Austria's far-right FPÖ leader Kickl congratulates Germany's AfD
The leader of the right-wing populist FPÖ in Austria, Herbert Kickl, congratulated Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on its improved result in Sunday's parliamentary election.
"In the firewall" of the mainstream parties "there is now a huge hole," Kickl said. He said in reality the "firewall" is a wall of fear placed in front of the will of the people and democratic change.
People "no longer want to put up with paternalism, illegal mass immigration, the resulting Islamist terror and security chaos, climate communism and the destruction of prosperity," he said.
Current projections show the AfD doubling its vote share from the 2021 election to reach around 20% - its strongest showing ever.
Kickl's FPÖ emerged as the strongest party in Austria's September elections, taking just over 26%. Coalition negotiations have so far failed, however, as Kickl has been unable to agree on a government programme with the second-placed conservatives, the ÖVP. Now the conservatives, social democrats (SPÖ) and liberals (Neos) are trying to form a coalition government.
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