It was clear to the delighted far-right fans in Austria that establishing a government would not be simple as they celebrated their party’s historic victory in Sunday’s national elections with beers.
“It’s a real success… (but) I predict that no matter who forms the government, we will certainly not have one before Christmas,” Erik Berglund, a 35-year-old waiter, told AFP.
The far-right Freedom Party (FPOe), led by the acerbic Herbert Kickl since 2021, was predicted to defeat the reigning conservatives by a slim margin, but Sunday’s results—the party receiving about 29 percent of the vote—were even marginally better than anticipated.
Along with the other party members dressed in classic Austrian garb, Berglund gave Kickl credit as the “most competent leader.”
However, he stated that the other parties would now have the last say on whether the FPOe head may become chancellor.
“It will certainly be a very, very exciting time,” he added as electric blue light — the FPOe colour — illuminated the restaurant in downtown Vienna where the party was celebrating.
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