Offer shortly before the election

“Building a fortress”: FPÖ woman makes eyes at ÖVP

Blue rapprochement with the ÖVP shortly before the national elections: Susanne Fürst wants to build "Fortress Austria" together with the current chancellor's party.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/APA, AFP/Joe Klamar)

Four days before the National Council elections, FPÖ constitutional spokeswoman Susanne Fürst has extended a surprisingly clear hand to the ÖVP. She wants the People's Party to build "Fortress Austria" together with the Freedom Party. 

The FPÖ's more than 100-page election program is known to have the motto "Fortress Austria - Fortress of Freedom". One of the guiding principles is "homogeneity", according to the blue Frotmann Herbert Kickl. In order to make immigration unattractive, the FPÖ also opposes the possibility of family reunification, according to Kickl.

Strict asylum policy: ÖVP and FPÖ in line
According to Fürst, the strict migration policy propagated by the Chancellor's party can only be implemented with the FPÖ. The Blue Party supports the ÖVP's demands, such as those for return centers, as these "correspond exactly to the image of 'Fortress Austria'. Let's build it together!".

Skepticism about the Chancellor's promises
Deportations to countries of origin, above all to Afghanistan and Syria, secure external borders and a stop to development aid for countries that do not cooperate will only happen with Black-Blue. "We find all this very pleasing. But please pay attention to what he says now if he is to become chancellor after the election," said Fürst at a press conference on Wednesday, not quite trusting the promises of Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP).

Let's build 'Fortress Austria' together!

FPÖ-Verfassungssprecherin Susanne Fürst macht der ÖVP ein deutliches Koalitionsangebot

FPÖ scatters roses for new EU Commissioner Brunner
The FPÖ is pleased that former Finance Minister and neo-EU Commissioner Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) will be responsible for migration in the future. "The ÖVP and Brunner will have our full support and backing", provided they follow up their announcements with action.

Blue against EU migration pact
However, she does not agree with Brunner's positive view of the EU migration pact. "The pact is by no means suitable for stopping illegal migration. It merely declares illegal immigration to be legal". The migration pact does not need to be questioned, "it needs to be scrapped".

Demand for a zero upper asylum limit
Hannes Amesbauer, the party's spokesperson on security and considered to be a ministerial figure, tried to explain why the 'Fortress Austria', which the Freedom Party has been propagating for many months, including a zero upper asylum limit, is needed. According to Amesbauer, there had been an average of 340 reports per day against foreigners in the past five years.

"Stabbings, gang wars, Islamism, the threat of terrorism", he painted a bleak picture. The fact that terror alert level four has been in place for some time now is "solely due to immigration". And therefore: "The fortress is nothing to be afraid of. That's a really great term. Anyone can leave at any time, but we as fortress residents can also decide when to pull up the drawbridge".

The fortress is nothing to be afraid of. That's a really great concept. Anyone can leave at any time, but we as fortress inhabitants can also decide when to pull up the drawbridge.

FPÖ-Sicherheitssprecher Hannes Amesbauer

Fürst makes it clear: no coalition without Kickl
There is still one big question for Fürst and Amesbauer just a few days before the election: Nehammer must explain with whom he wants to implement his demands in the area of migration, after he repeatedly ruled out a coalition with FPÖ party leader Herbert Kickl. "It won't work with the Greens and the SPÖ". Fürst once again emphasized that there would be no coalition with the FPÖ without Kickl.