The AUTHLIB consortium cordially invites you to the online panel discussion titled
Austria Votes—Will the Cordon Sanitaire Hold?
on
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. CET
REGISTER HERE
Austria is approaching a pivotal moment as it holds on September 29 possibly its most consequential federal elections in decades—for the country and for European politics. The radical-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), twice a junior partner in coalition governments in the past two decades, is leading in the polls and aiming for the chancellor’s office.
What social, economic, and political shifts have led to this troubling scenario for Austria and Europe? Will the conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) agree to be the crucial coalition partner for the FPÖ, or will it opt instead for a centrist-progressive alliance even if this may cost it politically in the long run? Might Vienna set a new direction in EU party politics with a right-wing government consisting of members of the European People’s Party and Patriots for Europe groups, under the leadership of the latter? Could these elections signal the beginning of democratic backsliding in Austria? Finally, how might EU support for Ukraine be affected if the pro-Russian FPÖ comes to power?
Our panelists will explore these critical questions, shedding light on the domestic and European ramifications of Austria’s elections, and on what their result could mean for the continent’s political landscape in the years to come.
Speakers:
Reinhard C. Heinisch, Professor, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg
Marcus How, Head of Analysis, VE Insight
Sylvia Kritzinger, Professor, University of Vienna
Chair:
Dániel Hegedűs, Regional Director for Central Europe, The German Marshall Fund of the United States
REGISTER HERE
This event takes place in the framework of the “AUTHLIB – Neo-authoritarianisms in Europe and the Liberal Democratic Response” project.
Photo credit: Andreas Stroh via Shutterstock
