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The far right won the most votes in an Austrian election for the first time since the Nazi era on Sunday, as the Freedom party (FPÖ) rode a tide of public anger over migration and the cost of living to beat the centre-right People’s party (ÖVP).
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The pro-Kremlin, anti-Islam FPÖ won 29.2% of votes, beating the ruling ÖVP of the chancellor, Karl Nehammer, into second place on 26.5%, according to near-complete results.
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The opposition Social Democratic party scored its worst ever result – 21% – while the liberal NEOS drew about 9%. Despite devastating flooding this month from Storm Boris bringing the climate crisis to the fore, the Greens, junior partners in the government coalition, tallied 8.3% in a dismal fifth place.
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Profiting from a rightwing surge in many parts of Europe and taking Hungary’s Viktor Orbán as a model, the FPÖ capitalised on fears around migration, asylum and crime heightened by the August cancellation of three Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna over an alleged Islamist terror plot.
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Its polarising lead candidate, Herbert Kickl, who campaigned using the “people’s chancellor” moniker once used to describe the Austrian-born Adolf Hitler, said he was ready to form a government with “each and every one” of the parties in parliament.
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Kickl, leader and top candidate of right-wing populist Freedom Party of Austria is celebrated by supporters as he arrives at the party’s election event after exit poll numbers were announced at the Stiegl-Ambulanz restaurant in Vienna, Austria on September 29, 2024.”,”caption”:”Herbert Kickl, leader and top candidate of right-wing populist Freedom Party of Austria is celebrated by supporters as he arrives at the party’s election event after exit poll numbers were announced at the Stiegl-Ambulanz restaurant in Vienna, Austria on September 29, 2024.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Alex Halada/AFP/Getty Images”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1727682399000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”03.46 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1727682386000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”03.46 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1727682399000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”03.46 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”03.46″,”title”:”Far-right Freedom party finishes first in Austrian election, latest results suggest”,”contributors”:[{“name”:”Deborah Cole”,”imageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2024/05/31/Deborah_Cole_2.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=f0b468913436639d91b316ec2cbb496f”,”largeImageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2024/05/31/Deborah_Cole_2.png?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=532a5378888f5788369fa7924876646b”}],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 30 Sep 2024 05.11 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Mon 30 Sep 2024 03.46 EDT”}],”filterKeyEvents”:false,”id”:”key-events-carousel-mobile”,”absoluteServerTimes”:false}”>
Key events
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Here’s a map from ORF showing which parties came first in each Austrian municipality.
Austrian media is noting this morning the geographic differences in the far-right’s performance yesterday.
The far-right did especially well in rural areas and smaller towns, while the Social Democrats performed well in most big cities.
Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders also celebrated the outcome of Austria’s election.
“The Netherlands, Hungary, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, France, Spain, Czech Republic and today Austria! We are winning! Times are changing!” he wrote.
The Netherlands, Hungary, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, France, Spain, Czech Republic and today Austria!
We are winning!
Times are changing!
Identity, sovereignty, freedom and no more illegal immigration/asylum is what tens of millions of Europeans long for!
❤️
— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) September 29, 2024
nn”}}”>
The Netherlands, Hungary, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, France, Spain, Czech Republic and today Austria!
We are winning!
Times are changing!
Identity, sovereignty, freedom and no more illegal immigration/asylum is what tens of millions of Europeans long for!
❤️
— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) September 29, 2024
Academic Cas Mudde has written of the Austrian election results that the “swing is mainly WITHIN and not towards ÖVP-FPÖ.”
“This is increasingly common: right-wing block wins modestly but within the right-wing block the far right wins big,” he added.
Hungary’s Viktor Orbán has congratulated Herbert Kickl, describing the election results as a “historic victory.”
Orbán’s Fidesz party and Kickl’s far-right Freedom party are both members of the Patriots for Europe group.
Another win for the #Patriots: an historic victory for #FPÖ in #Austria! Congratulations to Herbert Kickl!
— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) September 29, 2024
nn”}}”>
Far-right Freedom party finishes first in Austrian election, latest results suggest
Deborah Cole
The far right won the most votes in an Austrian election for the first time since the Nazi era on Sunday, as the Freedom party (FPÖ) rode a tide of public anger over migration and the cost of living to beat the centre-right People’s party (ÖVP).
The pro-Kremlin, anti-Islam FPÖ won 29.2% of votes, beating the ruling ÖVP of the chancellor, Karl Nehammer, into second place on 26.5%, according to near-complete results.
The opposition Social Democratic party scored its worst ever result – 21% – while the liberal NEOS drew about 9%. Despite devastating flooding this month from Storm Boris bringing the climate crisis to the fore, the Greens, junior partners in the government coalition, tallied 8.3% in a dismal fifth place.
Profiting from a rightwing surge in many parts of Europe and taking Hungary’s Viktor Orbán as a model, the FPÖ capitalised on fears around migration, asylum and crime heightened by the August cancellation of three Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna over an alleged Islamist terror plot.
Its polarising lead candidate, Herbert Kickl, who campaigned using the “people’s chancellor” moniker once used to describe the Austrian-born Adolf Hitler, said he was ready to form a government with “each and every one” of the parties in parliament.
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