EU election campaign

Political expert: “FPÖ could make history”

Interview with political expert Thomas Hofer(Bild: krone.tv)

The EU elections are due to take place in Austria on Sunday. Political scientist Thomas Hofer believes that the FPÖ is in a promising position to win a nationwide election for the first time in the Second Republic. "It would be a surprise if the FPÖ were not ahead," explains Hofer.

"The chances for the FPÖ are good. The lead could be big enough to leave the other parties behind," emphasized Hofer. While the FPÖ is on course for success, the Greens are struggling with internal problems. Top candidate Lena Schilling and her controversial statements have overshadowed the Greens' election campaign. Hofer comments: "The Lena Schilling affair has damaged the Greens and overshadowed many thematic discussions." The decline in the polls is noticeable, but the Greens are still hoping to recover.

Crisis management by the Greens: a failure?
"The Greens' so-called crisis management has made the situation worse," he said. "The negative effects could have been limited with less emotion and strategic communication." In particular, the choice of words by Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler and the performance of Secretary General Olga Voglauer at a press conference had unnecessarily exacerbated the situation.

Interview with political expert Thomas Hofer(Bild: krone.tv)

NEOS as profiteers
Hofer sees the NEOS as potential profiteers of the current situation. "The NEOS could benefit for two reasons: Firstly, there could be an exchange of voters with the Greens, and secondly, they are positioned differently in terms of content than most other parties in the European election campaign." With positions such as the demand for a 'United States of Europe' and an EU army, which are not capable of winning a majority, the Neos could still mobilize their target groups and possibly reach ten to twelve percent," says Hofer.

Watch the full interview in the video above!