News Analysis: Austrian right wing rises under shadow of economic instability, refugee influx

Although Norbert Hofer of Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPO) was narrowly defeated on Monday in the presidential race, economic instability and refugee influx are changing the face of politics in Europe and becoming the main engine behind the rise of the right wing in the region.

With the FPO only narrowly losing the presidential election, the result revealed a split in the nation and marked unprecedentedly strong support for the right-wing party that some fear could resonate further into Europe.

This movement toward the political right shows a changing politic map of Europe in recent years.

Over the past years, the slow economic growth and rising jobless rate in European states disappointed many Austrians who placed hope on what the European Union (EU) could provide.

Many have lost their patience with the government. Young Austrians complained the ruling coalition did nothing in the reform, and nothing was changed.

Since last summer, the refugee crisis in Europe revealed the low efficiency and lack of coordination among the governments of EU member states, making people more worried about their security under the EU's open border policy.

Former Austrian Vice Chancellor Michael Spindelegger told Xinhua that what needed to happen in Austria was to "get the economy up and running again," noting if the economy revived, there would be more jobs and greater satisfaction.

He believed the rise of the right wing was very much linked to a lot of refugees coming to the country in the last year.

Both economic weakness and the refugee crisis make Europeans more skeptical about the EU solution, but what's missing are national solutions for these tough issues.

All of these issues shed light on the relation between the member states and the EU. It's a question of Europeans whether they should tend to revert back to their own states or give up more to form a stronger EU.

But since no one has found answers to the tough issues Austria is faced with, the electorate turns from the current government coalition to the anti-migrant and Eurosceptic right-wing party to search for a possible change to the situation.

The right-wing party platform that there needs to be a national solution rather than following "the EU's dictate" plays to the psychological needs of many people, especially those living in the country who have less connection with EU.

The reasons for the rise of the FPO are varied. The FPO presents itself as a party for the everyday man. It targets mainly former SPO voters from the working class. As many as 74 percent of these workers voted for Hofer in the first ballot of the presidential election. In addition, the FPO benefits from an "anti-establishment" image from the numerous crises in recent years.

Under the dominant main stream parties coalition in the small central European state of 8.5 million people, the FPO has been living at the fringe of the Austrian political map for a long time, but seems to have become a rising star in resent years.

Nearly half of Austrians who voted in the presidential election, voted for Hofer, a major highlight for the FPO.

Beyond Austria, right-wing populist parties are booming currently in all of Europe. However, in the Austria electoral story, the FPO has a longer tradition. The rise began with the takeover of the party by the charismatic politician Jorg Haider in 1986. Haider turned the former liberal party to a right-wing populist movement. After many electoral successes, the FPO entered into government in 2000.

The FPO was able to secure a unique position in the Austrian political landscape with a critical stance towards the EU. The financial crisis, the problems with Greece, and the refugee crisis revealed the limitations of the EU, which the FPO was able to use in their favor.

In addition, the FPO profits from the government's lack of effective reform.

The coalition often postponed major issues because of quarrels between the Social Democratic Party (SPO) and the Austrian People's Party (OVP). Under the coalition's leadership, it was not able to boost the economy after the financial crisis, the unemployment rose to a record high, and the real wage is in decline.

Finally, the FPO benefits from the refugee crisis. Many Austrians are very skeptical toward the large number of immigrants and despite the ruling government instituting a more restrictive refugee policy, the parties couldn't regain voter support. Endit