Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
AUSTRIANS ARE VOTING today in a watershed election tipped to see conservative Sebastian Kurz, 31, become the EU’s youngest leader and form an alliance with the far-right, in the bloc’s latest populist test.
A rightward shift in the wealthy European Union member of 8.75 million people would be a fresh headache for Brussels as it struggles with Britain’s decision to leave and the rise of nationalists in Germany, Hungary, Poland and elsewhere.
But all signs indicate that Austrians, fed up with a record influx of asylum-seekers, want to swap the gridlocked centrist rule for a more hardline government for the first time in a decade.
The People’s Party (OeVP), rebranded by “whizz-kid” Kurz as a “movement”, is forecast to reap more than 30% of the vote with pledges to go tough on migrants and easy on taxes.
The eurosceptic Freedom Party (FPOe) is battling for second place with the beleaguered Social Democrats (SPOe) of incumbent Chancellor Christian Kern.
Kurz — who as new OeVP leader forced the snap vote in May by ending the coalition with Kern — has yanked his party to the right and is expected to seek a coalition with the far-right.
Founded by ex-Nazis in the 1950s, the FPOe almost won the presidency last year and topped opinion polls in the midst of Europe’s migrant crisis.
Then Kurz came along and stole votes with his hardline OeVP makeover, prompting FPOe chief Heinz-Christian Strache to call him an “imposter”.
But Austrian media reported today that both parties were already involved in behind-the-scene talks, with the OeVP putting a “generous offer” on the table.
‘Most important crossroads’
Meanwhile, the once-mighty SPOe could be flushed into opposition after their promising campaign suffered blunders and scandals.
Open dislike between ex-railway chief Kern, 51, and Kurz also makes any new attempt at ruling together seem unlikely.
But for some voters, the prospect of a far-right alliance is problematic.
“I’m not sure that we really need big changes,” Tina Ernest told AFP at a Vienna polling station.
“I would say that in Austria we still live in paradise.”
Kern, in office since last May, issued a final warning against a right-wing alliance, saying “Austria was at the most important crossroads in decades”.
The OeVP and FPOe already shared power between 2000 and 2007. At the time the alliance with the far-right — then led by the late, SS-admiring Joerg Haider — ostracised Austria.
But there would not be the same backlash now owing to the “normalisation of the far-right in Europe since then,” said expert Pepijn Bergsen at the Economist Intelligence Unit.
An ‘Austria first’ policy
Polls opened at 0400 GMT and close at 1500 GMT, with first estimates expected shortly afterwards.
Some 6.4 million people are eligible to vote in the closely-watched ballot which is expected to be a tight race.
“I’m feeling optimistic,” OeVP party volunteer Michael Brandstetter told AFP in Vienna ahead of the vote.
“The way Kurz goes about things is what has captured people’s minds”.
For his turquoise movement, Kurz drew young candidates from outside politics and vowed to put “Austrians first” again.
As foreign minister, Kurz claims credit for closing the Balkan migrant trail in 2016, earning him praise at home.
Pushing far-right themes, he wants to cut benefits for all foreigners, slash Austria’s red tape and keep the EU out of national affairs.
Experts say a rightwing government could turn Austria into a tricky partner for the bloc.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Media uses their words very carefully, an anti immigration party is ‘far-right’, and the words nazi is used in the article. I bet if i were to look up this parties manifesto I would find a perfectly reasonable political party that just wants to get tougher on border less immigration.
But that’s enough these days to get a facist branding. People in Europe aren’t going out of and electing Nazis, I don’t know where that idea has come from, they are electing leaders they think will protect them and put their interests first, something the neoliberal leaders have consistently failed to do over the last few years.
@Cian Rynne: Reminds me of the headline on the BBC ‘Poland Catholics hold controversial prayer day on borders” , which prompted one polish person to reply , ”what was controversial about polish people praying , the lack of prayer matts ”
@Cian Rynne: Well said. What is also a worry is the censorship that Media Platforms such as Suckerberg’s Facebook applies to pages and posts that are anti- immigration and anti-Islamist. Their so called Community Standards are used to block those who dare to question anything about Islam, immigration and the New World Order been supported, funded and perceived by the likes of George Soros.
The comments section on all articles on Independent.ie has now closed. I wonder how long the journal comments section will remain active. Censorship is alive and well in the Ireland of 2017.
