Anti-immigration Freedom Party makes major gains in Austria regional election | Eastern NC Now

Austria's anti-immigration populist / nationalist Freedom Party has scored major gains in the regional election in the country's second most populous province, Lower Austria.  The province has been ruled by a majority from the traditional conservative Austrian Peoples Party for two decades, but in this election the vote swung by ten points from the Peoples Party to the Freedom Party.

The Peoples Party received 39.7% remaining the top party, with the Freedom Party moving up to second place with 25.4%, almost doubling its voted from the last election.  The Social Democrats dropped to third at 20.7%, losing about two points from the last election, while the smaller Green Party and NEOS made mnor gains.

Illegal immigration was the big focus of the Freedom Party's campaign.    Under its previous leader, Sebastian Kurz, the Peoples Party had both talked the talk and walked the walk on aggressively fighting ilelgal immigration, but its current leader only talks the talks, and that is catching up with them.

In several recent nationwide polls, the Freedom Party is now running in first place nationwide.

Austria's president, who is from the Green Party, responded to the rise of the Freedom Party with a pledge that he will never call upon their leader to be chancellor (prime minister).

https://rmx.news/article/this-is-just-the-beginning-austrias-anti-immigration-fpo-scores-shock-election-result/