The far-right wave sweeping across Europe shows no signs of stopping. In the Austrian general election, the far-right Freedom Party is expected to win for the first time since World War II.
According to The Guardian and others, exit polls from the Austrian general election held on the 29th (local time) showed that the far-right Freedom Party recorded 29.1% of the vote, about 3 percentage points ahead of the center-right conservative People's Party, which produced Chancellor Karl Nehammer, with 26.2%. Following were the center-left Social Democratic Party (20.4%), the progressive NEOS (8.8%), and the Green Party (8.6%). The voter turnout for this election was approximately 78%.
Herbert Kickl, leader of the Freedom Party, immediately declared victory in the general election. In an interview with the public broadcaster ORF, he said, "Today, voters acted decisively. They clearly said that the situation in this country cannot continue as it has until now," adding, "We have always been ready to lead the government. We have said we are ready to drive change together with the citizens in Austria." On the other hand, Chancellor Nehammer admitted defeat, calling it "bitter." The People's Party and the Social Democratic Party, to which Nehammer belongs, are understood to have recorded their worst results since World War II in this election.
The exit poll results clearly show that support for far-right populist parties is surging in Austria amid low growth and political upheaval across Europe. The Freedom Party, which is anti-immigration and anti-European Union (EU), is a far-right party founded by Nazi collaborators in the 1950s. Recently, controversy arose when party members were seen singing songs favored by the Nazi SS.
The Guardian analyzed, "The far-right Freedom Party, modeled after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb?n, exploited fears about immigration, asylum, and crime," adding, "Rising inflation, minimal economic growth, and lingering anger over strict government measures during the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to a 13 percentage point increase in the Freedom Party's support since the last election in 2019." Earlier, in Austria, Taylor Swift's Vienna concert was canceled last month due to Islamic terror threats.
However, the Freedom Party did not secure a majority of seats in this election. Therefore, partners for forming a coalition government are essential. Chancellor Nehammer did not rule out the possibility of an alliance with the Freedom Party but reaffirmed that the scenario of far-right politician Kickl becoming chancellor is completely impossible. This implies that Kickl must step back for a coalition with the Freedom Party to be formed. The Social Democratic Party, NEOS, and the Green Party are also excluding any alliance with Kickl.
Political scientist Peter Filzmaier told ORF, "In the coming weeks, Freedom Party supporters will find out which is more important to them: the chancellorship or Kickl," adding, "What motivated voters in this election was not the candidate but the issues." The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) referred to the case in France where the left-wing coalition New Popular Front (NFP) became the largest party in the general election but failed to secure an outright majority, leading President Emmanuel Macron to form a center-right government. The WSJ reported, "It is highly likely that the Social Democratic Party and the People's Party will form a coalition with support from NEOS and others. This suggests that current Chancellor Nehammer may remain in power."
Recently, the rise of far-right parties has been repeatedly confirmed across Europe. In last year's Dutch general election, the far-right Freedom Party led by Geert Wilders came in first, and earlier, in the early general election in Italy in September 2022, the far-right party Brothers of Italy (FdI), led by Giorgia Meloni, won. According to Politico, six countries in Europe currently have far-right forces in power. Additionally, far-right parties are leading opinion polls in Belgium, France, and other countries, aiming for future governance. In the European Parliament elections in June, hard-right and far-right parties won as many as 167 seats, ranking second. Far-right parties, once considered fringe forces in politics, are shedding their unfavorable image and establishing themselves as a political mainstream. The WSJ pointed out in a separate article that the rise of this far-right anti-establishment populism is rooted not only in immigration and rising prices but also in the public's distrust of the government's problem-solving ability.
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