FPÖ Kicks Off Election Campaign in Burgenland with Blistering Start
The Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) launched its election campaign for the upcoming Burgenland state election on Friday evening in Oberschützen, a district in Oberwart. Around 400 supporters gathered at the cultural center to hear speeches from the party’s top leaders.
The event focused on sharp attacks on political opponents and a clear message: the FPÖ sees itself as a driving force of political change in Burgenland.
Criticism of federal and state politics
FPÖ General Secretary Christian Hafenecker spoke of a failed “three-party alliance” between the ÖVP, SPÖ, and NEOS, which he said ignored the will of the voters. He held Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen partly responsible for the 95-day stalemate and emphasized that the disregard for citizens’ interests would have consequences.
The state politics were not spared either. FPÖ Land Party Chairman Alexander Petschnig criticized the “Doskozil system” as a swamp that needed to be drained. He claimed that the minimum wage primarily benefited the red party’s followers, while those in the private sector, including saleswomen, hairdressers, and craftsmen, did not profit from it.
Norbert Hofer, the FPÖ’s top candidate for Burgenland, largely avoided polemical attacks in his speech. He criticized the fact that in Burgenland, good jobs still depend on party books and stated that the FPÖ aimed to end this system. Hofer expressed optimism, emphasizing that the FPÖ would not be stopped in the federal and state elections.
No clear statement on a future as state governor was made by Hofer, but he gave the impression that the party was looking forward to a promising future.
FPÖ Federal Party Chairman Herbert Kickl was absent at the campaign launch in Oberschützen, with Abgeordnete Dagmar Belakowitsch representing him instead. Kickl will, however, support the Burgenland party at further events, including a rally in Neusiedl bei Güssing and Winden am Neusiedler See on Saturday.
Whether the FPÖ can achieve its goal of becoming the dominant force in Burgenland will be shown in the coming weeks. The tone of the campaign is likely to remain rough.