INTL Austria holds early vote after far-right corruption scandal

[Plain Jane]

https://www.apnews.com/e8c6fbe3e22146a9b0c89f16142ea977

VIENNA (AP) — Austrians went to the polls Sunday to elect a new Parliament, four months after a corruption scandal brought down ex-Chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s coalition government with the far-right Freedom Party.

Some 6.4 million Austrians aged 16 and up were eligible to vote, with pre-election polls forecasting that Kurz’s People’s Party would come first and likely return the 33-year-old to power.

The Alpine country of 8.8 million has been run by a non-partisan interim administration since June, after the publication of a video showing long-time Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache appearing to offer favors to a purported Russian investor triggered the Kurz government’s collapse.

If opinion polls are accurate, Kurz will have to choose whether his conservative People’s Party will form a fresh coalition with a chastened Freedom Party or team up with the center-left Social Democrats. Both were running neck-and-neck ahead of the vote.

“To go back to the Freedom Party, in the current situation this would be very difficult,” said Peter Hajek, a political analyst, but added that “the chemistry with the Social Democrats just doesn’t work.”

The Social Democrats, which have led many of post-World War II Austria’s governing coalitions, have failed to capitalize on the government’s collapse under leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner.

Hajek said other options could see Kurz team up with the environmental Greens and the pro-business Neos, or with just the Greens. Kurz has made clear that he’s prepared to consider every option to stay in power.

“Our most important election goal is to prevent a majority against us,” Kurz said Sunday at a polling station in Vienna.

The only realistic alternative to a Kurz-led government would be a three-way alliance between the Social Democrats, the environmental Greens and the pro-business Neos.

The Freedom Party’s new leader, Norbert Hofer, has tried to rally supporters by stoking fears about immigration and Islam. In the final days of campaigning, he also took a swipe at climate activists who have staged mass demonstrations in cities worldwide, including Austria, demanding swifter action against climate change.

Kurz’s People’s Party won the 2017 election with 31.5% of the vote, with the Social Democrats taking 26.9% and the Freedom Party 26%.

Exit polls will be released shortly after voting ends at 5 p.m. (1500 GMT).

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Plain Jane isn't sure if Austria is five or six hours ahead of her but we should have some exit polls in an hour or two.

 

[Plain Jane]

https://www.dw.com/en/sebastian-kurzs-peoples-party-ahead-in-austria-election-projection/a-50633489

Sebastian Kurz's People's Party ahead in Austria election: projection
First projections based on a partial count in Austria's parliamentary vote show ex-Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's People's Party (ÖVP) in a leading position. The conservative party is likely to form a coalition government.


Ex-Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's People's Party (ÖVP) has secured a large percentage of votes in Austria's snap parliamentary elections, according projected figures released just after polls closed at 5 p.m. (1500 UTC).

Some 6.4 million Austrians were eligible to vote in Sunday's parliamentary elections.

The vote followed the collapse in May of Kurz's coalition with the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) after a video sting scandal that forced the party's Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache to step down. The footage filmed secretly on the Spanish resort island of Ibiza showed Strache appearing to offer public contracts in exchange for campaign help from a fake Russian backer.

Ahead of the polls, Kurz said he would hold talks with the FPÖ to form a possible coalition government, but also made clear that he would seek support from other parties as well, such as the Greens and the liberal Neos.

"We are optimistic. We have a clear goal for this election: To be number one," Kurz told reporters after casting his ballot in Vienna.

Kurz, 33, has emerged largely unscathed from the FPÖ scandal, even gaining voters from the FPÖ as its support has slipped to roughly a fifth of the electorate from just over a quarter in the last vote in 2017. On the left, there has been some shift in support from the Social Democrats (SPÖ) to the resurgent Greens.

Top election themes

While immigration was the top voter concern during the previous election in 2017, surveys suggested that most of the voters were more concerned about climate change this time around.

Pre-election opinion polls showed that concerns over climate helped the Greens surge from less than 4% in the last election, when they crashed out of parliament, to around 13% now.

Given the reason the election was called, corruption in public life and party financing were also prominent themes in the campaign, as well as more bread-and-butter issues like social care.

As the campaign wound up last week, the FPÖ sought to focus voters' attention on its core issue of migration, railing against immigrants in general and Muslims in particular, rather than addressing recent scandals that have eroded its support.

Since World War II, either the ÖVP or the SPÖ has always governed Austria, and for 44 years in total, the two ruled together, but it was Kurz who ended their last partnership, leading to the 2017 polls.

shs/jlw (dpa, AFP, Reuters)

 

[Plain Jane]

This story is a little over two weeks old but it gives some idea of the dynamic is here.

https://www.dw.com/en/austrias-far-right-freedom-party-elects-norbert-hofer-as-leader/a-50431042

Austria's far-right Freedom Party elects Norbert Hofer as leader

Hofer's selection comes as his populist Freedom Party tries to repair its credibility in time for national elections. The party is keen on a fresh coalition, despite jinxing its last partnership with the People's Party.

Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) on Saturday attempted to brush off the Ibiza video corruption scandal by electing a new moderate leader.

Norbert Hofer secured 98.25% of votes during a poll of members during the party's congress in Graz, the country's second-largest city. His selection comes ahead of national elections on September 29.

