Immigration Hardliners Seize Election Victory in Austria, Future Power Potential in Question

Austria’s populist Freedom Party (FPO) has achieved its highest share of the national election vote, surpassing Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s conservative People’s Party (OVP) for the first time in Austria.

In the recent election, the FPO garnered 29.2 percent of the vote, while the OVP received 26.3 percent, and the Social Democrats finished third with 21 percent. The Greens, who are in a coalition with the OVP, saw a decrease to 8.3 percent.

Current Political Scenario

FPO leader Herbert Kickl expressed disappointment as leaders of other parliamentary parties rejected his coalition proposal. To become Austria’s new leader, Kickl will require a coalition partner to secure a majority in parliament.

Given the nature of Austria’s coalition-driven electoral system, the FPO will face challenges forming a government without the support of other parties.

“Tomorrow will mark a ‘blue Monday,’ and then we will work towards translating that 29 percent into a political reality in our country,” Kickl stated to his supporters on Sunday night, referring to the party’s signature color.

The FPO’s electoral success echoes similar trends seen in other parties with strict immigration policies, like Geert Wilders’s Freedom Party in the Netherlands, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in France, and the AfD in Germany.

Established in 1956 by Anton Reinthaller, a former SS officer and Reichstag member, the FPO has a deep-rooted history.

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This month, Kickl made headlines by referring to Adolf Hitler as the “biggest mass murderer in human history” and condemning the dictator’s legacy during a televised debate.

Party Policies

In its manifesto, the FPO outlines its stance on enforcing rigorous criteria for legal immigration and the removal of immigrants who entered Austria illegally.

Operating under the campaign slogan “Fortress Austria,” the party advocates for “remigration,” the process of returning immigrants to their country of origin.

“Austriaʼs population growth is solely attributed to immigration; without it, the population would regress to 1950s levels over time, according to population forecasts. The proportion of the population with a migration background rose from 21.4 percent in 2015 to 25.4 percent,” stated Statistics Austria Director General Tobias Thomas.

It is now estimated that this figure has increased to 27 percent of the country’s population of approximately 9 million last year.

In 2023, Austria’s largest immigrant groups include Germans (225,000), Romanians (147,500), Serbians (121,900), and Turks (119,700). The country experienced a significant surge in asylum applications in 2022, reaching 112,300, with major increases from applicants from India, Tunisia, and Afghanistan.

The Freedom Party of Austria also advocates for rejecting asylum applications from individuals who have passed through safe countries, implementing border pushbacks, and defining asylum as temporary, revoking refugee status once home countries are deemed safe.

The party is also against the EU’s Pact on Migration and Asylum, which aims to establish a unified asylum system across the EU and calls for stricter scrutiny of naturalized Austrians’ citizenship.

“Regardless of the government’s composition after the election, I am confident that measures will be taken to strengthen asylum and immigration laws,” stated professor Walter Obwexer, an advisor to the government on migration law, prior to the election.

COVID-19 Lockdowns

According to Reuters, Kickl’s campaign against COVID-19 restrictions, including lockdowns and vaccine mandates, has contributed to the resurgence of the party’s popularity.

Reuters contributed to this report.