Although Austria's Constitution (1920/29) is still quite similar to the unlucky code of Weimar (1919), the postwar development of Austrian democracy has been characterized by surprising stability, thanks to the responsibility and collaboration of the two major parties, the Christian Democrat ÖVP and the Socialist SPÖ, which often governed the country in a grand coalition. With the recent elections of 3rd October 1999, however, the postwar era of Austrian politics could be turning. Winner of the elections was the opposition FPÖ led by Jörg Haider, the xenophobic enfant terrible of Austrian politics. With only 400 votes more Haider's nationalistic "Liberals" passed by the Christian Democrats, thus becoming the second party in the Vienna "National Council".
First party remained the Social Democrats with 33,2% (down from 38,1% in 1995). Losing 4,9%, the SPÖ (Socialist, since 1991 Social Democrat Party of Austria) conquered 65 seats (71). This result can only be defined as a debacle for chancellor Viktor Klima (SPÖ), who took over the office of his popular predecessor Franz Vranitzky (SPÖ) in 1997.
The Austrian People's Party ÖVP lost only 1,4%, reaching 26,9% (28,3%) and 52 seats (53). But the debacle was quite similar, since for the first time in Austrian history they came out only third, thus losing even the option of forming a coalition with the Haider's Liberals as junior partner. Anyway, during the electoral campaign the Christian Democrat leader and foreign minister Wolfgang Schüssel (ÖVP) had always denied this possibility.
After an electoral campaign, during which their leader Jörg Haider tried by no means to hide his xenophobic and populist positions, the nationalistic Liberals reached 26,9% (21,9%), gaining 5,0% since the last elections in 1995. The FPÖ's "Club" in parliament consists now of 52 deputies (+11).
From 1983 to 1987 the liberal FPÖ had been governing the country in a coalition with the Social democrats. But when Haider took control of the party in 1996, he led Austria's third party into the opposition, repositioning himself on the far right of the political spectrum. The young and ambitious leader's populist course, his rage against anything "insane and un-Austrian" led to significant success in the national elections of 1990 and 1994. In the 90s the FPÖ became first party in his home region Carinthia and Haider became regional prime minister. After a scandalous remark praising the occupation policy of the Third Reich he was driven out, but with the next elections he saw himself reconfirmed by the Carinthian people. Preaching hate, envy and racism Haider has been stirring up the Austrian people against all kind of foreigners, pacifists, junkies, criminals and minorities ever since. But even his propensity towards anti-Semitic jokes hasn't very impressed his compatriots.
