Right-wing populists with pro-Kremlin views win parliamentary elections in Austria

In Austria, the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) has won the largest number of parliamentary seats in the election, according to the official results.

Skeptical of the EU and friendly to Russia, the FPÖ has held a slim lead over Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s ruling conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) for months during the campaign. Nehammer has already conceded defeat.

Led by 55-year-old Herbert Kickl, the FPÖ received 28.9 percent of the vote, ahead of the OVP with 26.3 percent and the center-left Social Democrats with 21.1 percent. The far-right party received 57 of the 183 seats in parliament, the conservatives 51, and the Social Democrats 41.

Since the FPÖ failed to win an absolute majority, it will have to form a coalition with a partner. To form the government, a party needs a minimum of 92 out of 183 seats in the parliament, a number that the Austrian far-right falls short of.

Chancellor Karl Nehammer has ruled out the possibility of a coalition with Kickl, but allows cooperation with the FPÖ as a party.

The Greens have also completely ruled out a partnership with the far-right FPÖ because of its anti-European stance and refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Thus, the election results make it impossible to say what the new Austrian government will look like. If no one is willing to enter into a coalition with the Freedom Party, it could either try to form a minority government if offered one by the country’s president or, even if it comes in first position, remain in opposition. The centrists and leftists can form a governing coalition without the Freedom Party.

Since Nehammer never refused to collaborate with the FPO, there is a likely scenario of a coalition between FPO and OVP with an OVP chancellor and important ministerial positions being given to the FPO.

When it comes to their support for more stringent immigration policies, the FPO and the OVP, two right-wing parties, share some ideological ground. Both parties also support tax cuts.

In its manifesto, the FPO states its intention to remove foreign nationals who have unlawfully entered Austria. Its other goal is to reduce the number of people granted refuge and the number of migrants allowed entry to the nation. It advocates restricting social benefits to only native Austrians. Rejecting the idea of a unified EU asylum system runs counter to the EU’s immigration deal.

The FPO opposes sanctions against Russia and providing further aid to Ukraine. It supports maintaining reliance on Russian gas supplies to prevent price increases, as well as Austrian neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Currently, the OVP-Greens alliance is working to reduce Austria’s energy imports from Russia. Austria relied on Russian gas imports for 83% of its total. The OVP also backed Austria’s sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. The OVP also supports the EU. As a result, major stumbling blocks to any agreement with the OVP could arise from the FPO’s euroskepticism and its stance on Russia’s war.