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Europe|What’s at Stake in Austria’s General Election
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/27/world/europe/austria-general-election-freedom-party.html
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Austrians will head to the polls on Sunday to elect a new Parliament, with the Freedom Party in position to potentially form a far-right government for the first time since World War II.
Sept. 27, 2024, 12:00 a.m. ET
Austria heads to the polls on Sunday for a pivotal parliamentary election that could reshape the nation’s political landscape. The vote is being closely watched because it could lead to a government headed by a far-right chancellor, a first since the end of World War II.
Far-right parties have gained some momentum across Europe, including in Austria, where the Freedom Party is leading in the polls. Here’s what to know about the election.
Why does this election matter?
Austria’s Parliament, or Nationalrat, will be elected on the heels of a European Union parliamentary election that saw far-right parties making gains across the 27-member alliance. Austria’s nationalist, anti-immigration Freedom Party came in first in the country, with 25.4 percent of the votes, and preliminary polling suggests the group may be even more successful in the country’s general election. The Freedom Party has been in government three times since 1990. In 1999, Europeans reacted with horror, swiftly imposing diplomatic sanctions on Austria.
But the reaction from across the continent was more muted in 2017 when Sebastian Kurz, a conservative chancellor, formed a government with the Freedom Party. By that time, all of Europe had shifted more toward the right, with both Hungary and Poland run by leaders from right-wing parties.
Who is running and who is likely to win?
The far-right Freedom Party is leading the polls, followed most closely by the conservative Austrian People’s Party and the center-left Social Democratic Party.
Donatienne Ruy, a Europe, Russia and Eurasia fellow at the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, described the Freedom Party as “far-right, populist, anti-immigration, euroskeptic and pro-Russia.” It was founded by a former Nazi officer and was ejected from government in 2019 following a major corruption scandal. It has since recovered and is running on a slogan of “Fortress Austria, Fortress for Freedom.”
Freedom Party leaders presented a campaign platform that prioritized deportation and decreasing asylum applications.
