Austria’s Leading Anti-Immigration Party is the Now Country’s Top Party
Jose Nino
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Austria’s Freedom Party (FPÖ), the country’s premier anti-immigration party, is now the country’s #1 party.
According to a report by the Austrian newspaper Heute.at, the party is projected to win 28% of the vote. The poll discussed in this report was conducted by the Unique opinion research Institute for the news magazine Profil.
Per a report by John Cody of Remix News, the Social Democrats (SPÖ)’s position dropped by 2%, reaching 24%. SPÖ dropped even more with regards to the question of chancellor. Just 12% of respondents indicated that they would pull the lever for Pamela Rendi-Wagner. For perspective, that figure stood at 15% in December.
In the present, the FPÖ enjoys a 4-point lead over SPÖ.
Cody argues that Austria’s record number of asylum applications in 2022 has largely driven the FPÖ’s popularity. Asylum applications roughly tripled from 2021, skyrocketing to roughly 60,000. The news has shocked Austria and led to a sharp backlash from a population highly skeptical of mass immigration. The FPÖ, more so than any other major party, has made immigration restriction central to their platform.
The FPÖ party is also notorious for being the only major party against Russian sanctions. It has singled out the sanctions as the principal drivers for the increased inflation and economic turmoil in Austria and the rest of Europe.
“It’s finally time to appear in the EU and say: These sanctions harm us much more than Putin. Our people have to foot the bill for them,” stated deputy FPÖ chairwoman Dagmar Belakovich during the plenary session of the National Council in 2022.
FPÖ party leader, Herbert Kickl, has stressed the importance of Russian energy for Austria’s economic activity. He sees the anti-Russia sanctions as the primary culprit behind Austria’s economic woes.
“If you were honest, you would have to say to the population: We can’t do without this Russian oil and gas for a long time,” stated Kickl. “We need this cheap energy for households, for heating, for cooking, for hot water, for manufacturing companies.”
As Europe’s immigration crisis worsens, right-wing populist parties such as the FPÖ will grow in prominence. They’re ultimately the only political actors who are serious about bringing about genuine political change to European politics and protecting the region’s demographic integrity.
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