Austrian conservatives clearly ahead in legislative poll
Support for the FPÖ party has declined somewhat and the Greens achieved the highest score in their history.
Published: September 30, 2019, 9:02 am
It was expected, and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz did not disappoint. The Austrian People’s Party [ÖVP, Conservatives] is credited with 37,2 percent of the votes (+5 points), according to preliminary estimates of the Austrian parliamentary elections, the regional French daily Ouest-France reported.
Polls have previously indicated that ÖVP could win with about 34 percent of the votes and would then have to decide either to once again form a coalition with FPÖ or to turn left to the Greens for a new coalition.
These figures are however not yet firm, since out of the 6,4 million registered voters, over a million of them voted by mail and their votes will be counted only by Monday.
The FPÖ has suffered a decline by contenting itself with 17 percent of the vote, a drop of nine points. The Greens, on the other hand, made an unprecedented breakthrough, with a score of 12 percent (+8 points), the highest score in their history.
It remains to be seen with whom Sebastian Kurz will decide to form an alliance to reunite the majority in Parliament. The first coalition ended in May, following a corruption scandal manufactured against the former National Vice-Chancellor (FPÖ) Heinz-Christian Strache.
At the end of these elections, Sebastian Kurz could therefore ally with the Social Democrats of the SPÖ. The only problem is that he was elected in 2017 by voters tired of the great SPÖ-ÖVP coalition, governing since 2007.
Kurz has therefore, for the moment, excluded an alliance with them. He could choose to ally again with the FPÖ but it is an “unlikely” option for Austrian political advisor Peter Plaikner. “Kurz is keen on his international renown and he knows that if there is a second coalition with the far right, it will be tainted,” he told the regional French daily. Rather, he sees an alliance with the Greens, “or a three-way coalition with the Neos,” the Liberals credited with 7,8 percent.
A snap parliamentary election was held in Austria on Sunday following the Ibiza affair in May that caused ex-leader of the Freedom Party of Austria, Strache to resign leading to the collapse of the ruling coalition.
The scandal was triggered by a release of footage showing Strache allegedly discussing exchanging government contracts for help in elections with an alleged niece of a Latvian oligarch. The woman was later revealed to be a Bosnian student who was paid for the setup.
The Socialist Party (SPÖ) is predicted to receive 22 percent of the votes and FPÖ is eyeing third place with at least 20 percent of the votes. The Green party was expecting to get 12 percent of the support.
Zsolt Enyedi, professor at the Department of Political Science at Central European University, predicted that ÖVP was likely to get the biggest number of votes though not the absolute majority necessary for the formation of the government.
“ÖVP will get plurality but not an absolute majority, the Greens will show the most increase in votes, and that Kurz will favour a coalition with an FPÖ that accepts a marginal position in the government eg they may withdraw the previous minister of interior affairs, Kickl”, Enyedi told Sputnik News.
Director of European Studies at SETA Foundation Dr. Enes Bayrakli also expected an ÖVP victory
“I think according to latest polls the People’s Party [OVP] they will get a majority of the votes. That is for sure. But they won’t be able to form a government without a coalition. They will need to build a coalition”, Bayrakli said.
According to Bayrakli, however Austria’s domestic policies were likely to continue shifting to the right. A member of Italy’s Lega party, Andrea Picchielli, noted new FPÖ leader Norbert Hofer’s efforts in trying to get closer to ÖVP underlining common views.
“Austria traditionally has been active in ‘bridge-building to the east’, increasing contacts at all levels with Eastern Europe and the states of the former Soviet Union and I think the new government will go with this foreign policy view, just further from Moscow and increasing the contacts with the Russophobic countries, that were afraid of the Russian friendly vision of Austria”, Picchielli said.
All rights reserved. You have permission to quote freely from the articles provided that the source (www.freewestmedia.com) is given. Photos may not be used without our consent.
Consider donating to support our work
Help us to produce more articles like this. FreeWestMedia is depending on donations from our readers to keep going. With your help, we expose the mainstream fake news agenda.
Keep your language polite. Readers from many different countries visit and contribute to Free West Media and we must therefore obey the rules in, for example, Germany. Illegal content will be deleted.
If you have been approved to post comments without preview from FWM, you are responsible for violations of any law. This means that FWM may be forced to cooperate with authorities in a possible crime investigation.
