A Szabadság Párt (Ausztria)
The Freedom Party (Austria)

Summary/Abstract: After 1986 the political influence and support of the Austrian Freedom Party had been emerging like a comet. The hitherto small party became a medium party within one and a half decades (while the so far major two parties have sunk into the status of medium parties). All this was achieved under the leadership of Jörg Haider, the new head elected in 1986. Haider deftly linked the rhetoric, characterising Freedom Party, of the ideas coquetting with German nationalist and at times clearly extreme rightist thoughts with a populism - acting in the interest of the common man - and turning against the elite. As a result the vote base of the party was broadened, and in addition to elements of the middle class it deeply penetrated the strata of the working class, thus becoming a 'proletarian medium party' (taking over Social Democrats among workers in 1999). Haider and his party were able to create diffuse fear among the workers and those of low school education by their rhetoric. For this purpose they utilised opposition to foreigners and criticism of the EU . Haider has accomplished his success with the help of evolving a party structure that ensured an almost total authority for himself ('Führer party'). E lectoral success in 1999 (Freedom Party obtained the second largest number of votes) brought about even the possibility of participation in governance. Coalition government with the Austrian People's Party, however, ended up in catastrophe for Haider and his party: the spuriousness of populist promises became obvious by responsibility in governance. E ither those promises should have been put aside, or positions taken up in governance should have been relinquished. Neither of these steps was taken, and it led to a crisis in the party and next in its leadership. Haider's tactics ('we are in as well as out') did not work in 2002, and in the 2006 elections the party sank to the position of a small party, in addition the party was even split in 2005.

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