Austria was ahead of the curve when it came to the rise of the far right in Europe.
When the Freedom Party first entered national government as a junior partner back at the turn of the millennium, Austria faced punitive measures from other EU states who were outraged that a party founded by former Nazis had catapulted itself from the fringes into the heart of politics in Vienna.
But a quarter of a century later, that kind of EU response seems almost unimaginable — with parties far to the right of Europe’s political spectrum sitting in government offices in the Netherlands, Finland, and Hungary , and claiming more seats than ever in French and German parliaments.
Now, Austria’s far-right faction is within reach of more power than ever before. The country’s president announced on Monday that he had tasked Freedom Party leader Herbert Kickl with trying to form a government with the center right.
Kickl’s party came out on top in elections last September — but with far from enough seats to govern alone. Conservative, liberal and center-left parties spent months trying to broker a coalition deal that would shut the Freedom Party out of power — but those talks collapsed over the weekend, paving the way for what may soon be the first-ever far-right-led government in Austria.
From vaccine skepticism to ‘remigration’ — Freedom Party principles
The Freedom Party was founded in the 1950s and was initially headed up by former SS officers. Over the decades, the party has established itself as a key political force in Austria.
These days, party leader Herbert Kickl often campaigns for “remigration” — generally understood to mean the mass deportation of asylum seekers and foreigners — and says he wants a more “homogeneous” Austria.
On its YouTube channel, the party spreads false narratives that the European Union is trying to force people to eat insects and ban the use of cash. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the party fueled skepticism about vaccines.
The party also has a clear stance on social issues. On its website, the Freedom Party says it’s “committed to the primacy of marriage between a man and a woman” and “rejects any separate legal institution for same-sex relations.” Kickl’s group also says it “emphatically rejects” any preferential treatment for women to tackle “actual or perceived discrimination.”
Researcher Georgios Samaras told DW that the Freedom Party “participates in this rising wave of moral panic that we see. A moral panic that focuses on LGBT rights, trans rights, immigration and, of course, ideas about white nationalism.”
Centrist parties fail to counter the far right
But if Austria’s centrist political forces are set to see their political power wane in the face of an ascendant far right, analyst Reinhard Heinisch says they partially have themselves to blame.
He says left-wing infighting has made the opposition unable to put forward an attractive alternative, while the ruling center-right conservatives have helped “normalize” the Freedom Party by governing with them in the past and are now suffering from anti-incumbent sentiments.
“It’s that vicious cycle. Centrist parties come to power, they fail to deliver the agenda that they present, they engage in multiple U-turns, and that leads to the rise of the far right,” explains researcher Georgios Samaras, based at King’s College London.
“Another aspect that we also need to consider is that the political center is gradually shifting towards the far right,” he added.
Austria already has a restrictive migration policy and Salzburg-based analyst Reinhard Heinisch says a Freedom Party coalition with the incumbent conservatives would likely see that trend continue.
Anti-EU, pro-Russia? Where the Freedom Party could lead Austria
However, such a coalition could set up a collision course on other issues. The Freedom Party is staunchly euroskeptic while the conservatives are traditionally pro-EU.
Heinisch also predicts a “clear shift” in foreign policy. The outgoing conservative-led government has sanctioned Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine — but the Freedom Party regularly criticizes EU support for Kyiv. In 2019, its then-leader, Heinz-Christian Strache, resigned and was expelled after he was secretly filmed discussing shady deals with a woman posing as a wealthy Russian in exchange for political support.
Heinisch says an emboldened Freedom Party could help build up an axis of more Russia-friendly EU nations in Central Europe, with the leaders of neighboring Hungary and Slovakia also opposed to backing Ukraine.
Still, he suspects Kickl or other Freedom Party politicians would be less outspoken than their European neighbors.
“Mr. Kickl was very shrewd,” Heinisch, a professor at Salzburg University, told DW. “He understands he has a coalition partner to worry about. He’s also not that interested in foreign policy.”
“The ability to have far-reaching influence in Austria is probably a much bigger prize,” he added.
The Freedom Party’s path to the Austrian chancellery is not yet secure. Kickl has been officially tasked with leading coalition talks — but the outcome is far from guaranteed.
There is no deadline for striking a deal and an interim government will remain in place — though with a new face replacing outgoing chancellor Karl Nehammer after the failed attempt to strike a centrist deal to exclude the far right.
Researcher Georgios Samaras says one thing is clear. “The FPÖ [Freedom Party] doesn’t really have anything to lose. Political destabilization is what’s happening, and they can only benefit from that,” he said.
Edited by: Rob Mudge
