Vienna

In Austrian parliamentary elections, a party seen as friendly to Russian leader Vladimir Putin has registered an unprecedented victory. The Freedom Party (FPO) on Sunday (Sep 29) emerged on top of the results with a vote share of 29.2 per cent, the highest. Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s Austrian People’s Party came second with 26.5 per cent. Now, FPO’s leader Herbert Kickl wants to be the country’s chancellor, which could not just jeopardise the European Union’s Ukraine policy but also expand Russian influence in the bloc.

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Freedom Party’s stance on Russia

The FPO is a staunch critic of providing aid and weapons to Kyiv. It has also called for the lifting of sanctions on Russia imposed in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine, saying they were hurting Austria more than Russia itself. 

Herbert Kickl is a big time Eurosceptic, who has vowed to bow out of EU’s Sky Shield Initiative, a missile defence project initiated by Germany. 

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Watch: Austria's Far Right Party Achieves Highest Election Result

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Kickl is also known for strong ties with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, another leader in EU bloc seen as close to Russia.

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Kickl has promised to veto any anti-Russia measure brought by EU if he becomes chancellor.

Stance on immigration

Immigration and inflation were the key issues in the Austrian Parliamentary elections. The Freedom Party has vowed to bring tighter border controls and "remigration of uninvited foreigners" in order to make the nation “homogeneous.” In fact, the party’s election programme was titled, “Fortress Austria" in a not-so-subtle expression of its primary agenda.

Challenges

Freedom Party needs allies to reach a parliamentary majority; however, all parties have so far rejected prospects of joining hands with Kickl.

On the other hand, Nehammer can still form coalition government by joining hands with the Social Democrats (SPO) and possibly another party, probably the liberal NEOS. A coalition between the far right and the conservatives – in power since 1987 – also remains a possibility.

(With inputs from agencies)