Analysis: Is Austria experiencing a shift towards right wing politics?

On the 29th of September, the Austrian citizens will cast their votes, determining the National Council for the coming five years. As comm:unications has a lot of international partners, mainly within the PROI-Network, CEO Sabine Pöhacker and Trainee Leila Hüller have prepared a short analysis of the current political situation. Studies predict the victory of the far-right party; this raises much concern among many citizens who fear a shift to the right and its subsequent negative implications for Austrian democracy.

6,3 mil Austrians aged 16 and above have the right to vote in this upcoming election, the outcome of which will determine the 183 representatives of the National Council for the coming five years. Predictions see the FPÖ (Freedom Party of Austria), a far-right party headed by Herbert Kickl, receiving the most votes. Kickl is an anti-EU politician, a friend of Victor Orban’s, pro-Russian, and (in the eyes of many) a dangerous populist. The following article gives a good overview of the possible implications an FPÖ victory could have on the political landscape. It is, however, comforting to know that Vienna, the Austrian capital with more than 2millionl inhabitants, is traditionally red (Social Democrats), and it doesn’t look like that is about to change anytime soon.
The ÖVP (Austrian People’s Party), which is the current leading conservative party under chancellor Karl Nehammer, is predicted to come in second place. The Social Democrats, headed by Andreas Babler, are struggling with internal scandals and are consequently predicted to come in third place. Neos (Beate Meinl Reisinger) are the liberal party; their big concern is education. The Greens/Ecologists (headed by vice chancellor Werner Kogler) have a deep concern for climate protection. Whether the majority of parties in the council will be left or right wing will depend on how the left-wing Beer Party, with its leader Dominik Wlazny, a 37-year-old punk musician and doctor, will perform in the vote. As each party needs at least 4% to enter the National Council, the communists and the others are not due to make the cut.
The devastating flood at the beginning of September, which affected Lower and Upper Austria as well as Vienna, shocked all Austrians; thankfully, the crisis system was very efficient. This natural catastrophe could influence the elections, as it is now one of the biggest issues on the minds of Austrians. However, it remains uncertain if this will be of positive or negative consequence for the FPÖ. It could impact the results of the ÖVP negatively if people think that, as the ruling party, they had not done enough to prevent flood damage.

This graphic shows the average of the last 10 polls. It was released at the beginning of September.