Austrian Freedom Party Faces Split

[Strengthandhonour]

Austrian Freedom Party Faces Split





By GEORGE JAHN, Associated Press Writer

VIENNA, Austria - Rightists shunned by Joerg Haider accused him Saturday of betrayal amid growing signs that his struggling party — once the most powerful of its kind in Europe — could break up over his switch from radicalism with an occasional Nazi-tinge to more pragmatic views.



Trying to stem eroding support, Haider sought peace with a radical young rival who has increased backing among those who have abandoned the politically flamboyant Austrian politician.



Haider, who stepped down as Freedom Party leader four years ago but has remained the party's most influential figure, also said he was ready to resume leading the federal party. But he insisted he would found a new party before making concessions to those farthest to the right, blaming them for the Freedom Party's massive decline in popularity.



The dispute threatens to further emasculate the party, which went from the second most popular in Austria in 2000 to a series of disastrous election showings in recent years.



Trying to stop the party's descent toward political obscurity, Haider and other pragmatists earlier this week dismissed from positions as members of the party board four rightists — including one whose attack-dog tactics have earned him the nickname of "Dobermann."



A fifth, Heinz-Christian Strache, who heads the party's Vienna branch and is increasingly being touted by rightists as an alternative to Haider, lost his job as the federal party's deputy pleader.



In an apparent tacit knod to Austria's rightist fringe — a traditional pillar of Freedom Party support — several officials associated with extreme views kept their positions.



Still, that has clearly not been enough for those whose loved Haider and his past derogatory comments about foreigners and Jews along with praise for aspects of Adolf Hitler's reign. The support has been replaced by dismay over his new image as a relative moderate.



"You have betrayed and misused tried and true comrades-in-arms," said a letter cited Saturday by the daily Standard and being circulated for signatures by embittered rightists ahead of a special congress in April meant to decide the party's ideological direction.



Separately, the party's youth organization announced it was backing Strache, Haider's rival, along with the four other rightists purged on Tuesday.



In a clear allusion to Haider, the youth group demanded a "heavy hand against those destructive forces questioning the party and demanding" creation of a new one.



Besides offering to return to lead his party Haider, now governor of Carinthia province, repeated Saturday he was ready to create a new one unless the present organization divested itself from its "destructive" elements.



While rejecting concessions toward most of his critics, Haider said he was ready for a "friendly conversation" with Strache — who was recently in the news for challenging a rival to a saber duel.



While Haider remains provocative in his attacks on political opponents, his turn from language that flirted with anti-Semitism and xenophobia in favor of support of Turkey's bid for European Union membership and other moderate views now outrage many former backers.



The purge of rightists was formally approved by Ursula Haubner, Haider's sister and head of the federal party, after the Freedom Party lost more than 50 percent of its support in municipal elections last weekend in Lower Austria province, collecting only 3.3 percent of the ballots. Winners were the centrist People's Party and the Social Democrats.



The loss was the latest in a string of humiliating results for Haider's party. It is limping along at well under 10 percent support nationally, less than five years after it powered itself into the national government coalition, fueled in part by Haider's no-holds-barred rhetoric and campaign of latent xenophobia and anti-Semitism.



The party was riding high at 27 percent until Haider provoked early elections four years ago by attacking Freedom Party rivals in government. Frustrated voters fled, and regional and local elections since have brought a string of sobering losses.







Its fall in popularity has been accompanied by growing infighting among party pragmatists and the rightist fringe that extends to those with links to neo-Nazi publications.

[Cristoforo]

While Haider remains provocative in his attacks on political opponents, his turn from language that flirted with anti-Semitism and xenophobia in favor of support of Turkey's bid for European Union membership and other moderate views now outrage many former backers.

Supporting Turkey's entry in the EU? Has Haider lost it? No right-wing group can ever support the entry in the EU of such a drastically different (culturally especially) country. Here in Malta even some elements in the centrist parties or known for their alliances to centrist parties are against Turkey's entry in the EU, let alone the right-wingers.

[Aeternitas]

As if the EU were culturally homogenous.

[Cristoforo]

Originally Posted by Aeternitas

As if the EU were culturally homogenous.

Of course, it isn't however I think we all agree that there are more bonds between European countries then between any European country & Turkey. Probably religion is the key there.

I would like to add that Turkey is not (there is only a part of it in Europe) a European country.

[Strengthandhonour]

This is bad news. Haider was one of the top players and to see him lose it like this is very dissapointing..what a shame

[Agrippa]

Haider's going mad. He supported the entry of Turkey to the European Union and he agitates against the right wing of the party and all nationalists. He spoke about a "ideology-free new party" and it was clear against whom he was speaking.

Even some of his mentors just dont know what happens and why he destroyed the party over the last years.
He was always just a populist and I was never a fan, but now we can just ask ourselves if he's mad now or someone influenced him...

[Aeternitas]

Has Haider lost it?

He stated "Wir werden offenbar von lauter Hornochsen geführt in dieser Republik." ("We are apprently led by horned cattle in this republik".) He criticised people in the governemnt and accused them of being opportunists because of initially supporting Turkey's entry in the EU and then being against it. Yeah, he must have really lost it.