World

Far-Right Gains In Austria

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

October 4, 1999 / 5:20 AM EDT / CBS

A party whose populist leader is best known abroad for praising elements of the Nazi era appears to have captured second place in Austrian national elections.

The inexorable rise of Joerg Haider throughout the 1990's has put him and his far right Freedom Party on the threshold of power, reports CBS News Senior European Correspondent Tom Fenton.

His party's 27 percent of the votes in Austria's national election may not have been enough to win him a place in the next government -- final results will be known later this week.

But he and his Freedom Party made the best showing for any far-right party in Europe since World War Two.

As a right-wing populist -- and some critics would say, an occult neo-Nazi -- Haider has been criticized for calling veterans of the Nazi SS "men of character," and for once praising Hitler's "orderly employment program." His father was a Nazi who joined the Storm Troopers even before Hitler annexed Austria in 1938.

Nowadays, he presents a more acceptable image, trying to reposition himself as a mainstream conservative.

He hobnobs with American academics and lawmakers. He is a handsome, telegenic, clever campaigner. But he still appeals to working class voters with anti-foreigner rhetoric that smacks of the Nazi era.

CBS News Senior European Correspondent Tom Fenton

And despite the fact that Austria has one of the strongest economies and lowest unemployment rates in Europe, his claim that the country is being overrun with immigrants wins broad support.

His platform is also anti-corruption, anti-crime and anti-establishment. Haider's strongest appeal may be that he offers an alternative to the moderate left Social Democratic Party, which has dominated Austrian politics for half a century. Austrian voters seem to want a change, and are not too concerned about what the rest of the world thinks of their politics.

In fact, the outside world seems to have paid more attention to this election than the Austrians themselves. Turnout, at 76%, was the lowest since the war.

If the final tally of absentee ballots confirms that Haider's Freedom Party has won second place, it will be difficult for the Democratic Socialists to form another government with their current partners, the moderately conservative People's Party. The result could be a period of unstable coalition governments, or even new elections.

Haider, a youthful 49, has a long career ahead of him. Even if he fails to make it into power this time, he and his party are a force to be reckoned with in the next century.