Under the leadership of top candidate Herbert Kickl, the FPÖ secured 28.8% of the vote, making it the largest party. This marks the first time the far-right party has won the elections. The Christian Democratic ÖVP received 26.3% of the votes.
The FPÖ has positioned itself as an opponent of what it terms "gender ideology," "transgender brainwashing," and "queer experiments." In its party platform, the FPÖ openly condemns initiatives aimed at promoting gender diversity. They argue that there is an ongoing "abolition of the two biological sexes," which they claim undermines traditional social order. For instance, Kickl opposed the legalisation of same-sex marriage, stating: "Now there is equal treatment for something that is not equal." He believes that marriage between a man and a woman deserves legal protection.
The FPÖ also strongly criticises LGBT+ initiatives in education. They vehemently oppose sex education that discusses topics such as gender diversity or sexual orientation, labelling it as the "early sexualisation" of young people, a concept that has gained traction in ultra-conservative circles in the United States.
Their recent platform specifically objects to activities like drag queen story hours for children. The party calls such events a form of "indoctrination," stating: "Drag queens have no place in schools and kindergartens."
Following a drag queen story hour in 2022, a prominent party member used the term "globohomo," which comes from the online far-right blog culture. It refers to a conspiracy theory about a global homosexual elite supposedly trying to change society. This year, an FPÖ parliamentarian also made a video where he throws a rainbow flag into the trash.
Despite the party's views, the FPÖ appears to have some support among Austrian homosexuals. In a non-representative poll of users on the dating platform Romeo (formerly known as “Planetromeo”), the FPÖ was the most popular party (29%), followed by the Social Democrats (21%).
Coalition
Since the FPÖ does not have a majority, it must form a coalition with other parties. Most parties have indicated they do not wish to cooperate with the far-right party. According to Austrian media, the Christian Democratic ÖVP is searching for a way to collaborate with the FPÖ without having to appoint the controversial leader Herbert Kickl as the prime minister.
The FPÖ cooperates at the European level with other far-right parties, including the PVV (Netherlands), RN (France), Vox (Spain), Vlaams Belang (Belgium), and Viktor Orbán's party Fidesz.