If your comments are subject to preview by FWM, please be patient. We continually review comments but depending on the time of day it can take up to several hours before your comment is reviewed.
We reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, contain slander or foul language, or are irrelevant to the discussion.
NOAA Predicts Zero Sunspots for Almost the Whole 2030s
CLIMATEThe United States' government scientific organization, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), predicts zero sunspots from 2031 to 2040. This is an extreme situation that has not occurred in as long as humanity has been counting sunspots, and it leads us into uncharted territory in terms of our solar system. However, this prediction aligns with the warnings of the world-renowned solar researcher Valentina Zharkova for many years, who indicated in 2019 various signs of this catastrophic phenomenon, including the extreme hailstorms we have seen in Europe and the world this summer. The forecast and various observations this year give cause for very significant concern. In this unique analysis, Free West Media explains why.
European Nationalist Parties Forge Cooperation Ahead of EU Elections
EUROPEAN ELECTIONSOn Saturday, August 26, representatives of six European nationalist parties gathered in Budapest. The meeting was initiated by the Hungarian party Mi Hazánk and took place in the national parliament. Representatives of the parties signed a joint declaration that not only reaffirms the parties' friendship but also their unity on a range of complex political issues. A surprisingly clear and radical manifesto was established. The hope is that this cooperation will lead to success in the EU elections and eventually result in the formation of a group in the European Parliament. For Swedish nationalism, this meeting marks a success as Sweden, for the first time, has a party represented in a leading nationalist cooperation in Europe. Free West Media was present at this historic event.
Turkey Believes Sweden Hasn’t Done Enough
Sweden will have to wait a bit longer for NATO membership, according to Turkey's Justice Minister Jilmaz Tunc. First, Sweden must extradite the "terrorists" Turkey wants and stop the desecration of the Quran.
Swedish Weapon Takes Down Russia’s Best Attack Helicopter
The Russian attack helicopter Ka-52 is considered one of the world's best and has struck fear in Ukraine, where it has hunted down tanks and other armored vehicles, often beyond the range of many light anti-aircraft systems. However, it has met its match in the Swedish air defense missile system RBS 70, which has quickly led to significant losses for the Russian helicopter forces.
Strong Confidence in German AfD
Alternative for Germany (AfD) held a party conference on July 29-30 to select candidates for the upcoming EU election next year. EU Parliament member Maximilian Krah, belonging to the party's more radical, ethnonationalist faction, was appointed as the top candidate. The party's two spokespersons delivered powerful speeches criticizing the EU's failed migration policy and trade sanctions that isolate Europe and Germany from the rest of the world. They argued that it's time for the EU to return a significant portion of its power to national parliaments. However, they have dropped the demand for Germany to exit the EU.
The Establishment Wants to Ban Germany’s Second Largest Party – for the Sake of Democracy
The rising popularity of AfD has raised strong concerns within the establishment. Despite lies and demonization in the media and isolation from the overall political establishment, the party continues to grow. Certain representatives of the party are accused of becoming increasingly "extreme," and in an unusual move, the influential weekly newspaper Der Spiegel demanded that AfD be "banned."
Dutch FvD break through the media blockade
What is happening in the Netherlands? It is often difficult to follow events in other countries, especially when distorted by system media. We give Forum for Democracy (FvD) the opportunity to speak out on the political situation in the Netherlands and the staunch resistance they face in trying to save the country.
The Ursula von der Leyen Affair
After a criminal complaint in Belgium against the President of the European Commission, the so-called SMS-case, now takes a new turn. The judge responsible for the investigation will likely gain access to the secret messages exchanged between Ursula von der Leyen and Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, at least if they haven't been deleted.
Publisher of Unique Literature Worldwide Blocked by International Distributor
Arktos has distinguished itself by publishing groundbreaking philosophers and social critics. Now, the publisher's international distributor has abruptly terminated the cooperation, and more than 400 already printed titles cannot reach their audience. There is strong evidence that the distributor has been under pressure, something that has also happened in Sweden. We have spoken with Arktos founder Daniel Friberg about the ongoing struggle for freedom of speech in a shrinking cultural corridor.
Care prompts bishops to criticize transgender ideology
The Catholic bishops of the Scandinavian countries presented an open five-page letter criticizing transgender ideology on March 21, just before Easter. The document primarily expresses care and advice and was read aloud in Catholic churches in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland. Cardinal Anders Arborelius, Bishop of Stockholm, is one of the signatories of the document.