@Cian Rynne: The media is in general dominated by self-important libtards.They constantly push their open-borders,culture-enriching bullsh!t.People right across America and Europe have had enough.The alt-left are finished.They can use as many buzz words as they like.They can call us what they like.It doesn’t matter.Europe will have independent countries again within 10 years.These countries will have centre-right governments.The EU will collapse.The sooner the better.Now.Bring on the libtards to call me a racist.Meh.
@Kieran Conroy: I hear you’re a racist now Kieran
@GetTFuYouBasa: Absolutely nothing of what you said is true.
@Ian Walsh: Take your head out.
@GetTFuYouBasa: Little taster for you:
Suckerberg said ” I’m committed to building a service where you can speak freely without fear of violence. It would seem that Zuckerberg is actually expressing support for the expression of different opinions, even those he disagrees with. But just eight months later, he was caught on an open microphone telling German Chancellor Angela Merkel that he was working on ways to stifle negative stories about migrants. “The Facebook CEO was overheard responding that ‘we need to do some work’ on curtailing anti-immigrant posts about the refugee crisis,” CNBC reported at the time. “‘Are you working on this?’ Merkel asked in English, to which Zuckerberg replied in the affirmative before the transmission was disrupted.”
@GetTFuYouBasa: Facebook and Google were started up with a lot of help from the CIA. True story. Very clever really. How do you subvert freedom of speech in the US? Well you start private companies who control the world’s information. Because private companies can do what they like, they can control speech on their platforms. Gotta give them credit for being so clever.
@Cian Rynne: Very well said Cian Rynne!! It’s always nice to hear the voice of reason.
@GetTFuYouBasa: https://youtu.be/IARczUg4JwI Don’t take my word for it. Let this cute kitty explain. This is the world we live in, you get more honesty from a cat on YouTube than world leaders.
@Rob Poonmeister: Very interesting link Rob and had not come across the “cute kitty”. Besides “control” I am confused as to what the Security agencies get out of showing favour to “Leftist” ideas? As there are so many examples where even death threats to Admins, bloggers & posters holding a “right” perspective were not taken down by FB or were only taken down after threats of legal action was were muted?
@GetTFuYouBasa: My theory is actually someone else’s but it sure makes sense to me. Western people are riddled with debt and have reached saturation point. The grand scheme here is fill the west with new people, who have no debt and therefore make insane amounts of money off said people. Mass immigration, expanded welfare state, people on the left AND the right looking for more government intervention… who wins? The global banks, who will lend money, created from nothing, to governments to pay welfare and to the general population for housing, cars, etc etc etc… https://youtu.be/bH-nBcrTwYI It’s mostly laid out there but that guy has some great videos on similar topics.
@Cian Rynne: They accuse people of the very thing that they actually are – arch racists and narrow minded bigots!
Fair play to Austria. It’s good to see that the endless stream of propaganda didn’t sway the election
will this be a wake-up call to the EU, the policies are alienating people, not just the immigrant situation, democracy in the EU has just become big corporation decisions to benefit them not the people, the euro is a fecken disaster, designed to feed the big economies, open borders have failed, and we have an un-elected commission making policy that affects millions of workers. All the parliamentarians talk about reform, but where is it ? The trough from which they and the big countries feed from is just destroying what could be a good system to benefit all. It won’t be long now until Germany/France decide that Ireland and other small countries don’t really need representatives in Brussels, as “we know best” seems to be the way things are going. Germany is running the show now, they have a plan for Europe which benefits them, and to be honest, I didn’t really like their last one 39-45.
@zippo: The EU overlords are ploughing on with “more europe”. The corrupt alco Juncker is demanding it. I despise the EU. We only need a trade union, no more of this United States of Europe shyte.
This will keep happening until the political class get to grips with the economic migration into Europe. Ordinary people are rightly worried and anyone who visited Italy recently can see why
For all the people out there who say Brexit is a mistake. There are numerous other countries that would also leave if a referendum was held. Britain I have no doubt have already cemented their foundation for their split. Which will cushion any fall when the EU does collapse. #Eirexit
@The Viking: Yah, sure….
Great news.The libtards have had it their way for far too long.They have virtually destroyed Europe.Let the fight-back commence.The EU will not exist in 10 years.
@Kieran Conroy: Very original insult there! ….zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…..
