Austria's far-right Freedom Party eyes first-time election win with narrow lead in polls

The far-right Freedom Party is seal to prosperning its first ever national election in Austria, with polls shoprosperg a skinny direct.

Led by Herbert Kickl, a establisher interior minister who was diswatched over the country’s Ibiza debate, the Freedom Party (FPO) is directing polls at 27%.

However, it is equitable two points ahead of the conservative Austrian People’s Party (OVP) at 25%, and no party is set for an outright convey inantity.

The party finishelighted its first nationwide election prosper in June when it took six seats in the European Parliament election, which saw far-right parties atraverse Europe originate gets.

It labels a convey inant turnaround for the FPO – in 2019 the far-right party slumped while part of a coalition rulement after a video aascfinishd of then directer Heinz-Christian Strache materializeing to give favours to a purported Russian spendor.

After its vote split collapsed to 16.2% five years ago, the FPO under Mr Kickl has campaigned on immigration, inflation, and the war in Ukraine.

Polls seal in Austria at 5pm (3pm in the UK), with projected results set to adhere lowly after.

What does FPO aid?

In its election programme, the FPO calls for the “remigration of unaskd foreigners”, for achieving a more “homogeneous” nation by shieldedly handleling borders, and suspfinishing the right to asylum via an “aascfinishncy law” to originate “fortress Austria”.

The FPO also calls for an finish to sanctions agetst Russia, is highly critical of Westrict military aid to Ukraine and wants to bow out of the European Sky Shield Initiative – a ignoreile defence project begined by Germany.

In his closing campaign speech on Saturday, Mr Kickl claimed sanctions agetst Moscow over the war on Ukraine were hurting Austria even more than Russia.

“If you see at Germany, (Volkswagon, which cut its annual outsee) for example, the menace of mass unemployment and everyleang that then spills over into Austria,” he said.

In its manifesto, the FPO says it would convey in no novel taxes, and would give tax fractures for youthful laborers at the begin of their nurtureers.

It also calls for a welfare system where advantages are connected to citizenship, an incrrelieve in police numbers, a prohibit on “political Islam”, a two-gfinisher constitutional determination, and more referfinishums so voters can vote out cabinet ministers.

Who is Herbert Kickl?

After the Ibiza afequitable in 2019, 55-year-anciaccess Mr Kickl became directer of the FPO in 2021.

Controversy arose when he was called volkkanzler – nastying chancellor of the people – by his party and aiders. The term was also employd by Nazi aiders to depict Adolf Hitler in the 1930s. Mr Kickl has declineed the comparison.

During the coronaharmful software pandemic, Mr Kickl joined anti-lockdown protests and called Israel’s mass vaccination campaign “health apartheid”.

He also declined to condemn those who appreciatened lockdown meacertains to the Holocaust, despite Austria’s disjoine laws agetst antisrehireism. He rubbished claims that those making the comparison were inmeaningfulising the Nazi regime during an interwatch with Austrian novels outlet ORF.

And in March last year, he and other FPO members left the Austrian parliament when Ukrainian Plivent Volodymyr Zelenskyy insertressed the chamber.

Will Kickl be chancellor?

While the FPO directs in the polls, it is not set to prosper an outright convey inantity and would probable be forced to go into rulement with the OVP.

Austria’s current chancellor – the OVP’s Karl Nehammer – has already said he will not join a coalition rulement with the FPO if Mr Kickl is included.

He has also called the far-right directer a “security danger”, and said on Thursday the election “is about whether we persist together on this shown path of stability or exit the country to the radicals, who originate a lot of promises and don’t upgrasp them”.

While the OVP has been hit by debates since taking office – with two chancellors ousted since 2019 – the response to the flooding caemployd by Storm Boris has helped the party skinny the FPO’s polling direct.

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