Austria’s President Denies Right-Wing Freedom Party Chance to Form Government

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen (L) and the Chairman of Austria's Freedom Party (FPOe) Herbert Kickl pose for journalists during a meeting at the Austrian President's office, at Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria on Oct. 21, 2024. Georg Hochmuth/APA/AFP via Getty Images

Austria’s president has denied the populist Freedom Party (FPO) the chance to form a ruling coalition and instead entered talks with the center-right People’s Party (OVP), the runner-up in September’s election.

Last month, the right-wing FPO secured its highest share of the national vote for the first time, beating Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s governing OVP.

However, FPO will not be ruling after President Alexander Van der Bellen announced on Oct. 22 that he was asking Nehammer, whose party came second, to hold coalition talks.

In Austria’s coalition-based electoral system, the party or coalition with a majority in the National Council typically forms the government.

However, no party was willing to govern alongside FPO leader Herbert Kickl, despite his electoral support.

On Sept. 29, the FPO won 29.2 percent of the vote, while Nehammer’s ruling center-right OVP took 26.3 percent, and the center-left Social Democrats finished third with 21 percent. The Greens, which currently governs with the OVP, dropped to 8.3 percent.

On Oct. 23, Kickl accused the president of breaking “tried and tested and normal processes” in Austria and said he was optimistic about potentially leading a coalition.

In a statement on social media platform X, he wrote that “this may seem like a slap in the face to many of you.”

“But I promise you: The last word has not yet been spoken. Today is not the end of the world,” Kickl wrote.

“We will see which coalition will emerge at the end of this development. If the voters have their way, it can only be a government led by the FPÖ.”

The FPO’s electoral success mirrors that of Geert Wilders’s Freedom Party in the Netherlands, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in France, and the AfD in Germany, each of which has faced significant hurdles in translating their electoral gains into actual governance.

Austrian Chancellor and Head of People's Party Karl Nehammer speaks at the final rally ahead of the general election in Vienna on Sept. 27, 2024. Reuters/Lisa Leutner

Lockdown

Kickl’s stance against COVID-19 restrictions such as lockdowns played a significant role in his campaign.

Under Nehammer’s OVP in 2022, the country became the first European Union member state to make vaccination compulsory for adults under a law that also made those who refused to be vaccinated liable for fines of up to 3,600 euros ($4,000).

Prior to that measure in November 2021, the government implemented a lockdown for unvaccinated people, excluding them from shops, businesses, theaters, restaurants, bars, and museums.

Policy

The FPO stated in its manifesto that it wants immigrants who have entered Austria illegally to be removed, with strict criteria for legal immigration.

Running on the campaign slogan “Fortress Austria,” the party also promoted “remigration,” a policy of returning immigrants to their place of origin.

The party has tapped into voters’ concerns about immigration, especially weeks after authorities arrested two individuals with alleged links to the ISIS terrorist group who were suspected of planning a terrorist attack at one of pop star Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna.

FPO also proposes rejecting asylum applications from those who pass through safe countries, enforcing border “pushbacks,” and making asylum temporary, ending refugee status when home countries are deemed safe.

The party also stands against the EU’s Pact on Migration and Asylum, legislation that aims to create a unified asylum system across the EU and calls for stricter checks on naturalized Austrians’ citizenship.

The party also opposes sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, saying it violates Austria’s neutrality.

The FPO was founded in 1956 by Anton Reinthaller, a former SS officer and member of the German Reichstag.

Reuters contributed to this report.