Make Sense of Surging Far Right in Austria and Germany | FO° Talks
Sebastian Schäffer was interviewed by Atul Singh from Fair Observer on the reasons behind the rise of the far right parties in Austria and Germany.
Watch the whole interview here.
Sebastian Schäffer was interviewed by Atul Singh from Fair Observer on the reasons behind the rise of the far right parties in Austria and Germany.
Watch the whole interview here.
The independent Hungarian media platform “Partizán” organized a panel discussion on October 6, 2024, at the Theater am Spittelberg (in Vienna) to discuss the results of the Austrian parliamentary elections and the prospects after. Péter Techet, along with two other experts, participated in this Hungarian-language event.
Techet spoke on the one hand about the history of the three different “camps” in Austrian politics, and on the other hand about the possible coalitions as well as a potential “Orbánization” of Austria in case of an FPÖ-ÖVP government. He also answered questions from the audience: the people present were particularly interested in how the Austrian welfare state would change with a government in which the FPÖ or the Neos are involved.
The event was recorded and is on “Partizán”’s YouTube channel.
Our colleague Malwina Talik was interviewed by Interia.pl on the consequences of Austrian elections for EU, Central Europe and the Russian war in Ukraine. Interia is among the largest online news providers in Poland.
The article by S. Przybył based on the interview with M. Talik is available here (Polish).
In the Hungarian-language version of the Slovak daily „Denník N“, an interview with Péter Techet was conducted regarding the outlook after the Austrian parliamentary elections.
Techet states in the interview that although the FPÖ (Freedom Party of Austria) has become the strongest party, it may face difficulties in forming a coalition with the ÖVP (Austrian People’s Party) if the ÖVP, as it repeatedly emphasized before the elections, refuses to accept Herbert Kickl as Chancellor.
As a result, possible scenarios include either an ÖVP-SPÖ (Social Democratic Party of Austria) government, possibly with the liberal Neos, under Karl Nehammer’s leadership, or an FPÖ-ÖVP government, where the FPÖ should propose someone other than Kickl as Chancellor, or even accept Nehammer from the ÖVP as Chancellor. However, even an FPÖ-ÖVP government would not lead to a complete „Orbanization“ of Austria, Techet argues, because the ÖVP, unlike the Hungarian government and the FPÖ, has a pro-Ukrainian stance.
The interview (in Hungarian) can be read here behind a paywall.
In the Hungarian-language program of Radio România, Péter Techet analyzed the reasons for the FPÖ’s electoral success and the prospects of a new coalition in Vienna.
The program can be listened here.
In her analysis “Austria after the elections: The FPÖ has won, but no scenario is set in stone yet” for the Institute of Central Europe, a Lublin-based think tank, Malwina Talik explained the electoral results in Austria, the motivations of voters from various parties, and specific features of the Austrian electoral system. She also outlined possible coalition scenarios, considering the number of mandates, coalition intentions and party programmes. Finally, she described the potential impact of the FPÖ being in government or in opposition on Austria and Central Europe.
The whole analysis is available here (Polish only).
Sebastian Schäffer, IDM Director, commented for an article by České noviny on the recent Austrian elections, expressing surprise at the FPÖ’s rise despite its role in the Ibiza scandal. He noted that other party leaders are currently opposed to forming a coalition with FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl but questioned how long this stance would hold. Schäffer emphasized that Kickl, as the election’s clear winner, is unlikely to step back from claiming the position of chancellor. He also raised the possibility of leadership changes within the ÖVP to enable a coalition with the FPÖ.
The article (in Czech) is available here.
Sebastian Schäffer, IDM Director, commented for an article by the Czech news channel ČT24 on the recent Austrian elections, expressing surprise at the FPÖ’s rise despite its role in the Ibiza scandal. He noted that other party leaders are currently opposed to forming a coalition with FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl but questioned how long this stance would hold. Schäffer emphasized that Kickl, as the election’s clear winner, is unlikely to step back from claiming the position of chancellor. He also raised the possibility of leadership changes within the ÖVP to enable a coalition with the FPÖ.
The article (in Czech) is available here.