Far right surges in Austrian election

The victory of the Social Democrats in the general elections on Sunday (28 September) was overshadowed by the resurgence of the extreme right, with the two populist parties virtually holding a near-majority in the new parliament.

The Social Democratic party of Prime Minister Alfred Gusenbauer saw its lead shrink from 35 to 29.7% while its coalition partner, the Conservative People’s Party (ÖVP), fell from 34 to 25.6%, according to early results. It was their worst showing since World War II.

The two ruling parties had been in a coalition government since January 2007 but their alliance collapsed in July over reform of the health system and European treaty issues, making a snap election inevitable (EURACTIV 07/07/08). 

Far-right parties took advantage of the squabbling, with the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) of Heinz-Christian Strache becoming the third political force in the country, progressing from 11 to 18% in the new Parliament that will come out of the election. The Alliance for Austria’s Future (BZÖ), a party formed by populist leader Jörg Haider after he broke away from the Freedom Party, jumped from four to 11.5%. 

With 29.5% of the vote, the two far-right parties hold a virtual majority in the new parliament, putting them on an equal footing with the Social Democrats. Both parties have campaigned on anti-foreign sentiment, with Strache waging a campaign against Muslims and promising to pull Austria of the EU if he becomes chancellor.

Haider appeared on Austrian television on Sunday calling for a coalition of far-right parties. “Voters now expect us to do something for Austria. They do not want us steeped in animosity and fighting each other,” he said, quoted in The Independent.

Werner Faymann, who replaced Prime Minister Alfred Gusenbauer as leader of the Social Democratic party earlier this year, is now expected to form a government, but his options are few. Most political analysts said another grand coalition with the conservatives was the most likely outcome.

Austria created EU history when the then-leader of the far-right FPÖ party Jörg Haider entered the government after winning a landslide victory in the 1999 general election. EU heads of state reacted by isolating Vienna diplomatically and threatening to suspend its EU membership rights for “serious and persistent breach of fundamental rights” (EURACTIV 11/01/06). Under pressure, Haider stepped down as party chairman in 2000, forming the new BZÖ party and bringing an end to Austria’s diplomatic isolation.

Read more with Euractiv

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