New leader of the Austrian far right, Herbert Kickl, 55, was able to put his party at the top of the polls on the eve of the legislative elections this Sunday, September 29, which are taking place by proportional voting. This ideologue with an emaciated face and three-day beard has every chance of winning them. His party, the FPÖ (Freedom Party) of the late Jörg Haider, has 27% of voting intentions, with a short lead over the conservatives.
Of course, this is not the first time that the FPÖ has made a breakthrough in Austria. During the European elections last June, the far right had already topped the poll with 25% of the votes cast. The country has been a sort of laboratory, in Europe, for the establishment of governments with the extreme right. It came to power as a minority partner in a coalition between 1983 and 1986, then from 2000 to 2006 and again from 2017 to 2019. But this time, the FPÖ could become the leading force in the country and claim the post of chancellor , a first.
Former pen of Jörg Haider
The party’s leader, Herbert Kickl, is an apparatchik with radical thinking who never stopped working in the shadows for the leaders of the FPÖ, before appearing in full light. “He has done work to smooth out his image, to present himself as the defender of the common people, of Austrian history and its values. And it works. Today, the working class has largely turned to the far right”notes Benjamin Rojtman-Guiraud, doctoral student in political science at the University of Lorraine.
Originally from Carinthia, a stronghold of the FPÖ, Herbert Kickl was first the pen of Jörg Haider, the historic leader of the Austrian far right, who died in a car accident in 2008, then the general secretary of the party. In 2017 he became interior minister in the coalition government led by conservative Sebastian Kurz. Then in 2019, the FPÖ was caught up in the Ibizagate scandal: a video showed the leader of the FPÖ at the time, Heinz-Christian Strache, in deep discussion with a young woman presenting herself as the niece of an oligarch Russian. It was a summer evening in Ibiza and the discussion was about a corruption pact. The affair caused the fall of the coalition government.
The Austrian far right then experienced a journey through the desert. But the new leader of the party, Herbert Kickl, was able to restore his popularity by placing himself at the crossroads of all discontent. He sided with anti-vaxxers and climate skeptics. He said he wanted to close the borders to migrants, taking over the project of « remigration », advocated by the German AfD, to protect the supposedly threatened Austrian identity.
He was also very understanding with Russia, opposing the sanctions decided upon when the aggression against Ukraine was launched. For him, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is a model. “Its driving force has always been criticism of the establishment, European elites, immigration and insecurity”notes Benjamin Rojtman-Guiraud.
“People’s Chancellor”
Ascetic and stiff, Herbert Kickl is a fine tactician who uses the assassin formula without clearly revealing his plans. He shuns traditional media and seeks support from identity groups. “He is among the most extremists within his party. Kickl regularly sends signals to the hardest fringe, such as when he proclaims himself the “people’s chancellor”, a clear reference to the times of National Socialism.notes Anton Shekhovtsov, director of the Center for Democratic Integrity, based in Vienna.
Unlike the French National Rally which opted for de-demonization, Herbert Kickl highlights his difference, having been able, over the years, to make his ideas more acceptable in the eyes of Austrian public opinion. To exercise power, if he wins on Sunday, Herbert Kickl will however have to find partners. The Conservative Party has said nothing about its intentions. But if the FPÖ wins by a significant margin, it will be difficult to find an alternative to Herbert Kickl.
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