Any political party in the West that supports a tougher stance on immigration is now considered fascist according to the left wing trotskyist antifa s(um who defend mass migration even if their lives were at risk from Islamic extremists who have taken advantage of weak left wing governments and idiotic migration policies
The EU needs huge reform or its finished. Go back to its roots or fall as people are sick of its dictatorship. EU army formation against people’s wishes.
Angela Merkel and the Globalist agenda is responsible for the rise of right wing populism and dissatisfaction with the mass migration of totally different cultures, their ways of living, their archaic religious beliefs,their Sharia law nonsense, and all the rest of their dark ages beliefs. Merkel opened up the gates of Europe in 2015 to millions of economic migrants mostly, along with some genuine refugees, who have now scattered across the European continent, causing mayhem, no go areas, committing murder, rape, slaughter on the streets,as in Nice, Germany, France, the UK, and Belgium, just to mention some places where atrocities have occurred. This was part of the Globalist agenda divide and conquer, drive down wages and working conditions.The European citizens are fighting back , at the ballot box Merkal lost a lot of her previous support in the Sept G,E,and is finding it hard to form a coalition Government, she also was the cause of the U,K voting for Brexit, when the citizens saw the mass influx of migrants steaming through the fields and on the roads of southern Europe that was enough for them, when the opportunity arose to vote to leave the E,U. they did, and will cause us in this country some economic damage. It is time to stop this mass migration nonsense, into European countries, before a major shift to the right begins, and we all know from history when people turn to the extreme right policies and politicians it usually ends up in War or Dictatorship’s, and we all know who suffers and who benefits from that.
We have to wonder why is the people in the country in the EU are beginning to reject Brussels in the Liberal agenda
@Paul Maguire: Nice attempt at English there.
The citizens of the EU are just waking up to the fact that we were sold a pup by our political establishments. The backlash was bound to come. The strange thing is that it has taken so long.
Nobody voted for open borders or refugee quotas. But that is what they are ramming down our throats. Some ‘democracy ‘.
The EU is in the process of self destruction.
The inexorable rise of the hard right and of those who will collaborate and ally with the hard right so as to achieve power.
The overall fulcrum of European politics, with some exceptions, is moving further and further to the more extreme right.
@Fiona deFreyne: so, as the left move more left, the right move more right. Any connection do you think Einstein?
@Fiona deFreyne: Good morning Tony whats it like to be a Troll Crossdresser? Hard Right…. One man’s Hard Rightist is another man’s Patriot. The problem is that the term Hard Right like Fascist, Racist, Islamophobe etc are now overused terms to try and stifle (bully) anyone who attempts to criticize Islam and immigration. So out of curiosity Tony could you give me your definition of hard right?
@GetTFuYouBasa: you are an example.
@JimmyMc: there is no left in government in Europe. Only, degrees of Neo-liberal and right, from moderate right to increasingly harder right.
@Fiona deFreyne: get off the mushrooms
@Fiona deFreyne: why did you change accounts tony
@Ruairi Fahy: oh don’t worry, Fiona, I mean Tony, will post a couple more comments on the thread that he thinks will portrait him as an enlightened intellect that transcends human nature and remains completely neutral because he uses fact and logic and eloquent vocabulary which he thinks makes him the only person who’s opinion is worth acknowledging but if that post doesn’t garner a satisfying number of likes, he’ll say it again using a different collection of words he spends 2 hours consulting a
Thesaurus to cobble together said comment. Unless of course it’s an article about a tree collapsing and killing Christians, then you’ll see the mask slip and see how hateful and depraved he is
@Fiona deFreyne: I asked for a definition not an opinion?
@Simon Carroll: tony/Michael /fiona is A fake account which is allowed by the journal to spew it’s hateful bile any time of the day or night …it’s probably a member of the journal staff like a lot of the accounts here …
@GetTFuYouBasa: @GetTFuYouBasa: I am curious as to your use of “Islam and immigration” in the one sentence. I for example would criticise Islam, Christianity or any other religion and especially the “followers” who hold extremist beliefs on any so called faith. However given that as a percentage of overall followers, extremism is very very low I do not understand why this comes into the debate on immigration…..
