Norbert Hofer – the candidate against the establishment

After the High Court declared the run-off between Norbert Hofer and Alexander van der Bellen on July 1 as “invalid” and thus sent both candidates “back to the start”, the Austrians will finally decide on 4 December whether the Alpine Republic will elect a “Green” or a “Blue” President.

The Austrian Federal President – a “fake emperor” with few responibilities.

The Federal President is largely a ceremonial figure in Austria. After the collapse of the Donau monarchy in 1918 and the establishment of the “German-Austrian” Republic, a kind of “Ersatzkaiser” without significant responsibilities was placed in the Hofburg, the former seat of the Habsburgs. Since then, with the exception of the war years, there have been either Socialist or Christian Democratic heads of state who have scarcely attracted attention. In 1986 Kurt Waldheim, a Christian Democrat, was elected in a previously unprecedented landslide but was singled out as a result of his service as an officer of the German armed forces. Waldheim was confronted by Socialists during the election campaign with a series of accusations, which later turned out to be completely exaggerated. Nevertheless, a hate campaign ensued, especially from abroad, which culminated in the fact that Waldheim, as an elected Austrian Federal President, was placed on the so-called “Watch List” of the US State Department.

When the first ÖVP-FPÖ coalition was launched in 2000, former President Thomas Klestil took advantage of all the legal constitutional measures at his disposal, and refused to appoint two ministerial candidates to the Cabinet. However, he could not prevent the FPÖ-ÖVP government from being sworn in. Only his icy expression during the inauguration was a sign of his rejection and protest.

The “Blue Republic” in April 2016 – Norbert Hofer wins the first round.

When, in April 2015, Norbert Hofer and Alexander van der Bellen were ranked first and second respectively, journalists and self-proclaimed intellectuals were beside themselves. The end of democracy was positively postulated, and in various columns and essays one could soon read about the return of fascism while a vote for Alexander van der Bellen remained the only option to avert the end of the world.

And hardly an A, B or C celebrity, who got a microphone shoved under a chin somewhere, was able to hold back “calling on all Austrians” to make the “right choice”. The SPÖ, in the selection run-up to the ballot, while busy with the resignation of the Federal Chancellor Faymann, even ordered election posters at their own expense. The OVP did not officially support Van der Bellen but lobbied for him anyway, with many of the Mandataries and former members of the Christian Democrats present on the election campaign committee. Church representatives also had no doubt that Van der Bellen would be the “right choice” for them. Not to mention subsidized state artists.

Norbert Hofer – a candidate from the people for the people.

Norbert Hofer was faced with a rising tide of public opinion and the establishment turned against the FPÖ. He had entered the race as an official party candidate for the Freedom Party, and never made any secret as a deputy of HC Strache, that he had played a significant role in the party’s content and political orientation over the past few years.

The result of the first round – now declared invalid – was a very tight finish. On June 1, Norbert Hofer received 49.7% of the votes, while Van der Bellen reached 50.3%. Exactly 30.863 votes separated the two candidates after this round.

Despite the fact that in the past there had always been irregularities in the election, a candidate of the FPÖ had won almost 50% of the votes against the united Left of the country.

After the election was declared invalid by the Supreme Court, because manipulations could not be ruled out, the Federal Government voted in favor of holding the election on October 2.

Hillary Clinton will secure the win …or not?

From this point onwards, the election became a farce as this date could not be met, because problems arose during the production of the ballot cards. The risk of a fresh election challenge seemed too great.

However, it was argued that the attacks in summer in the Federal Republic of Germany, Brexit, ongoing reporting on increased crime and the horror reports concerning sexual violence by so-called refugees, would make Norbert Hofer’s victory very likely. To delay the election until after the US presidential election, which would almost surely be won by Hillary Clinton, would bring normality back into the political process and thus an advantage for Van der Bellen, which lead an election campaign on the US model.

Now, of course, everything looks quite different. The candidate of the establishment, the journalists and the liberal-left elite, has not succeeded. Hillary Clinton, in the end, quite distinctly condemned Donald Trump as “right-wing populist”. The same Donald Trump, who had praised the Russian President Vladimir Putin during the election campaign and described mass immigration to Germany and the refugee policy of Chancellor Merkel as a “disaster for Germany”.

Cometh the hour – cometh the man!

The outcome of the US election will also be influencing the decision in Austria. The American voters have impressively demonstrated that a candidate against the establishment, against the will of the journalists and commentators, can also be elected against the toil of opinion researchers and politicians.

The Austrian Chancellor, Christian Kern, concluded in early October that “voters of the FPÖ, the AfD or the Front National” want to see the system and the elites on their knees, because they feel out of circulation and excluded”. Unfortunately, the SPÖ chancellor, aside from the description of the symptoms, is guilty of the diagnosed cause. Yet nary a peep of admission was uttered from his lips.

With the victory Donald Trumps, the protest vote, the so-called “enraged citizens,” have gained new impetus and momentum. The motivation to force the self-proclaimed elites to their knees is, in fact, greater than ever before.

Norbert Hofer and the FPÖ would do well to make use of this opportune moment in the last three weeks ahead of the final election date and continue to shake up the people in Austria to show them that disadvantaged citizens still have rights, the silent ones have a voice, and that it is possible – even in the small Alpine Republic – to add vigour to the decisive contribution for a renewal of European policy. We do not leave our country to the politicians of the Van der Bellen, a Christian Kern, an Angela Merkel or a Martin Schulz variety. These Politsaurians bear the responsibility for the current catastrophic developments in Europe. The time is ripe and the hour is upon us. Yes, we can!

Hans-Jörg Jenewein, MP (Freedom Party) of the Austrian Federal Council, the second chamber of the Austrian Parliament, representing the nine federal states of Austria.