Historic Austria Elections: The Rise of Far-Right in Europe

The wave of “far-right” parties in Europe seems to flow as Austria too has witnessed a major political shift. Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), led by Herbert Kickl, emerged victorious in the 2024 general elections. 

It is since the Nazi era that a far-right party has won the most votes in a national election, indicating the growing influence of populist movements across Europe. 

Far-Right’s Historical Win

The FPÖ’s win is a landmark moment in Austrian history. The FPÖ secured 28.8% of the vote, surpassing the center-right People’s Party (ÖVP), which garnered 26.3%. While celebrating the party’s win, Herbert Kickl, the party’s leader, reminded the nation of how far the FPÖ has come since its founding in the 1950s under a former Nazi lawmaker. 

The far-right has been vocal on issues including rising immigration, rising living costs, and nationalism. It has advocated for promoting policies like building a “fortress Austria” to prevent migrants from entering the country.

These helped the nationalist parties garner public support, resulting in their historical win.

Opposition have criticised the FPÖ’s hardline stance, particularly its Islam-critical and anti-asylum policies. People have also protested against it, calling, “Kickl is a Nazi.”

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Opposition Crushed

A shift in the Austrian voters’ preferences from conservatives to far-right in this election came as a shock to the opposition. The largest opposition party, the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ), which recorded its worst-ever result with just 21.1% of the vote. 

The liberal NEOS party managed to get only 9%, while the Greens, despite their focus on climate change and recent devastating floods, managed only 8.3%, trailing in fifth place. 

A Far-Right Across Europe: A Trend

Austria’s election results reflect an ongoing trend in European politics. Countries like Italy, Hungary, Finland, and Sweden all are seeing hard-right parties taking over the leadership of the country. 

1. Italy: Giorgia Meloni, head of the far-right Brothers of Italy, leads a coalition government.
2. Hungary: Viktor Orbán remains a central figure for European populists.
3. Netherlands: Anti-Islam firebrand Geert Wilders is close to securing a historic right-wing government
4. France’s National Rally and Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) have continued to gain traction. However, currently Emmanuel Macron, a centrist leader, assumes the post of president.

The European Union, with around 50 countries, is shifting towards these far-right movements amid the rise of immigration in Europe and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

This is why the hatred’ of immigration has bundled the populist parties in pan-Europe. Moreover, Herbert Kickl’s FPÖ, like many of its far-right counterparts, has taken a pro-Kremlin stance, opposing and calling for the removal of sanctions against Russia, arguing that they hurt Austria more than Moscow. 

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