With Austria heading into a critical election year, the right-wing populist Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) has presented its party programme, setting the stage for what could be a transformative moment in the country's political landscape.
Known for its hardline stance on immigration and Euroscepticism, the FPÖ’s latest manifesto is expected to resonate strongly with voters increasingly concerned about national identity, security, and economic stability.
With the title "Fortress Austria, Fortress of Freedom", the more than 100 pages detail what an FPÖ government would look like in Austria.
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The well-known topics of asylum and migration continue to be relevant to the party's programme. The FPÖ wants to prevent the "hegemony of a foreign culture" in Austria and reinforce the presence of an "Austrian" culture. According to the Kurier, this includes keeping Catholic crosses in classrooms throughout Austria.
Herbert Kickl, the leader of the FPÖ party, advocated for the suspension of the right to asylum as long as Austria is "overburdened". The document states that asylum applications should only be accepted from people who have not passed through a safe third country on their way to Austria. Asylum seekers should not be granted citizenship, though there are no details on this topic yet.
The FPÖ is also calling for "re-migration", a term primarily used by the far-right Identitarian Movement to describe the repatriation of migrants to their home countries.
Ideologically, the programme is based on four principles: Individuality, sovereignty, homogeneity and solidarity, according to the FPÖ presentation this Wednesday, August 21st.
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Populist topics
There are several other proposals in the 114-page document, many of which are not new to the party.
In the programme, the FPÖ wants more "direct democracy", with more popular votes and referendums. They also advocate for the possibility of the people submitting a "vote of no confidence", effectively removing a government or government official from office.
They also stand for the "right to cash", dismissing any measures that would make it harder for people to make cash transactions – even the ones intended to reduce money laundering, such as capping values that can be paid with cash. Similarly, the FPÖ wants to reinforce an "analogue" way of life, ensuring that every interaction between citizens and government can always be made in an "offline" way.
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Some older proposals long defended by the party have made it to the official programme, including the "retention of neutrality" in Austria, a reassurance that there will be no Nato membership, and Austria's withdrawal from the Sky Shield EU air defence system.
Finally, other demands that will be popular with many voters involve their pockets. The FPÖ wants to remove all obligatory fees and contributions, including the much-hated (by some) ORF fee, which has become mandatory for all households in Austria. Additionally, the party wants to remove the compulsory membership of workers in institutions such as the Chamber of Labour (AK).
The Freedom Party is also against any inheritance, gift, or wealth tax in Austria and wants to reduce corporate income and capital gains taxes. They also want to simplify the tax system and reduce companies' non-wage costs.
'Save women's sports'
According to Heute, the programme even makes references to the recent Olympic Games in Paris with the slogan "save women's sport", demanding that transgender athletes not be allowed to take part in sporting events.
The FPÖ wants to reverse the trend towards digitalisation in schools, advocating for a return to traditional methods like reading from books and writing by hand. Party leader Herbert Kickl criticises what he calls a "surrender to ever new technical developments" and emphasises that schools should not be a place for "ideological experiments." The party argues that children need to be protected from influences such as "drag queens," "early sexualisation," and "gender confusion." Additionally, the FPÖ is pushing for a constitutional amendment to define only two genders—man and woman.
The coronavirus pandemic was also not left out of the programme, with a demand for "an immediate amnesty without exception for all those affected by administrative penalties, for example, for violations of social distancing rules or wearing masks, and a return of all fines collected".
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