Austria election reside: polling on a knife-edge, with far-right Freedom social gathering simply forward of incumbent chief

Austria’s far proper rides wave of public anger

Deborah Cole

Worry, uncertainty and suspicion ran excessive in Klagenfurt, southern Austria, earlier than as we speak’s high-stakes parliamentary election, by which the far-right Freedom social gathering (FPÖ) might turn out to be the strongest drive within the nation for the primary time within the postwar interval.

For not less than per week, and a few native folks say for much longer, the faucet water on this metropolis of baroque facades and a surprising Alpine lake has been contaminated with faecal micro organism and unsafe to drink.

Nobody – not the federal government or environmental officers – has managed to determine the trigger though baseless theories involving poisoned wells, migrants and different scapegoats run wild in pubs and the darker corners of the web. Neither is an answer in sight. “Plan C”, as the general public works chief, Erwin Smole, has described flushing pipes with diluted chlorine, remains to be being thought of after different measures failed.

As native residents picked up their free ingesting water in plastic bottles from a distribution level at a conference centre, the pessimism and outrage over the political class which have fuelled the rise of the far proper throughout Europe was plain to see.

“I haven’t decided who to vote for – it’s hard to trust anyone these days,” mentioned hospital nurse Elisabeth Liftenegger, 55, summing up the anti-incumbent sentiment as she loaded up a procuring trolley with potable water.

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What’s the FPÖ?

Jon Henley

Certainly one of Europe’s oldest far-right events, the FPÖ was based in 1956. Regardless of being initially headed by a former Nazi functionary and SS officer, it was a comparatively average liberal social gathering till the mid-Eighties, when it veered radically proper below the firebrand chief Jörg Haider.

The social gathering has twice been the junior companion in short-lived coalition governments with the conservative Austrian Individuals’s social gathering (ÖVP), after ending second within the parliamentary elections of 1999 with 27% of the vote and third in 2017 with 26% of the vote.

Each coalitions ended early. Bitter FPÖ infighting led to the collapse of the primary in 2002, and the so-called Ibizagate scandal in 2019 compelled the resignation of the social gathering’s then chief, Heinz-Christian Strache, and torpedoed the second after 18 months in workplace.

Now led by the controversial former inside minister Herbert Kickl, the FPÖ is nativist, anti-immigration, hostile to Islam and staunchly Eurosceptic. Certainly one of its MEPs, Harald Vilimsky, has described its electoral mission as “kicking the establishment in the butt”.

The FPÖ’s programme, “Fortress Austria, Fortress of Freedom”, plans to chop provision for irregular migrants and asylum seekers to a naked minimal, block household reunification for migrants already in Austria, and promote “remigration”, notably for offenders.

It additionally desires to chop company tax and wage prices, and in international coverage it’s against EU sanctions towards Russia and additional help to Ukraine. The FPÖ has signed and renewed a “cooperation agreement” with Vladimir Putin’s United Russia social gathering.

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Listed below are some photos from election day in Austria.

‘Moment of truth’ for Austria as far proper senses election triumph

Deborah Cole

Austrians are going to the polls as we speak.

Using a far-right surge in lots of components of Europe, the pro-Kremlin, anti-migration Freedom social gathering (FPÖ) and its chief, Herbert Kickl, are capitalising on fears round migration, asylum and crime heightened by the August cancellation of three Taylor Swift concert events in Vienna over an alleged Islamist terror plot.

Mounting inflation, tepid financial development and lingering resentment over strict authorities measures throughout Covid have dovetailed into an 11-point leap within the polls for the FPÖ because the final election in 2019.

Polling exhibits the election on a knife-edge, with the far proper within the lead at 27%, two factors forward of the ÖVP of Chancellor Karl Nehammer.

The opposition Social Democrats (SPÖ) look set for third place with about 21%.

Regardless of devastating flooding this month from Storm Boris bringing the local weather disaster to the fore, the Greens are on simply 8%, almost six factors off their 2019 consequence.

Given the electoral maths, any winner would require a coalition to type a authorities.

The primary polling stations opened at or shortly earlier than 7am (0500 GMT). Projections are due minutes after polls shut at 5pm, with outcomes being finessed over the following hours.

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Good afternoon and welcome to a particular version of the Europe weblog, centered on as we speak’s election in Austria.

Keep tuned for outcomes, response and evaluation.

Ship ideas and tricks to lili.bayer@theguardian.com.