Lame-Duck Wins

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Austria’s Freedom Party (FPÖ) secured in Sunday’s parliamentary elections the country’s first far-right election victory since its reestablishment as a democracy in 1945, even as it fell short of a majority – a result that could see the FPÖ unable to form a government, the Associated Press reported.

The FPÖ won 29.2 percent of the vote, while the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) came in second with 26.5 percent. Because the FPÖ failed to win a majority, it will need to form a coalition with another party to form a government, according to the BBC.

However, the leader of the ÖVP, incumbent Chancellor Karl Nehammer, said his party won’t collaborate with the leader of the far-right party, Herbert Kickl, adding that it is “impossible to form a government with someone who adores conspiracy theories.”

It didn’t rule out an alliance with the FPÖ, however. Other Austrian parties have echoed that stance.

Regardless, Kickl, a candidate for chancellor, told his supporters that the party has opened the door to a new era with its first election victory.

Meanwhile, voter turnout was high on Sunday, tallying 74.9 percent.

The party, analysts said, was able to capitalize on voter anger and anxiety over the war in Ukraine, inflation, and immigration in particular. Kickl has promised citizens to build “Fortress Austria” and improve security by strengthening regulations on legal immigration, increasing deportations, and barring asylum seekers from gaining citizenship.

After the results were announced, about 300 people protested the election results outside the parliament building in Vienna, holding signs reading, “Kickl is a Nazi.”

The FPÖ was founded by former Nazis in 1956. Kickl has spoken about becoming “Volkskanzler” (people’s chancellor), the title held by fellow Austrian Adolf Hitler when he ruled Nazi Germany.

Meanwhile, the FPÖ’s victory is just the latest far-right win in Europe. With stagnating economies and rising anti-immigration sentiments, far-right parties have been gaining traction on the continent in the past few years, with significant wins in the Netherlands and Germany recently. Analysts worry that these victories will create divisions in Europe over key issues, such as the Russia-Ukraine war.

The FPÖ has criticized sanctions on Russia and wants to maintain Austrian neutrality.