No time for a turnaround

Ex-chancellor resigned: The FPÖ has already won

Former Chancellor Kern sees Austria and Europe in a "frenzy of populism".(Bild: APA/FRANZ NEUMAYR)

Is the National Council election in September already over in view of the FPÖ's large lead in the polls? Active leading politicians of the competition deny this, but a former Federal Chancellor has already resigned three months before the election date.

Christian Kern, former head of the Social Democratic Party and Federal Chancellor from 2016 to 2017, does not believe that the Freedom Party under Herbert Kickl can still be stopped. "Now comes the summer, when voters don't want to be bothered by politics. So there are still four to five weeks left to turn the climate of opinion around," he said at an event organized by the Public Relations Association Austria on Wednesday, according to a report in "Kurier". And that will probably not be enough.

Cynical congratulations to Babler & Co.
"I wish you good luck if you believe that you can take on the FPÖ before the election", he said to his successor at the head of the SPÖ, Andreas Babler. The latter had already received smug congratulations from Hans Peter Doskozil, Governor of Burgenland, when he said that the party had stabilized after the comrades' defeat in the EU elections. "With this in mind, I wish you all the best for the national elections," came the reply from Eisenstadt.

"Frenzy of populism"
Kern sees the FPÖ's rise as part of a "frenzy of populism" and the "brutalization of political communication", which has been fueled by crises such as corona and the war in Ukraine. The FPÖ has built up its own media channels that thrive on exaggeration and "evade substantive discourse".

FPÖ wants a "duel from start to finish"
The Freedom Party is already sharpening its knives. After their narrow victory in the EU elections, they believe they are well prepared for the National Council election campaign. "Everyone wants a duel with Herbert Kickl," says Secretary General Michael Schnedlitz. Of course, it has to be a duel "from start to finish" in which the winner is ultimately accepted: "Whoever comes first will be the chancellor."