuild the party's reputation – much like the AfD in Germany, in part by positioning it as a defender of national sovereignty and staunch critic of the EU.
Both Kickl and his counterparts in Germany now face major hurdles in converting their electoral success into governance.