Why Austria's right-wing populists are celebrating a comeback

It's almost four years ago: In May 2019, the Ibiza scandal shook Austria.

At that time, the SPIEGEL and the Süddeutsche Zeitung published secret recordings showing how the then FPÖ leader and Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache and his party friend Johann Gudenus ponder possible media manipulation and hidden party donations in Austria.

The publication triggered a political meltdown in Austria – the coalition of FPÖ and ÖVP burst.

In the new elections that followed, the right-wing populists, who were actually at the peak of their power at the time, fell by almost seven percentage points and received just 16 percent of the vote.

Today, the blue FPÖ is suddenly back in first place in nationwide polls. In the regional elections in Lower Austria, Austria's largest federal state, the Freedom Party received more than 24 percent almost two weeks ago and thus increased by almost ten percentage points compared to the last election.

A blue miracle?

How can it be that the FPÖ is only getting such record results again just four years after the scandal?

Are the current crises of our time driving voters into the arms of right-wing populists?

Or is it the weakness of the major parties ÖVP and SPÖ that the Freedom Party uses for themselves?

In this episode of »Inside Austria« we look at the rise of right-wing populists in Austria.

We want to know why the voters are running away from the old major parties ÖVP and SPÖ.

And ask whether the Freedom Party could possibly even provide the Chancellor after the next National Council election.

In the weekly podcast “Inside Austria”, SPIEGEL and STANDARD look together at the big and small scandals in Austria.

Together with journalists from both editorial offices, we reconstruct cases and events that move the country.

We look into political abysses, follow the investigations into the cause of Sebastian Kurz and his ÖVP.

And inform about an important Austrian topic of the week.