Austria’s far-right Freedom Party regains national momentum

By EMILY SCHULTHEIS
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — Nearly four years ago, Austria’s populist far-right Freedom Party was ousted from the national coalition government over a major corruption scandal, and voters punished it at the ballot box. But the party’s nearly double-digit gains in Sunday’s regional election in the province of Lower Austria confirmed that the Freedom Party has regained its previous momentum. The party has led national polls since this fall. Experts say the party has managed these gains by criticizing European Union sanctions against Russia, stressing the impact of inflation and rising energy prices, expressing skepticism about vaccines and pandemic-related restrictions, and highlighting its hard line positions on migration issues.