How Austria unites against the far-right and what challenges it faces

Austria is going through an unusual situation. The pro-Russian far-right party that won the parliamentary elections did not receive the mandate to form the government.

On 22 October, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen tasked the current chancellor and leader of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), Karl Nehammer, with forming the government, likely in coalition with the Social Democrats (SPÖ) and possibly the small liberal NEOS party.

Although the immediate risk of a far-right government has been avoided, the upcoming coalition negotiations will present significant challenges.

Read more in the article by Khrystyna Bondarieva, a European Pravda journalist – Revolt against the far-right: How Austria avoided the rise of a pro-Russian party.

The pro-Russian far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) won the elections with 29% of the vote. The Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) and the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) came second and third with 26% and 21%, respectively.

For the first time in Austria’s post-war history, the president did not give the mandate to form a government to the candidate from the strongest party.

Now, the ÖVP and SPÖ will begin coalition talks, but their majority is fragile, holding just 92 seats in the 183-member parliament.

This slim majority makes the inclusion of a third coalition partner highly likely, with the liberal NEOS being the most probable option, as they were the only party to improve their standing in the election.

The far-right, led by Herbert Kickl and the Freedom Party, remains in a strong position. Even before the new coalition takes office, they can criticise it for lacking absolute voter trust, and once decisions have been made, their attacks will likely intensify.

The far-right has dubbed the potential new government a "coalition of losers," pointing out that the parties forming the coalition significantly reduced their parliamentary representation in this election.

Chancellor Nehammer will have to keep in mind that nearly three-quarters of voters did not support his leadership for another five years.

Coalition negotiations are expected to be difficult. Nehammer highlighted three key issues for discussion: migration and integration, housing policy, and the healthcare system.

Taxation for budget restructuring may become the biggest sticking point, along with disagreements on social, educational, and environmental issues.

One area where the parties could easily agree is Ukraine policy, as they support aiding Kyiv based on Austria’s neutrality, continuing the humanitarian and financial aid course Austria has followed so far.

However, if the coalition expands to include a third party, especially the liberals from NEOS, things become more complicated, as they hold many differing views, particularly with the Social Democrats.

The list of disagreements among potential coalition partners is long, and no one can guarantee a successful outcome to the negotiations.

This is why Herbert Kickl believes his chances of forming a government are still alive.