Parliamentary elections will be held in Austria on Sunday. The populist and pro-Russian Freedom Party of Austria may return to power in the country. The current party leader, Herbert Kickl, is considered an even more extreme politician than Joerg Haider, whose entry into the government in 2000 resulted in EU sanctions against Austria. He is a close ally of Viktor Orban. He is known for anti-Semitic statements.
The head of the far-right Freedom Party of Austria, Herbert Kickl, is openly pro-Russian. He is a close ally of Viktor Orban, with whom he created the European Parliament group “Patriots for Europe” at the end of June.
Herbet Kickl dreams of becoming chancellor. His party is leading in opinion polls ahead of Sunday's parliamentary elections. The most important topic of the election campaign has remained unchanged for years.
– Migration is a serious problem. Especially here in Salzburg, when you cross the main street, you almost don't see Austrians, says one Austrian resident. – The problem is the housing shortage, it's a matter of justice. This is probably the most important thing, there should be political agreement on this matter, says the Austrian resident.
If the pre-election polls are correct, the Polish scenario may repeat in Austria, i.e. the party with the best results will not form a government. The far right is leading, but right behind it is the currently ruling center-right People's Party. The center-left takes third place. After the elections, a so-called “cordon sanitaire” will most likely be created around the Freedom Party of Austria.
– I hope that there will not be such a turn to the right as in Germany and that so many idiots will not come to power – comments a resident of Austria.
– Even if the Freedom Party of Austria wins the elections, it does not mean that its chairman Herbert Kickl will become chancellor, because this would be difficult for the People's Party to accept, and completely unacceptable for the Social Democrats – points out Thomas Hofer, a political analyst.
Olaf Scholz's government may not last until Christmas. The opposition already has a candidate for chancellorJakub Loska/Fakty o Świecie TVN24 BiS
“Many issues will determine voters' decision”
The current leader of the Freedom Party of Austria is considered an even more extreme politician than Joerg Haider, whose entry into the government in 2000 resulted in EU sanctions against Austria. Herbert Kickl already sat in Sebastian Kurz's government in 2017-2019, as Minister of Interior. He is known for anti-Semitic statements. Vienna's chief rabbi calls Sunday's elections a moment of truth as to whether there is still a place for Jews in Austria.
Russian gas is an important election topic. Austria is almost completely dependent on it. Moderate parties want to change this, the extreme right wants to maintain the status quo. In July, over 80 percent of Austria's gas imports came from Russia, the EU average is 15 percent.
– Many issues will determine voters' decision. The most important is inflation and its consequences, i.e. the cost of living. Another issue is international crises that involve Austria. The campaign also covers the state of the economy, migration and social welfare. Recently, there have been floods that affected part of the country, which once again sparked a discussion about climate change, points out Thomas Hofer.
The cataclysm that recently hit Austria was perhaps the largest since the 16th century, hence the name: “flood of the millennium”. Its effect is not only massive destruction. After the flood, in the last stretch before the elections, the support of the extreme right dropped in favor of moderate parties.
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Main photo source: Reuters