Die Rückkehr des Nationalpopulismus in Österreich

Abstract

"Since the early 1980s, Austria has been one of the European countries with the strongest electoral results of right wing national-populist parties. In 2000, the FPÖ (Freedom Party of Austria) became partner of a coalition government on the national level. After a short weakness at the 2002 national elections, the Party seems to be an accepted political actor once again. The 2008 national and the 2009 European elections have proven this trend. After the death of Jörg Haider, a new charismatic leader, Heinz-Christian Strache, has stepped into the limelight. The Austrian political system is under strong pressure of the national-populist radical right. This latter is surfing on a wave of authoritarian, individualistic, xenophobe, and anti-European attitudes of the collective Austrian value system. Young people consider the FPÖ and its youthful chairman Strache the representatives of a counterculture which might be able to break down the political and social conformity of the weck and unpopular Grand Coalition." (author's abstract)