According to preliminary results announced by Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) has emerged as the strongest force in the 2024 National Council election. Despite Austria’s official neutrality, the country has shown support for EU humanitarian and financial aid to Ukraine. However, the FPÖ, led by Herbert Kickl, has consistently criticized EU sanctions on Russia and has taken a pro-Russian stance.
In the election, the FPÖ secured 29.2% of the vote, surpassing the current conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) led by Karl Nehammer, which received 26.5%. Nehammer has positioned the ÖVP as a supporter of EU unity and sanctions against Russia, balancing Austria’s historical neutrality with a commitment to European solidarity. The Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) came in third with 21% of the vote, followed by the liberal NEOS and the Greens with 9% and 8% respectively.
If these results are confirmed, the FPÖ would hold 58 seats in the National Council, while the ÖVP and SPÖ would hold 52 and 41 seats respectively. Herbert Kickl, the 55-year-old chairman of the FPÖ, has formed strong alliances with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Czech opposition leader Andrej Babiš, resulting in the creation of “Patriots for Europe,” a coalition of nationalist and populist parties that now makes up the largest opposition bloc in the European Parliament.
Kickl has promised to steer Austria towards a policy of strict neutrality in regards to the conflict in Ukraine if he were to come into power. The voter turnout for the election was 74.9%, with 4,753,340 votes cast out of 6,346,059 eligible voters. The official final results will be announced by the Federal Election Authority on 16 October.
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