The latter half of the 1990s was very favourable for the FPÖ, which capitalised on dissatisfaction with austerity policies, partly motivated by EU membership, as well as increased immigration to Austria (mainly as a result of the Yugoslav Wars). This also had policy implications, with the FPÖ moving to the left on economic issues and to the right on socio-cultural issues. The 1999 election marked the most successful outcome for the FPÖ thus far, as the party garnered almost 27 percent of the votes. Following unsuccessful negotiations with the SPÖ, the ÖVP turned to Haider and invited the FPÖ to join the government, despite the threat of sanctions from other countries.
When the ÖVP proceeded with the coalition, Israel recalled its ambassador to Vienna, and all EU countries isolated Austria in an unprecedented boycott. However, in September 2000, the other countries had to back down after an expert report did not find that the Austrian government or the FPÖ ministers posed a threat to the values of the EU. It’s worth noting that Jörg Haider never participated in the government and also stepped down from the party leadership during this period.
The subsequent elections proved disastrous for the FPÖ, as they lost almost two-thirds of their voters in 2002. Despite this setback, they remained in government, causing increasing internal conflicts within the party. In 2005, Haider eventually departed and founded the Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ), which took over FPÖ’s position in government while the FPÖ moved to the opposition. Following the 2006 election, both parties remained in opposition. After Haider’s death in a car accident in 2008, Josef Bucher succeeded him and steered the BZÖ towards a more right-wing economic direction, with reduced emphasis on opposition to immigration. However, without Haider’s leadership, the BZÖ struggled to maintain voter interest and eventually disappeared from the political scene in the 2010s.
Under the leadership of Heinz-Christian Strache, the FPÖ slowly recovered, adopting a more radical stance with a heightened focus on immigration with Strache claiming that a population exchange is under way. In 2016, amidst the migration crisis, FPÖ candidate Norbert Hofer nearly won the presidential elections, finishing first in the initial round but ultimately losing the runoff with 49.7 percent of the vote. In the 2017 general election, FPÖ achieved 26 percent of the vote, approaching its best-ever result. Forming a coalition with the ÖVP for the second time, under the chancellorship of Sebastian Kurz, the government’s tenure was short-lived. The Ibiza affair, a significant scandal in Austrian history, resulted in the collapse of both the government and the leadership of the FPÖ. The scandal revealed, through a secretly recorded video, that Strache was willing to engage in corrupt activities in exchange for clandestine assistance with FPÖ’s election campaign.
