Lead candidate of the far-right Freedom Party of Austria, Herbert Kickl, celebrates with supporters at the FPO’s election party following Austria’s parliamentary elections in Vienna, Sept. 29, 2024. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

(JTA) — Austria’s far-right Freedom Party, which was founded by former Nazis, has been given a mandate to form a governing coalition, positioning it to lead the country for the first time since World War II.

The Freedom Party won the most votes in national elections in September, but a group of more moderate parties engaged in months-long negotiations to form a coalition that would block it from taking power. Those talks faltered over the weekend and the sitting chancellor resigned. On Monday the Austrian president gave the Freedom Party the go-ahead to assemble a coalition.

If that effort is successful, Austria will be led by a politician, Herbert Kickl, who has aspired to the title “Volkskanzler,” which means “people’s chancellor” and was also used by Adolf Hitler. The Freedom Party was founded in the years following World War II by former Nazi SS soldiers, a legacy that has cropped up more recently as well: Last year, attendees at a funeral of a longtime party member sang a song that praises the “holy German Reich” and that was popularized by the Nazis.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

More broadly the party, like other far-right movements across Europe, is sympathetic to Russia and opposed to migration. Its election success, which alarmed local Jewish leaders, came at a time of gains for far-right parties across the continent.

If the Freedom Party cannot form a government, Austria will hold another round of elections.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re in the middle of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 21.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount