| The far-right, Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), is expected to bring home an electoral victory in the Austrian parliamentary elections in late September, paving the way for an unprecedented takeover of government policy. Austria used to call itself an “island of bliss,” a non-aligned mythical land untouched by the troubles of the world. On 29 September, the alpine country’s far-right FPÖ (PfE) is projected to win the national parliamentary election, promising to turn it into a “fortress of freedom.” Pollsters see the far-right in the lead with 27% of the vote, matching their result in the 2024 European elections, followed by centre-right ÖVP (EPP) and centre-left SPÖ (S&D), each in the low 20% in terms of share of the vote. Herbert Kickl, a mousy intellectual with a razor-sharp wit, who leads the FPÖ, has said he wants to be the “chancellor of the people.” To get that job, Kickl will need a coalition partner. Traditionally, this has been the ÖVP, together they have co-governed Austria several times, with the FPÖ as the junior coalition partner. In 2000, the country was informally sanctioned by a shocked EU. That meant no-shows at meetings and no handshakes. The 2017 coalition, which went unsanctioned, blew up in the fallout of the Ibiza affair, where FPÖ leaders offered government contracts in exchange for favourable coverage to a pretend Russian oligarch. The novelty this time lies in the far-right becoming the strongest party, the ramifications of which will be felt beyond the Alps. | 