(Reuters) – Austria's Freedom Party won a first-ever parliamentary election on Sunday after a campaign that focused heavily on voters' concerns about immigration levels.
The FPO will need to see if it can put together a coalition. Its likely counterpart is the conservative Austrian People's Party (OVP), which finished second and also wants to impose tougher immigration laws.
Otherwise a centrist OVP-led coalition may emerge. All parties have addressed this issue.
Here's what they're looking for:
Freedom Party (FPO)
The FPO says in its manifesto that it wants immigrants who entered Austria illegally to be removed and tougher policies on legal immigration to be strengthened.
This includes:
– Not accepting asylum applications on the grounds that any asylum seeker coming to Austria has crossed into a safe country, and “pushing” applied at the border
– Making asylum temporary, where refugees lose the right to stay in Austria if their countries of origin are deemed safe
– Preventing asylum from becoming a pathway to eventual Austrian citizenship
– To carry out “thorough checks” on the nationality of Austrians by nature
– Rejecting the European Union's Pact on Migration and Asylum – which aims to protect the bloc's borders and separate migrants between members – to pressure the EU to tighten its borders.
AUSTRIA PEOPLE GROUP
The OVP says the EU's borders must be secured against illegal immigration.
“The immigration of unskilled people and the crime from other countries is a big problem in our society,” the manifesto said.
It requires that:
– Deportation of those seeking asylum in order to stop the choice of which country to settle
– Institutions outside the EU that decide on asylum applications, say that the EU agreement on migration and Asylum will help to achieve this
– Using essentials for any asylum seekers coming to Austria to help cover the costs of their integration and maintenance
– Guaranteeing the right of immigrants to receive full social benefits for at least five years of normal residence in Austria, or less for those who join immediately
SOCIAL DEMOCRACY (SPO)
The leftist SPO wants:
– “Fair distribution” of asylum seekers in EU member states, which means it will reduce asylum applications in Austria by 75%
– EU asylum processing centers to be established outside the bloc
– In cases where asylum is refused but their country of origin will not take them back, asylum seekers must be sent to a “protected third country”
– Much has been done to integrate asylum seekers from the moment they arrive, including German lessons from day one
NEW AUSTRIA (NEOS)
A self-proclaimed centrist and pro-European group, NEOS calls for:
– Providing safe and legal routes for refugees to reach Austria
– Protecting the EU's borders, implementing the Migration and Asylum agreement and introducing a common asylum procedure in all EU regions
– Putting foreign aid on the receiving end says to sign agreements that allow unsuccessful asylum seekers to be sent back
– Making it possible for Austrians to have dual citizenship
GREEN
In cooperation with the OVP from 2020, the remaining Greens say that the Austrian economy and social security systems need immigrants, and argue the following:
– Allowing asylum seekers to stay if they integrate and work in labor-intensive sectors
– Unsuccessful asylum seekers and refugees who commit serious crimes should be deported from Austria as long as this does not violate their human rights.
– Borders must be secured and legal routes must be established for refugees entering Austria
– The party will strive to ensure the protection of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum for all those who need it
