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Politico (29 September 2024)

By Matthew Karnitschnig

Austria veered to the right in a watershed election on Sunday as the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) stormed to victory, marking the first time since World War II that a party rooted in Nazi ideology has prevailed in a national ballot.

The anti-migrant, Russia-friendly FPÖ won a record 29 percent of the vote, nearly doubling its count from the last election, according to preliminary results, and putting it about three points ahead of the center-right Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), which currently leads the government. The ÖVP suffered a record loss to finish with 26 percent.

“The results today couldn’t have been clearer,” Herbert Kickl, the FPÖ’s leader and chief ideologue, told Austrian public television, insisting that his party should lead the next government.

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