Far-right wins election in Austria, a boost for Putin

A The far-right party founded by former Nazis appeared to have won Austria’s election Sunday, in an outcome that could reshape Europe’s political landscape and help tilt the balance of power between Russia and the West.

Views from the public television ORF exit polls show that the pro-Russian, anti-immigration Freedom Party, or FPÖ, finished first with 29.1% % of voting.

They appear to have overtaken the ruling conservative Österreichische Volkspartei (ÖVP), or Austrian People’s Party, in second place with 26.2% of the vote. The Social Democratic Party of Austria finished third with 20.4%.

THE FPÖHis victory is the latest sign that a movement characterized by anti-immigrant and anti-Islam sentiments has made a breakthrough on the continent.

It represents a stunning reversal of fortune for the party, which left government in 2019 following a corruption scandal. But he has fallen far short of an outright majority in a tight election and will need help to form a stable government.

However, building a coalition is likely to be difficult as all other major groups have ruled out working with the FPÖ.

As in other elections across Europe this summer that have seen political extremes trump their moderate counterparts, Austria may therefore face a period of political uncertainty as parties struggle to take charge.

But even if the party fails to form a coalition government, the result will serve as a symbolic victory for the far-right.

The FPÖ is led by 55-year-old Herbert Kickle, who has been dubbed “Volkskanzler” or “People’s Chancellor” by his party, a term more closely associated with the Nazis who used it to describe Adolf Hitler. Indeed, the FPÖ was founded in the 1950s by former members of Hitler’s paramilitary group, the SS, although Kickl and his supporters reject the modern comparison.

Like other far-right leaders, he has also capitalized on high inflation Europe’s migration crisisin which hundreds of thousands of people have fled war, poverty and natural disasters in the Middle East, North Africa and beyond.

Kickl has proposed a dramatic overhaul of Austria’s immigration system, including the introduction of “immigration” of “undesirable strangers” – deporting migrants to their country of origin.

The party has also strong ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin — the ancient nemesis of the European Union. The FPÖ not only called for an end to Europe’s support for Ukraine, but also called for an end to sanctions imposed on Russia because of its war.

The party’s ideas and policies are not unknown to Austria’s ten million people, and it has been close to the helm of Austrian politics in recent years. The FPÖ was the junior partner in a coalition government with the ÖVP between 2017 and 2019, a relationship that collapsed in scandal and conflict.

But while the FPÖ has always been subordinate to coalitions, it now holds the cards and could tempt others to help it form a government.

The OVP is the only party that has been open to an alliance with the far-right party in the past, and it remains to be seen whether they will accept the sidekick role this time around. Chancellor and ÖVP leader Karl Nehammer has so far ruled out any coalition that includes Kickl.

But with Kickl now head of Austria’s largest party, the nation joins a long list of countries across Europe where the far right now holds significant power after gains this summer in Germany, France and the Netherlands.

For centuries, Austria enjoyed enormous influence as a crossroads in the heart of Europe. Its neutral status, neither formally allied with NATO nor with Russiait means that it has served as an arena for politicians, diplomats and spies trying to upset the geopolitical balance.

But that role is now at risk, with Adolf Hitler’s birthplace reckoning with a possible new government that is anything but neutral.

— Alexander Smith and Carlo Angerer of NBC News contributed to this report.