The Enemy of My Enemy: How Rudderless Austria Got a Leader

In early March, three centrist political parties in Austria’s parliament agreed on a governing coalition and finally ended a record-breaking 129-day period without a government.

It also appointed a little-known politician, Christian Stocker, leader of the conservative Austrian People’s Party, as chancellor and shut out – for now – the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), which won the largest share of the vote in September’s elections.

The new administration, which includes the conservatives, the center-left Social Democrats, and the free market Neos party, has its work cut out for it, say analysts, partly because the far right didn’t win because of a charismatic leader.

“The Austrian case … presents a unique new twist for Europe’s far-right: After the FPÖ finished first … polling of the party faithful showed that only 2 percent of them voted for the FPÖ because an allegiance to (FPÖ leader Herbert) Kickl himself, while 45 percent said they supported the party because of its hardline policies,” wrote World Politics Review.

“Unlike Hungary, the Netherlands and France, where far-right figures have built political machines – and in the first two countries, come to power – based on personalist leadership styles, Austria’s swing to the extremes is not driven by the fire and fury of a singular popular figure,” it added. “Instead, it is the product of a slow and methodical campaign that has chipped away at the establishment parties’ base of support by exploiting frustrations around a weakening economy and fears over migration.”

Now, reflecting their awareness of the sentiments among their constituents, Stocker and his coalition parties are taking action on some of the issues that drove voters to support the Freedom Party. They have called for strict new asylum rules, new “return centers” to house rejected asylum-seekers, and asylum freezes.

Soon after taking office, Stocker suspended family reunions for migrants, for example, wrote the Morning Star, a left-wing British newspaper. “Austria’s capacities are limited, and that is why we have decided to prevent further overloading,” Stocker said.

Around 7,800 migrants came to Austria last year as part of family reunion programs for migrants, according to the Associated Press. Around 9,250 arrived in 2023. Most migrants were minors. Austria’s population is around 9 million.

The new government has agreed to cut government spending while simultaneously shifting public investments into military expansion, as Defense News reported, social welfare services, and economic growth, as Politico reported.

Those moves might be possible given how Austria is neutral – and thus theoretically protected from Russian aggression – but has a sizeable defense industry that is already profiting from European demand for more military hardware, as Bloomberg explained. Austrian banks have also profited off of the country’s Russian connections.

That’s a different set of priorities than those of the Freedom Party, which is anti-European Union and wants sanctions lifted on Russia and aid for Ukraine halted, arguing that it prolongs the war.

Meanwhile, in spite of its moves to crack down on migration, the new administration will face plenty of criticism from Freedom Party leaders. “The only thing that unites this loser, traffic-light coalition is thirst for power,” the party said on X.

Will the new coalition’s moves be enough to bring back voters to the center? Maybe, wrote the Istituto Analisi Relazioni Internazionali, an Italian think tank. The alternative is new elections and another long wait for a government, it added.

“Public opinion remains divided,” it said. “While many Austrians support the centrist coalition as a stabilizing force against extremism, others express frustration over prolonged coalition negotiations and policy compromises. The success of the coalition depends on its ability to implement policies effectively and maintain public trust.”

“With opposition parties pushing for an early election,” it added, “the political landscape remains dynamic and subject to change in the coming years.”