In Austria, the far right, favorite of the legislative elections, is betting on radicalism

Published on September 27, 2024 at 07:45. / Modified on September 27, 2024 at 5:12 p.m.

Sixteen percent. This is the score that the FPÖ, then led by Norbert Hofer, achieved during the last legislative elections of 2019. A setback for the far-right party, which was then in turmoil after the resounding Ibizagate corruption scandal . Some newspapers spoke at the time of a fatal blow for the FPÖ, but five years later, the party is back at its highest level, credited with 27% of voting intentions in the polls.

It is under the leadership of Herbert Kickl, who became party leader in 2021, that the FPÖ regained voters. Long a man in the shadows, this 55-year-old leader, a secret and divisive personality, established himself during the covid pandemic, by becoming the voice of anti-vaccines, many of whom demonstrated in Austria. “Under the leadership of Herbert Kickl, the FPÖ has placed two themes at the center of its concerns: security, firstly, which is linked to a policy against migrants because in the eyes of the FPÖ and Kickl, this is what group that endangers Austrian society and brings insecurity,” explains Birgit Sauer, political scientist at the University of Vienna. “The second central theme is the idea of ​​violated freedom. It is a rhetoric that is mobilized against anti-covid measures, but also against the European Union, against inclusive writing or against environmental measures for example. All this is considered a form of guardianship and a restriction of freedom.”

Want to read all of our articles?

For CHF 29.- per month, enjoy unlimited access to our articles, without obligation!

I subscribe

Already a subscriber?
Log in