Austria – the small, affluent Alpine nation – votes in the parliamentary election. The poll is expected to be topped by the conservative People’s party (ÖVP) of Sebastian Kurz, who would then have a first chance to form a government and become Chancellor.
The election was triggered by the collapse of the grand coalition between the Social Democrats (SPÖ) led by Chancellor Christian Kern and the ÖVP, when Mr Kurz took over the conservative party in May (the grand coalition has run Austria for most of the post- Second World War era).
Mr Kurz, the 31-year old foreign minister, has outflanked the right-wing Freedom party (FPÖ) on immigration by stealing its policies. Like France’s President Emmanuel Macron, Mr Kurz comes from the political establishment, but portrays himself as a reformist who will shake up the country’s ossified political system.
Europe’s migration crisis saw more than 130,000 seeking asylum in Austria in 2015 and 2016. Mr Kurz opposed German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s open door refugee policy. He secure a deal with Austria’s neighbours to close the so-called west Balkan route, used by refugees fleeing war-ravaged countries such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
The ÖVP leader has vowed to end illegal immigration, slash taxes and tighten the EU’s external borders. He is behind a ban on full-face coverings, including Muslim veils, in public places that came into effect this month.
The biggest loser is expected to be the centre-left Social Democrats (SPÖ) of Mr Kern, who became Chancellor in May last year, replacing Werner Faymann, who had been criticised for allowing the migration crisis to spin out of control. The government has revived the economy, but Mr Kern struggled to reach voters concerned about immigration and national identity.
The Freedom party, one of Europe’s longest established right-wing populist parties, could push the SPÖ into the third place. The FPÖ was partly founded by former Nazis in the 1950s, and rose to prominence in the 1990s under its then leader Jörg Haider. The party joined the government of People’s party Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel in 2000, a move that resulted in Austria being shunned by its EU partners.
The FPÖ has not called into question Austria’s eurozone membership, something that backfired on Marine Le Pen, the leader of the French far-right National Front, during this year’s presidential election. Heinz-Christian Strache, the FPÖ leader, hopes to win power on an anti-Islam platform and a pledge to deny migrants access to the generous welfare system.
Photo: ©OEVP/FOTOKERSCHI/KERSCHBAUMMAYR
