{"id":1166,"date":"2024-11-04T19:00:25","date_gmt":"2024-11-04T18:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdmo-drustvo.si\/o-avstriji-po-volitvah-z-marjanom-sturmom\/"},"modified":"2025-02-27T15:50:32","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T14:50:32","slug":"o-avstriji-po-volitvah-z-marjanom-sturmom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sdmo-drustvo.si\/en\/o-avstriji-po-volitvah-z-marjanom-sturmom\/","title":{"rendered":"AUSTRIA AFTER THE ELECTIONS 2024, panel discussion with dr. Marjan \u0160turm"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>AUSTRIA AFTER THE ELECTIONS 2024, panel discussion with dr. Marjan \u0160turm<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>4 November 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Video in Slovenian <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/o5rJ8LK6kKU?si=7U-tSIUHkYS9b9Lv\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/o5rJ8LK6kKU?si=7U-tSIUHkYS9b9Lv<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"SDMO - Predstavitev nove knjige dr. Marjana \u0160TURMA in razprava o razmerah v Avstriji po volitvah\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/o5rJ8LK6kKU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Introductory note by Ambassador Marjan \u0160etinc<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discussion was organized in collaboration with the Slovenian Association for International Relations (SDMO), the Institute for Ethnic Studies (SIM),\u00a0 the Slovenian Emigrant Association, and the Club of Carinthian Slovenes. The guest speaker was\u00a0<\/span><b>Dr. Marjan \u0160turm<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a historian, politician, and long time activist for Carinthian Slovenes. Many of us have encountered him or collaborated with him over the years. He is also a member of SDMO.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The meeting was moderated by\u00a0<\/span><b>Dr. Boris Jesih<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, President of SIM, and <\/span><b>Amb.<\/b> <b>Marjan \u0160etinc<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, President of SDMO, and consisted of two parts. The first part focused on the presentation and discussion of the guest&#8217;s recently published book,\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIdentit\u00e4t ohne Feindbild: Von der Konfrontation zur Friedensvermittlung in K\u00e4rnten und in der Alpen-Adria-Region\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIdentity Without an Enemy Image: From Confrontation to Peace Mediation in Carinthia and the Alpine-Adriatic Region\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), presented by\u00a0<\/span><b>Dr. Danijel Grafenauer<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The second part was devoted to the analysis of the political situation in Austria by\u00a0<\/span><b>Dr. \u0160turm<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, particularly after the rise of the extreme right Freedom Party (FP\u00d6) in the federal elections on September 29, 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following are a few insights into Austria&#8217;s political landscape and international stance.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The extreme right conservative forces are gaining power across Europe, thus forcing moderate conservatives to follow. The moderate conservatives are following the far-right rhetoric to maintain power: by opposing illegal immigration, advocating for border closures, and spreading a narrative of threats\u2014both internal and external. Media-driven fear amplifies this tendency which fuels far-right movements.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The above pattern is present in all countries bordering Slovenia and, to some extent, in Slovenia itself. Austria&#8217;s federal elections on\u00a0<\/span><b>September 29, 2024<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, brought the extreme right\u00a0<\/span><b>Freedom Party (FP\u00d6) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to the forefront, securing its highest-ever support (28.9%). The\u00a0<\/span><b>Social Democratic Party (SP\u00d6)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a long-time leading party, fell behind with their lowest post-war result (21.1%). The\u00a0<\/span><b>People&#8217;s Party (\u00d6VP)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Austria\u2019s second historically most dominant party, also recorded its third-lowest result in 24 post-war elections \u2013 26,3%.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In\u00a0<\/span><b>Carinthia<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> where Slovenians live from 6<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> century and have been heavily assimilated by the nationalistic Germanisation in the past more than 100 years, FP\u00d6 received\u00a0<\/span><b>38.4%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0of the vote, the highest score among all Austrian regions\u2014very significant shift from the\u00a0<\/span><b>2023 regional elections<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0(SP\u00d6: 38.94%, \u00d6VP: 17.04%, FP\u00d6: 24.53%, Team Carinthia: 10.08%). This raises serious questions: Has Carinthia experienced a political shift? Could nationwide trends influence regional dynamics?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>President Van der Bellen<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0tasked\u00a0<\/span><b>Karl Nehammer<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, leader of the \u00d6VP and the current Austria\u2019s chancellor, with forming a coalition government. The outcome of the coalition negotiations remains uncertain. Despite FP\u00d6\u2019s strong performance, their leader\u00a0<\/span><b>Herbert Kickl<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0was not awarded the mandate. However, FP\u00d6\u2019s significant parliamentary presence\u2014<\/span><b>57 seats out of 183<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014and control of the\u00a0<\/span><b>Parliament&#8217;s presidency<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, held by\u00a0<\/span><b>Walter Rosenkranz<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, will exert considerable pressure on the new coalition. Reaching compromises will be a serious test for the anticipated coalition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If Mr. Nehammer successfully forms a coalition\u2014likely involving significant compromises, may be using the FP\u00d6 as a bargaining chip\u2014the internal and foreign policies of Austria may change significantly. This raises several questions:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Neutrality:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0How will Austria\u2019s traditional neutrality evolve?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Relations with neighbors:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0How will Austria engage with neighboring countries, particularly Slovenia?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Minority rights<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0are another concern. Can we expect proactive policies to preserve minority rights and limit assimilation, especially concerning\u00a0<\/span><b>Carinthian Slovenes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">? Is such a change feasible?<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Broader foreign policy issues are also at stake:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What stance will Austria take on the\u00a0<\/span><b>war in Ukraine and maintain its neutrality<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How will it navigate relations with\u00a0<\/span><b>Israel<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the\u00a0<\/span><b>U.S.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u00a0<\/span><b>Russia<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and migration policies?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The\u00a0<\/span><b>\u00d6VP<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><b>SP\u00d6<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, along with smaller parties like\u00a0<\/span><b>NEOS<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0and the\u00a0<\/span><b>Greens<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, are keen to avoid repeating the scenario following the\u00a0<\/span><b>1999 coalition<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0between the \u00d6VP and FP\u00d6. The 1999 coalition government led to Austria\u2019s isolation within the\u00a0<\/span><b>EU<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which among others restricted its voting rights. Avoiding a similar outcome will be crucial in coalition negotiations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Analysis and discussion by Dr. Marjan \u0160turm is available in the video in the Slovenian language.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>4 November 2024<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-event","category-panel"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdmo-drustvo.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdmo-drustvo.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdmo-drustvo.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sdmo-drustvo.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sdmo-drustvo.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1166"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sdmo-drustvo.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1168,"href":"https:\/\/sdmo-drustvo.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1166\/revisions\/1168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdmo-drustvo.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sdmo-drustvo.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sdmo-drustvo.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}