Historic Victory of the Far-Right Freedom Party in Austrian Elections

The far-right Freedom Party of Austria achieved a historic victory in the parliamentary elections, with Chancellor Karl Nehammer acknowledging that the People's Party lost to its rival, the Freedom Party. In his speech to supporters on Sunday, October 8, Nehammer stated, "Unfortunately, we did not come first. But none of us should blame ourselves." According to the latest results, which include more than half of the total votes, and an assessment by the Austrian ORF television network, the Freedom Party secured 29.9% of the votes, placing it first, while the People's Party, led by current Chancellor Karl Nehammer, came in second with 26.3%. The Social Democratic Party followed in third place with 20.5%. This marks the first time since World War II that a far-right party has topped the elections in Austria. However, the party may struggle to form the next government. Following the announcement of the preliminary results, opponents of the Freedom Party took to the streets in Vienna, holding protests, including one outside the parliament. Freedom Party supporters also gathered separately in the streets to celebrate. Opponents of the far-right party carried placards reading "Nazis out of parliament" in a street in Vienna. These results indicate a significant shift in Austria's political landscape. The substantial growth of the Freedom Party's support reflects widespread dissatisfaction among the populace with the current government's policies, and the far-right has capitalized on voter discontent regarding high inflation, the war in Ukraine, and the COVID pandemic. The party has also focused on concerns about uncontrolled immigration. With this victory, Herbert Kickl, the former interior minister and seasoned election strategist who has led the Freedom Party since 2021, could potentially become the new Chancellor of Austria, relying on the first national victory of a far-right party in Austria since World War II. However, to become the new leader of Austria, he will need a coalition partner to secure a majority in the lower house of parliament, while his rivals have stated they will not cooperate with Kickl's government. Kickl's election campaign, titled "Fortress Austria," included promises to "return unwanted migrants" and proposed strict border controls and the suspension of asylum rights through emergency legislation to achieve a "more homogeneous" nation. His party, the far-right Freedom Party, also called for an end to sanctions against Russia, criticized Western military aid to Ukraine, and plans to withdraw from the "Sky Shield" air defense system, which is intended to strengthen NATO's protective umbrella for Europe. The Freedom Party, which had topped several polls leading up to the Sunday elections, has previously been part of the Austrian government but has never secured first place in a general election. Kickl, 55, campaigned with slogans such as "Let’s try a new way with courage" and garnered support from 27% of voters in the latest polls. Two days before the election, amid cheers from his supporters in front of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, he declared, "This time it’s different; this time we will be on top; this time we will succeed." Karl Nehammer, the 51-year-old leader of the ruling conservative People's Party and current Chancellor of Austria, has repeatedly emphasized that he will not participate in a government led by Kickl, who has referred to himself as the next "Volkskanzler" or "Chancellor of the People," a title previously associated with Adolf Hitler in the 1930s.