Fight for Europe's future: Kickl and the new legal alliance in Madrid

Fight for Europe's future: Kickl and the new legal alliance in Madrid

In a dramatic political showdown, the FPÖ chairman Herbert Kickl speaks up with a video message, while at the weekend he takes part in a meeting of the EU rights extreme group "Patriots for Europe" in Madrid. There he proclaims the desired "alliance of reason" and stages himself in a striking muscle man pose. "Makes Europe big again," calls Kickl, who conjures up the feeling that the right movement returns to power, and at the same time challenges superiority over the established political order. With survey values ​​of up to 30 percent in young voters, he sees his party better than ever and emphasizes that citizens in Austria want a drastic change - "a policy that only identifies itself with the interests of their own people", as he formulates it. Such statements not only bring fans in rapture, but also encourage violent criticism that summoned the gloomy premonitions for the European future. (Ö24 reported)

the way to power

Austria could soon experience its first government led by the FPÖ since the Second World War. After the won parliamentary election in September, in which the FPÖ received 28.8 % of the votes, Herbert Kickl is now faced with the challenge of forming a government coalition. President Alexander Van der Bellen commissioned him to fail after attempts to form a government without the FPÖ. The political negotiations are tense because one has to deal with the topics of business and household consolidation. The resignation of the previous Chancellor Karl Nehammer now opens the door to the provocative kick to steer the country's fortunes. (AP reported)

Kickl, which is known for his sharp political attacks, often alternates between provocative statements and the appeal to national identity. While he propagates the EU-critical attitude and the ideology of a "fortress Austria", his party is also part of a comprehensive trend within Europe, which is associated with the support of right-wing populist movements. It remains to be seen whether he can use the historical opportunity, but the wind seems to blow cheaply for the FPÖ, while other conservative forces in the electorate lose influence.