"Fix zam against the right" Thousands demonstrate against possible FPÖ government in Vienna

For the first time, the right-wing populists won a parliamentary election in Austria. Now the exploratory phase for a future coalition government begins. Opponents of the FPÖ are venting their anger.

Thousands of people have protested in Vienna against a possible government participation of the right-wing FPÖ.

"I hate that we have to be here. I hate that we have right-wing fascists," said activist Stefanie Stankovic in a speech to the demonstrators in the center of the Austrian capital.

The organizers of the rally spoke of around 25,000 participants. The police did not comment on the numbers.

The FPÖ won the parliamentary elections on Sunday. Almost all other parties completely reject a coalition with the right-wing populists. The conservative ÖVP under the previous chancellor Karl Nehammer does not rule out cooperation. However, it has made it a condition that FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl, known for his extreme rhetoric, does not assume government responsibility. The latter, however, claims to be chancellor.

Historic triumphRight-wing populist FPÖ wins parliamentary election in Austria

Exploratory talks from Friday

The demonstration march through the city center led to the parliament. The participants carried signs with inscriptions such as "No coalition with Nazis". One poster showed Kickl as a puppet of Russian President Vladimir Putin - an allusion to the pro-Kremlin positions of the FPÖ leader.

On Friday, Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen will begin exploratory talks with all party leaders. Kickl will be the first. Should the ÖVP and FPÖ fail to find common ground, a coalition between the ÖVP and the social democratic SPÖ is seen as a possible alternative.

Final result available

However, the two centrist parties together will only hold 92 of the 183 seats in the National Council - an extremely narrow parliamentary majority. A coalition of ÖVP, SPÖ and liberal Neos is therefore also a possibility.

The Ministry of the Interior published the final election results on Thursday night. According to the results, the FPÖ won with 28.8 percent of the vote (up 12.7 percentage points), followed by the ÖVP with 26.3 percent (down 11.2). The SPÖ came in with 21.1 percent (minus 0.04). The Neos received 9.1 percent of the vote (plus 1), and the Greens, who previously governed with the ÖVP, received 8.2 percent (minus 5.7). The remainder was accounted for by small parties that did not make it into parliament.

SDA