Elections in Austria: will the FPÖ win?
Austria elects a new National Council on Sunday. According to the polls, the right-wing populist FPÖ could emerge as the strongest force and push the conservative ÖVP into second place. Commentators examine the potential repercussions for the formation of a new government and the future of the country.
Find our way back to a shared truth
Kurier finds the rifts in Austrian society worrying:
“The centrifugal forces, the fractures, seem to have reached a critical point - brutally amplified on the Internet - for which one can only use a democratic-political alarm word: people are irreconcilably opposed in their truths. That is why democracy across the globe is perhaps more vibrant now than it has been in a long time – and at the same time in acute danger. ... The most important challenge in the coming years will be to find our way back to a shared truth.”
Extreme weather weakens extremists
The floods have shown voters how important environmental policy can be, Tygodnik Powszechny suspects:
“Many observers believe that the mood in Austria may have changed following the extreme weather conditions. And that many Austrians may now hesitate to vote for [FPÖ leader Herbert] Kickl, who has criticised the Christian Democrat-Green government's environmental policy projects and insulted his opponents by talking about 'climate communism' in discussions about climate change. Especially now that it is gradually becoming clear that it was the renaturation measures along the rivers of Lower Austria that prevented even worse flooding in the region.”
Unstable majorities on the cards
Diena evaluates the possibility of a centre-right coalition between the FPÖ and ÖVP:
“No other tandem will have a majority in parliament. But this two-party alliance is unlikely. Both parties may agree on domestic issues, but as far as foreign policy goes their views differ fundamentally. Moreover, the very idea that FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl could become prime minister is obviously terrifying for the politicians of the established parties - and for Europe as a whole. So a three-way coalition is highly likely. ... Another factor is that such a coalition would only make the traditional established parties even less attractive in the eyes of voters.”