It's the re-run of an election held in May, between the Green Party's Alexander Van der Bellen, 72, and Norbert Hofer, candidate of the far-right Freedom Party, 45. And it looks like a tossup.
But the consequences could stretch beyond Austria. The old European political order, founded on the ruins of war and based on open borders and free trade, is under threat from a far-right, anti-immigrant, anti-globalization alliance stretching through the continent. Indeed, Hungary, which borders Austria, has its own far-right leader; Netherlands may get its own, as well; and there is a slim possibility next year that a far-right president emerges in France and a far slimmer one that a far-right chancellor emerges in Germany.Few Americans pay much attention to the growing success of far-right political parties in Europe, but you'd better believe that Steve Bannon and his henchmen have been watching carefully for a long time, establishing connections with them -- with people like "Mr. Brexit," Nigel Farage, in Britain, for example. Farage has close ties to Bannon and Trump, and was actively involved in the Trump campaign. (Trump tweeted that Farage should be appointed Britain's ambassador to Britain, a suggestion that drew a frosty reply from the British).
Donald Trump’s election victory in the U.S. has also boosted the Freedom Party. Hofer told the The New York Times that Trump’s victory has “loosened” the stigma in Austria against voting for his party, which was founded in the 1950s by former Nazis. Indeed, writing in the Times this week, Robert Misik, a journalist and author, noted that the Freedom Party is “a potential role model for the new European right.”
Comparisons between Trump and Hitler seem a bit farfetched; Austrians think comparisons between Hofer and Hitler are nearer the mark.
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