Freedom Party not dead in Austria despite rout

Date: 28/11/02

By David Cronin

AUSTRIAN far-right firebrand Jörg Haider indicated yesterday (27 November) that his Freedom Party would be willing to enter a fresh coalition with Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel (above), even though it was routed in last weekend's election.

The prospect of the Freedom Party re-entering the Vienna government is expected to meet a hostile response from other EU capitals, particularly as Haider has been threatening to block the Czech Republic from joining the Union.

Although Schüssel's Christian Democrats have become the biggest party in Austria for the first time since 1996, their 42% share of the vote leaves them short of an overall majority.

The clear preference of EU leaders is that a coalition could be formed between them and the Social Democrats or Greens. Schüssel is likely to make overtures with the two parties in the coming weeks, even though both have signalled that they wish to remain in opposition. The Freedom Party's vote plunged to 10% from 27% in 1999.

European Commission President Romano Prodi congratulated Schüssel on his election victory. 'I look forward to working on European affairs with the next Austrian government,' he added.