Vienna (dpa) – Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) has reaffirmed its ambition to lead the country and launched a new party-controlled radio station, "Austria First," which FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl describes as "Austria's first patriotic radio station."

Speaking at the FPÖ's New Year party conference on Saturday, Kickl predicted a "new era" should the party win the next parliamentary elections. Addressing around 5,000 supporters, he said an absolute majority for the FPÖ in the next elections was achievable.

Kickl painted a bleak picture of Austria's situation, despite the country ranking among the world's wealthiest according to many statistics. He accused the current conservative-led, three-party coalition government of primarily working to preserve its own power rather than serving the population. By contrast, Kickl said an FPÖ-led government would be led by a "people's chancellor" and pursue a hard line on immigration, including building what he described as a "Fortress Austria" to prevent further migration.

As part of its push for power, the FPÖ has expanded its party-controlled media network by launching its "Austria First" online radio station. The station will broadcast around the clock and will be "packed with good music and real news instead of the leftist propaganda we know from the mainstream media." The FPÖ has operated its own YouTube-based television channel, FPÖ TV, since 2012 and maintains a strong presence across social media platforms.

FPÖ strategy "prioritizes propaganda over dialogue", an expert judges

Political scientist Kathrin Stainer-Hämmerle, an expert on the FPÖ, criticized the radio launch, arguing that it further reduces engagement with critical public debate and reinforces party-controlled messaging. She said the strategy prioritizes propaganda over dialogue.

The coalition of the conservative Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), the Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the liberal Neos, which has been in power for ten months, is struggling with poor poll ratings. According to pollsters, the FPÖ is well ahead with almost 40% support. Since the 2024 parliamentary elections, the gap between the FPÖ and the ÖVP on the centre-right has widened significantly. While the two parties were separated by around two percentage points in 2024, recent polls suggest a gap of nearly 20 points.

Political scientist Peter Filzmaier said that, under current conditions, the only realistic way to prevent an FPÖ-led government in the election planned for 2029 would be the formation of a broad three-party coalition, similar to the current governing alliance.

Author: bell.flora

Austria's far-right FPÖ party launches 'patriotic' radio station

bell.flora