@GetTFuYouBasa: …..I am also pro immigration, why? Because at a human level I do not think it is fair that by chance of birth (and nothing more) I should have more fundamental rights than another human who happened to be born on the “wrong” side of a border. Also keeping in mind religion is also for the most part a chance of birth. Do I think there are issues with immigration? Yes, I am sure there are, many of which are cultural, however I do think there are appropriate ways to address these. So I would be curious to know is your issue with religion or religious extremism or the process around immigration or the fact that other humans may have the same privileges as you? Exactly how similar would an immigrant need to be to yourself before you would deem it acceptable?
@GetTFuYouBasa: by the way I understand my views are idealistic. I am just wondering if you believe there is a compromise that does not involve immigrants letting go of their identity just for the privilege of movement. A right we already have.
Fintan won’t be happy. Rejoice.
Here we go again.
Another lad for Leo to hang around with, this cud turn into a boy band yet.
Merkel has her head in the sand, she could be destroying the EU without even knowing it !!
The Irish Left will be rejoicing at the prospect of a Far Right EU election yet again.
Some of comments here make me laugh. Just like the U.K., Austria used to me a massive empire. And like the UK it became wealthy from this empire (at the expense of others) and ultimately a focus of migration. The issues facing Austria long precede the EU and are largely of its own making.
@Philip Kavanagh: yes Austria had a empire based solely in Europe and that started to fall apart in the late 1800s what has that got to do with migration from Africa and the Middle East. You talk about how peoples comments make you laugh take a look in the mirror
@johnp: I didn’t realise you knew so much about Austria. How long did you live there? I lived in Vienna for two years. Most of the immigrants in Austria are from the Balkans, Eastern Europe and Turkey all of which were entwined with Habsburg Empire at some point. Can you please provide the source that states it is immigrants from Africa and the Middle East that the Austrians have a problem with? Switzerland has one of the highest proportions of immigrants per population in Europe but is not a member of the EU. So, I’m going to continue to laugh to you, because you haven’t a clue what you are talking about.
@Philip Kavanagh: https://www.rte.ie/news/2017/1015/912478-austria/. Here’s one Source there are dozens more on the net that say that Austrians are worried about migration from the Middle East and migrants crossing the Mediterranean the vast majority of which are Africans.
@Philip Kavanagh: no Switzerland is not in the EU but all EU citizens can live and work there visa free and they account for the lions share of immigrants
@johnp: RTE? Out of the “dozens” of sources, that’s the best you could come up with? According to the Austrian Statistics Office (http://www.statistik.at/web_de/statistiken/menschen_und_gesellschaft/bevoelkerung/index.html) 16.2% of those resident in Austria are non-nationals. Of these 4% are from the former Yugoslavia, 7.3% are EU citizens, 1.9% are Turkish and a grand total of 2.9% are from the rest of the world. Not just Africa and Asia, mind you – but the REST OF THE WORLD. But don’t let actual facts and figures influence you before you start rambling on about something about which you know nothing.
@Philip Kavanagh: stop being in denial they ran on a platform of stopping migrants these migrants are overwhelmingly from the ME and Africa and are overwhelmingly Islamic. The Muslim population of Austria has doubled in the last 4 years these are the reasons Austria has turned to the right
@johnp: Stop spouting rubbish. Also you never answered my original question – have you ever lived in Austria? And while we are on the point, please quote your source that the Muslim population of Austria has double in the last four years. Credible sources please.
@Philip Kavanagh: that should have been 14 my mistake https://www.google.co.uk/amp/wap.business-standard.com/article-amp/news-ians/muslim-population-increases-in-austria-117041400131_1.html. No I have never lived in Austria but you must of had your head buried in the ground if you believe that this vote was not about the current migrant influx
@johnp: At no point did I make any comment on the vote itself. I merely pointed out the fact that immigration into Austria has been going on a lot longer than the last few years and implied that the many posts on here blaming the EU for Austria’s current issues with migrants are ridiculous and exhibit no understanding of why Austria is the country it is today.
Like any other professional job, you would think that to become an elected official that you have to go to college and attain a high level degree in political science, instead you can be someone with no leaving cert, a failed teacher, some kid shouting “lower taxes – kick out the immigrants” or a reality TV imbecile
#prayforcreamy
Right wind Austrian lads have a terrible record, surely this fella is too young to be that extreme, too young to be anti EU.
@Ben Coughlan: Indeed
the right wind is definitely blowing in his direction while the Austrian left remains just a gang of windbags.
Austria do love their far right / ex Nazi leaders.
What a shithouse this place this is. The best thing ever to come out of here was Hitler it seems.
have your say