The first round of the Austrian presidential elections was held on Sunday 24 April, resulting in victories for the far-right Freedom Party candidate, Norbert Hofer, and Independent candidate, Alexander van der Bellen. The results indicate a changing tide in Austrian politics.

Background
Six candidates stood in the first round of the Austrian presidential elections on Sunday 24 April. Two of those candidates, Freedom Party of Austria’s (FPÖ) candidate, Norbert Hofer, and Green Party-supported Independent candidate, Alexander van der Bellen, will proceed to a second round of elections on 22 May as they won the highest number of votes, but neither managed to win an absolute majority. 70% of eligible voters cast their ballot, compared with 50% in the last presidential elections in 2010.

The results are notable in that, for the first time since the end of World War II, the Austrian President will not be backed by either the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) or the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), who have effectively ruled the country since 1951.

The rise of the far right
Third President of the Austrian Council, Norbert Hofer, won 35.1% of the vote, according to preliminary results, on a campaign built on the dissatisfaction of citizens in their government’s handling of the refugee crisis, which has seen 100,000 asylum-seekers enter Austria since the summer of 2015. Support for the FPÖ has been steadily rising in the wake of consecutive EU crises, receiving 30.8% of the vote in the 2015 municipal elections in Vienna. This support has come at the expense of the two ruling parties, the SPÖ and the ÖVP, whose civil servant demographic swung towards the FPÖ, despite the government coalition turning from open borders to become one of the EU’s more restrictive asylum regimes. Sunday’s result was welcomed by far-right politicians across Europe, including Geert Wilders in the Netherlands and France’s Marine Le Pen, as well as politicians from Italy’s Lega Nord and Germany’s National Democratic Party.

In the battle for the presidential seat, Norbert Hofer will face Alexander van der Bellen, who won 21.3% of Sunday’s vote according to preliminary results, despite topping opinion polls prior to the election. A former leader of the Green Party, Alexander Van der Bellen’s popularity in Austria is highest among those aged under-29 years, but also extends beyond the Green Party’s usual demographic, including 10% from those over 60, and from rural dwellers in addition to the Greens’ typically suburban supporters.

Their victories in the first round were won against candidates from the two ruling parties – former Social Affairs Minister, Rudolf Hundstorfer, SPÖ, and former First President of the National Council, Andreas Khol, ÖVP; and independent candidates, retired Supreme Court Judge Irmgard Griss, and Austrian construction magnate and reality TV celebrity, Richard Lugner.

Implications for the future
The number of candidates, six, up from just two in 2010, indicates a more fragmented political sphere. With national elections due to take place in 2018 at the latest, the result on Sunday was a “resounding slap in the face” for Austria’s government, according to Wolfgang Bachmayer, founder of the OGM market research institute.

Both Norbert Hofer and Alexander Van der Bellen have issued statements on how they would deviate from past political practice, should they win the presidential seat. Norbert Hofer has declared that he would dismiss the current government due to its handling of the refugee crisis. Alexander Van der Bellen has said that he is not bound by the constitution to appoint the leader of the largest party as head of government, which is technically true but has been a long-standing practice. With the most recent opinion polls showing the FPÖ as the most popular party for the next National Council or general election, Alexander Van der Bellen has also explicitly stated that he will not swear in any FPÖ politician as Austria’s chancellor. Should the FPÖ come to power in 2018, or perhaps even earlier, it will also be interesting to see how the EU will respond, given that when the FPÖ previously held power from 2000-2006, in a coalition government with the ÖVP, the rest of the EU imposed political sanctions on Austria.

This Just the Facts article is also available as an email information service from European Movement Ireland to our members. For more information on becoming a member of European Movement Ireland, contact our offices or visit our Membership webpages.