Support for the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), the only major party in the country who stands in opposition to mass migration and the ill-considered, economically ruinous sanctions against Russia, continues to surge, with the latest polling data revealing that the national Right party is now the most popular party.
The latest survey, carried out by the Paul Lazarsfeld Society for Social Research, revealed that the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) and the left-liberal Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) share the top spot, with the both parties currently polling at 26% of the national vote, the newspaper Österreich (OE24) reports.
The ruling liberal-conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) saw its level of support drop by a percentage point, bringing it to 21%, while support for the Greens and the liberal NEOS is at 11%, respectively, having remained unchanged compared to the previous opinion survey.
The FPÖ has seen its popularity steadily grow over the past two and a half years, first due to its uncompromising position against COVID-19 lockdowns and vaccine mandates, and now as a result of its opposition to economic sanctions against Russia which have wreaked—and continue to wreak—havoc on the Austrian economy.
Additionally, the FPÖ’s longstanding opposition to mass migration continues to pay dividends at the polls, as the ruling ÖVP-Green coalition government has shown itself wholly incapable of handling the problem. Between January and August of this year, alone, 56,000 migrants have applied for asylum in Austria, an increase of 195% compared to the previous year, and the highest number recorded since the migrant crisis of 2015.
The new opinion survey comes roughly one month after the FPÖ placed second in the state election in Tyrol.
To the north, in Germany, the Alternative for Deutschland (AfD), a party which maintains close ties with the FPÖ, has also seen its popularity surge as it—like the FPÖ—is the only party represented in parliament that opposes sanctions against Russia. Like Austria, the sanctions against Russia have had and continue to have a devasting impact on the German economy.
As a result of its position on sanctions against Russia, the AfD is now the strongest political force in East Germany, as The European Conservative previously reported.
