The extreme right prevailed in Austria for the first time since the Second World War in the legislative elections of last September 29. Herbert Kickl’s FPÖ became the most voted force, overcoming the conservatives of the ÖVP (Austrian People’s Party) who can now form a government with Kickl’s party and grant him the chancellorship, or turn their backs on them and ally themselves with the social democrats.
ABC has had the opportunity to talk with one of the popular Austrians: Gudrun Kugler. The representative of the Austrian Popular Party visited Madrid to participate in the ‘Truths that Count’ Congress, organized by CEU-CEFAS and the NEOS Foundation, in which the difficult relationship between truth and discourse was discussed, among other topics. political. A forum in which the former member of the Basque Parliament María San Gil also participated.
-He has come to Spain to talk about truth and misinformation. How does the latter affect democracies to the detriment? What measures would you and your party take to combat it? And which of those that you currently apply in Austria would you recommend copying in Spain?
-We are concerned about the social media algorithms that divide society. We are also seeing a growing number of cyber attacks and trolls. But we are wrong if we only deal with new communication channels. Among traditional institutions – institutes, universities, public television and other conventional media – we often find even more dangerous forms of indoctrination that tend to come, above all, from the left. Sometimes it is even more subtle than far-right propaganda, but it is still strongly manipulative. That is why it is key to train people to distinguish facts from fabrications and fake news. They are very dangerous for democracy. We need more courage to address controversial topics, find new allies for freedom of expression, and tell new stories instead of repeating clichés and prejudices.
-The Government of Pedro Sánchez has recently approved its so-called ‘Democratic Regeneration Plan’, which includes a barrage of measures to control the media in our country. And, however, it does not contemplate any to regulate the activity of the spouse of the head of the Government or meetings in the presidential residence itself, as occurs in other democracies.
-We usually call the media the fourth estate. And one of its functions is to control the Government. That is why it is essential that they are free and not censored. At the same time, they must adhere to strict ethical standards and report impartially and fairly. Unfortunately, this is often not the case. I see numerous cases of conservative leaders who are victims of biased information.
-What opinion do people have abroad, specifically in Austria, of the President of the Spanish Government?
-We are concerned that a social fracture will occur in Spain. We support reasonable solutions in serious conflicts and, even more so, if they occur within a Member State of the European Union. And we are concerned about the growing impact of ideologies and separatism. For the good of Europe, we are interested in political stability in Spain. That is why it is important to support the rule of law, fair behavior, even with the opposition, and respect for Parliament and all democratic institutions.
-What is your opinion about the decisions of the Spanish Executive in the international arena? Above all, those that are not aligned with the EU position, such as the recognition of Gaza and the condemnation of Israel.
-I have not been able to follow all the important issues of Spanish foreign policy, but, for example, I completely disagree with the position of the Sánchez Government regarding the dictatorship in Venezuela. But in general terms, and from an Austrian perspective, I am concerned about the deep anti-Christian bias that I notice present in the agenda of the Spanish left regarding human rights. We see in power the vision of a man who seeks to impose everything, approving euthanasia, extending new rights of gender ideology and radical feminism, and exposing a version of history that fosters hatred and resentment.
-Do you find similarities between the Spanish and Austrian political landscape? How do you see the current situation in our country from the outside?
-In Austria, the FPÖ (the extreme right) mainly defends a nationalist ideology, while VOX seems to me to be more inspired by conservative and even Christian Democrat values. Something that should facilitate collaboration with the Spanish Popular Party because it is necessary to implement reforms in the country, and they will not be able to be undertaken without a common direction and coincidences on the roadmap. It is important to overcome personal differences for the good of the nation. Marginalizing right-wing populist parties makes them even stronger, as is happening in Germany with the AFD.
-The rise of the extreme right in Europe is a reality as you mention. France, Austria, Spain… What implications does this have in Europe?
-Progressivism, the left, has not worked. That’s obvious. People are wanting something else. Especially the Christian Democrats who urgently need a wake-up call that will lead them to change. They must remember their identity, especially when it comes to personal responsibility, the importance of family and when responding to problems related to illegal immigration. Furthermore, it is necessary to find better ways to address climate change than by raising the price of energy, restricting farmers’ activities or causing the deindustrialization of countries.
For the first time in the history of your country, the extreme right has won the parliamentary elections with 28.8% of the votes and you are the second political force. Do you plan to isolate the FPÖ or shake hands with it?
After an unprecedented campaign against my party, we are satisfied with the second place obtained with 26.3%, since we started from a very difficult position. Now the debate is what our government will be like. Opinions are very diverse, and there are many excited people. It seems clear that a large part of voters want a center-right government. They want their concerns to be taken seriously. Society is overloaded with mass immigration, especially when it comes to immigrants who do not participate in the labor market and who do not integrate into our value system. But in our particular case in Austria, we do not want to give government responsibilities to the leader of the far-right party, since we cannot classify him as a reliable and balanced leader in the past.
You also have the possibility of agreeing with the social democrats of the SPÖ.
Yes, it is an option. But it would be a very tight majority. Excluding the extreme right can make them stronger, and anger many people who don’t feel heard. With the FPÖ we have a greater overlap of programs than with the SPÖ. In times of multiple crises, a government with aligned interests can more easily make the necessary reforms.
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