In his acceptance speech, the 48-year-old said he wanted the party to be the strongest force in Austrian politics.

"I do not compete as a party leader for a party that is permanently satisfied with second or third place," the former transport minister said.

Hofer replaces Heinz-Christian Strache, who resigned as party leader and Austria's vice-chancellor in May after being allegedly caught on secret video offering public contracts to a Russian businesswoman in return for political support.

The scandal led to the fall of the Austrian government after Chancellor Sebastian Kurz pulled the plug on a 19-month coalition between his center-right People's Party (ÖVP) and the populist FPÖ.

FPÖs friendly face

Hofer, who narrowly lost out to Alexander Van der Bellen to the country's figurehead presidency, has gained a reputation as the party's friendly face.

His election marks a contrast to firebrands Strache and former interior minister Herbert Kickl.

However, many political observers doubt whether he will adopt a more moderate approach, especially as the FPÖ could move into opposition after the election.

"In that case, Hofer will probably also strike hard," political scientist Kathrin Stainer-Hämmerle told Germany's DPA news agency.


Hofer has declared he wants to "put his stamp" on the party and see it in government again in a renewed coalition with the ÖVP.

Familiar election tactics

The far-right party has deployed slick posters that show him with the slogan "loyal to the homeland," while at the same time stepping up its anti-immigration and anti-Islam rhetoric.

Hofer, who wrote the FPÖ's election manifesto, also hailed his "long-term friendship" with Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a visit to Budapest this week.

Read more: Hitler's birthplace: Legal battle finally ends

His party has quickly regained much of the support lost following the Ibiza scandal after its leaders claimed the hidden camera footage, from 2017, was a setup.

However, with less than two weeks until the election, polls suggest as many as a third of voters remain undecided.

An ÖVP coalition with the second-placed Social Democrats remains unlikely, meaning that the fresh-faced far-right party could, once again, become junior alliance partners.

Alternatively, the ÖVP may choose to partner with the Liberals and/or Greens.

mm/rc (AFP, dpa)

 

[EMICT]

Beware and watch for Deepfake videos appearing in ever increasing numbers over the next year... and the following link is just what is available to the commoner. Those with money and power have far greater capabilities.

https://deepfakesweb.com/

 

[Plain Jane]

Beware and watch for Deepfake videos appearing in ever increasing numbers over the next year... and the following link is just what is available to the commoner. Those with money and power have far greater capabilities.

https://deepfakesweb.com/

Good observation!

 

[Plain Jane]

Results are in!

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...on-still-need-coalition-partner-idUSKBN1WD0PV

NEWSSEPTEMBER 28, 2019 / 6:13 PM / UPDATED 32 MINUTES AGO
Kurz's conservatives win Austrian election, still need coalition partner
Francois Murphy
4 MIN READ

VIENNA (Reuters) - Austrian conservative leader Sebastian Kurz triumphed in Sunday’s parliamentary election, as widely expected, but he will need a coalition partner to form a stable government and the vote left him several options across the political spectrum.

The election followed the collapse in May of Kurz’s coalition with the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) after a video sting scandal that forced FPO Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache to step down.

Kurz, 33, has been largely unscathed by the scandal, even gaining voters from the FPO as its support has slipped to roughly a fifth of the electorate from a little more than a quarter in the last vote in 2017.

As predicted by opinion polls for months, Kurz’s People’s Party (OVP) came a comfortable first, with 37.2% of the vote, according to a projection by pollster SORA for national broadcaster ORF published soon after voting ended.

The Social Democrats came second with 22.0%, well ahead of the FPO on 16.0% and the resurgent Greens on 14.3%, the projection showed. It has a margin of error of 1.8 percentage points.

“We are very confident. We have a clear goal, namely to come first in this election. We want to improve our result,” Kurz told reporters before casting his vote in Vienna, referring to the 31.5% his OVP achieved in the last election in 2017.

Kurz has said he will talk to all parties if he wins the election. His two most likely choices are either to ally with the FPO again or with the Greens and liberal Neos. A centrist coalition with the Social Democrats is possible but unlikely under their current leadership.

Surveys suggest the environment is voters’ top concern, which has lifted the Greens from less than 4% of the vote at the last election, when they crashed out of parliament.

While they might be able to give Kurz and his party a narrow majority, he is unlikely to want to be at the mercy of a small number of its left-wing lawmakers. That means that if he does ally with the Greens he will probably seek a three-way deal including the liberal, pro-business Neos, who are on 7.4%.

It could take time for the Greens and Kurz to convince their supporters about working with each other. Many Greens voters see Kurz as their enemy since he brought the far-right to power. Many of Kurz’s core voters, such as farmers and big business, are wary of the left-wing Greens.

As the campaign wound up last week, the FPO sought to focus attention on its core issue of migration, railing against immigrants in general and Muslims in particular, rather than addressing recent scandals that have eroded its support and could hurt Kurz’s image if he allies with the FPO again.

“It is hard to so say what will happen,” FPO leader Norbert Hofer said after casting his ballot.

What is important for us is that we have a solid base from which to strengthen both the FPO and (its) work in government.”

The widespread assumption among politicians and analysts is that the election will be followed by a long period of coalition talks. The current provisional government of civil servants led by former judge Brigitte Bierlein could therefore remain in place until Christmas or later.

Editing by David Goodman and Gareth Jones

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.