Nepp wants to ride the blue wave of success in the Vienna election
The success story of the Vienna FPÖ resembles a rollercoaster ride. After various ups and downs in state elections, it was mainly Heinz-Christian Strache who made the Blues a political factor in the federal capital for a while. The Ibiza and expense scandals abruptly ended the success story, with the Freedom Party landing in single digits. Now, chairman and deputy mayor Dominik Nepp is pushing back from the overwhelming red shadow.
Ibiza scandal caused total crash in Vienna election
After Strache's resignation in the wake of the Ibiza scandal, Nepp took over the leadership of the Vienna FPÖ in 2019. Under his leadership, the party could only achieve 7.11 percent of the votes in the 2020 municipal council elections, which represented a significant decline compared to previous years. Strache, in addition to his duties as federal party leader and later vice-chancellor, led the state party from 2004 to 2019 and achieved a strong result of 25.77 percent of the votes in 2010.
What remains from Strache is a populist course targeting migration policy in red Vienna. The FPÖ benefited from a declining sense of security in the federal capital, exploiting incidents such as stabbings in Vienna's working-class districts. The comparatively generous course on minimum benefits for newcomers was also met with plenty of criticism, as was the increasing proportion of students with poor or no German language skills.
Polls for the 2025 Vienna election predict a blue success course
The relationship of the Vienna Blues with the current FPÖ chairman Herbert Kickl is characterized by loyalty, but at least somewhat cool. Recent tensions arose, for example, when the former official Hans-Jörg Jenewein, who had fallen out of favor with the state party, suddenly appeared as an employee in the National Council club. Nevertheless, the Blues in Vienna are likely to benefit from Kickl's success in recent elections. Polls predict them up to 22 percent.
Strache not only caused an image damage with the Ibiza video, in which the former blue vice mayor Johann Gudenus also played a significant role. The former chief was also investigated for his questionable handling of expense accounts. The flirtation of the Freedom Party with the nationalistically influenced Turkish community was recently exploited with relish - specifically by the political opponent ÖVP - although the Vienna Blues had long since courted the "decent" migrants.
Influential Figures in Vienna FPÖ
In general, the history of the Vienna FPÖ is shaped by a series of state party leaders who have significantly influenced the political orientation and success of the party: Before Hilmar Kabas, who took over the leadership in 1996, Rainer Pawkowicz led the party, before him Erwin Hirnschall. Previously, from 1977 to 1983, Norbert Steger was the chairman of the FPÖ Vienna, who was later overthrown as federal party leader by Jörg Haider. The first party leader of the Blues in the federal capital was Tassilo Broesigke.
(APA/Red)
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