The alarming comeback of Austria’s far-right Freedom Party
And the rise of Herbert Kickl
A spectre is haunting Austria—the prospect of a government led by Herbert Kickl, boss of the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ). According to a poll on March 11th for Profil, a weekly, the FPÖ is now comfortably the strongest party in the Alpine republic, with 31% of the vote, followed by the Socialists (SPÖ) at 25% and the centre-right Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) with 22%. If Austrians could vote directly for their chancellor, the poll showed it would be a tie between Mr Kickl and the ÖVP’s Karl Nehammer, the incumbent.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Kanzler Kickl?”
Europe March 18th 2023
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