Posted on 03/07/2004 5:37:54 PM PST by nuconvert
Controversial Rightist Wins Re-Election, Hopes to Regain National Prominence
Mar 7, 2004
By George Jahn/ Associated Press Writer
VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Joerg Haider brought his party a stunning victory in his home province Sunday, confounding pundits and increasing the odds for a national comeback for the rightist known for anti-Jewish slurs and friendship with Saddam Hussein. With Haider's Freedom Party polling more than 10 percentage points behind the Socialists just weeks before legislative elections in Carinthia province. Most predicted a Freedom Party loss after a string of defeats elsewhere over the past two years.
While the voting was restricted to Carinthia, its significance extended beyond Austria's southernmost province. Beyond assuring his reappointment as governor, the win increased chances that Haider would be able to revitalize his party, which has less than 10 percent support nationally compared to close to 30 percent just four years ago.
"Haider's back," declared Werner Beutelmeyer of the Market Institute polling organization, predicting that with his win, he would become "stronger than ever" on the national political scene.
Final results showed the Freedom Party with 42.4 percent of the vote, compared to just over 38 percent for the rival Socialists.
In postelection interviews, Haider ruled out a quick return to national politics, declaring: "Of course I'm staying in Carinthia, and will keep my word to my supporters."
For much of the campaign Haider managed to keep his no-holds-barred style in check, apparently learning from past mistakes.
Many blame the party's national demise on Haider, notorious for past remarks that sounded sympathetic to the Nazis and contemptuous of Jews, a visit with Saddam Hussein on the eve of the Iraq war and a friendship with Moammar Gadhafi when Libya was still an international pariah. More recently, he has obliquely compared President Bush to Saddam and Adolf Hitler.
Such tactics have scored points in the past, when, like ultranationalists in several other European democracies, Haider and his party exploited disillusionment with the cozy, fat-cat image of more established political rivals.
Sharp attacks on traditional political parties, along with bursts of xenophobia and immigrant-bashing by Haider and his associates powered his party into the Austrian government in 2000.
But setbacks soon followed.
Haider stepped down as party leader in 2000 to ease the diplomatic pressure on Austria, but the European Union still slapped temporary sanctions on the country to protest his party's government role. His subsequent attempt to run things from the sidelines provoked early elections in 2002, alienating huge numbers of supporters who switched to other parties.
With other provincial elections resulting in stinging Freedom Party losses since then, Haider - and his party - risked political obscurity.
The biggest loser in Carinthia was the People's Party. That party - senior coalition partners of the Freedom Party in the federal government - dropped nearly half of their strength, leaving it at little more than 12 percent.
Charming.
Even Pat Buchanan did not go that far.
I thought this guy liked Saddam. Man when you lose power people turn on you.
Coming from Haider, it was probably intended as a complement.
The results were just from one province.
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